Centennial Year Church Services

October 20, 2005 - By the Grace of the All-Holy Spirit, SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, celebrating her Centennial Year, was blessed with a visit of the Sitka Icon of the Most-Holy Theotokos (shown above) on Thursday, October 20, 2005. It was the second time that this wonderworking icon has been with out parish, a previous visit having been made in the early 1980's under the supervision of His Eminence, Archbishop GREGORY (Afonsky).

The Sitka Madonna, as the icon is also known, is a 19th century variation of the Kazan Icon and it is distinguished by its silver and gold metal adornment which form a portion of the front aspect of the icon. The Sitka Madonna has been venerated in the Cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel in Sitka, Alaska, (shown above left) for over 150 years, and many healings and miracles have been attributed to it in response to fervent prayers offered by countless faithful before it. It even miraculously survived unscathed when a huge fire destroyed the cathedral in 1966. The Sitka Madonna is now "on tour", making a two month pilgrimage to approximately sixty parishes throughout the contiguous United States (the "Lower 48"), including our parish in her Centennial Year. SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in South River, New Jersey, is the only New Jersey parish in the Orthodox Church in America to have the honor of hosting the Sitka Icon of the Most-Holy Theotokos.

As the reader will see in the following photoreport, the magnitude of the visitation of the Sitka Icon of the Madonna was augmented by the number of area clergy present, the number of faithful Orthodox Christians from our parish and those of neighboring Orthodox Churches who came to venerate the icon, and as well by the presence of the Russian Valaam Ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia. The Ensemble [shown above left with their manager, Anastasia Goryanina (above right)] sang before the Sitka Icon prior to the Akathist service on Thursday night and as well gave a brief concert of choral music prior to the reception in the Church Hall of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church. Below are scenes from the afternoon and evening of Thursday, October 20, and the morning of Friday, October 21.

The Sitka Icon was scheduled to arrive at our Church from Connecticut at 3:00 p.m. However, due to an unscheduled stop at a Church in Flushing, New York, metropolitan area rush hour traffic, and unfamiliarity with New Jersey's highways, the Alaskan entourage bearing the icon to our Church was late by several hours. By the scheduled arrival time of 3:00 p.m., many faithful had already gathered in our Church and Rev. David Garretson (above and below left) kept their attention by offering an extemporaneous catechism of the Orthodox Church in general and of our Church in particular. Below right, young children waited patiently for the arrival of the Sitka Icon of the Mother of God.

While awaiting the Icon's arrival, Church President (Starosta) James Kornafel (above left) and Rev. Garretson (above right) gave interviews with Gina Vergel, editor of the "Our Towns" information page at the Home News Tribune.

The Sitka Icon arrived at our Church close to 6:00 p.m. By now the Church was filled with faithful. Many early arrivals had not left and there were early arrivals for the 7:00 p.m. Akathist Service. Above left, V. Rev. Joseph Lickwar - Rector of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Dean of the New York/New Jersey Diocese - and Rev. Garretson offer the traditional priestly exchange of greeting with the two Alaskan clergy - Very Rev. Nicholai Larson and Rev. Sergie Active. The two Alaskan clergy were accompanied by Hypodeacon Paul Erickson. Above right, parishioner Walter Sudnikovich aids one of the priests in the unpacking of the Sitka Icon. Below, priests await to greet the Sitka Icon at the front of our Church. They are (left to right) V. Rev. Joseph Lickwar, Rev. Martin Krause of St. Vladimir's Church in Trenton, New Jersey, and Rev. Garretson.

Photos above and below left show the entry of the Sitka Icon into our Church, the Icon being carried by V. Rev. Nicholai Larson and Rev. Sergie Active. Below right, the women of our parish placed a garland of greenery around the Sitka Icon before the faithful began their veneration of the Icon.

Above left one sees the large gathering of faithful in our Church moments after the Icon arrived. Above right, many children and infants had come to be in the presence of the Icon. Below left, believers and non-believers, Orthodox and non-Orthodox - all came to be in the presence of the Sitka Icon of the Most-Holy Theotokos, to venerate it, and to pray before it. Below right, the Valaam Men's Ensemble - a choir of five men from St. Petersburg, Russia, schooled in Orthodox choral singing - sang hymns of praise to the Most-Holy Theotokos during the hour preceding the Akathist Service.

In the block of eight photos below, one sees the faithful venerating the Sitka Icon prior to the Akathist. In the last photo of this block, one sees a visitor who had brought her own flowers, placing them in the decorative garland around the Icon.

You may click on the photo above left to view an enlargement.

The two photos above show the large gathering of clergy and faithful at the 7:00 p.m. Akathist Service. The service is a compilation of Hymns of Praise to the Most-Holy Theotokos, the Mother of God. All pews and aisles in our Church were spoken for, with the overflow gathering extending out the open doors of our Church. Some of the faithful had come from as close as across the street, some from as far away as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Albany, New York - all to be in the presence of this miracle-working Icon.

Above left closest to the camera is the V. Rev. Sergius Kuharsky, Pastor Emeritus of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in South River, N.J. Above right closest to the camera is the V. Rev. Joseph Lickwar. He conducted the Akathist Service, concelebrating with fourteen additional vested priests and one deacon.

Above left, Father Joseph is shown censing the Sitka Icon of the Madonna during the Akathist Service. Above right, V. Rev. Nehrebecki, Pastor Emeritus of Christ the Savior Church in Paramus, New Jersey, read a passage from the Book of Holy Gospels pertaining to the Theotokos. Below right, at the conclusion of the Akathist Service one of the Alaskan clergy accompanying the Sitka Icon gave a brief homily regarding the history and significance of the Icon and a recounting of the miracles which have been accomplished in its presence. The physical Icon itself is a miracle - not having been harmed in a mid-1960's fire in the Alaskan Church which houses it.

Above left, Rev. Garretson introduces the Valaam Men's Ensemble. The Ensemble (above right) performed a brief concert at 8:30 p.m. before an attentive audience, many of whom had been in Church since 3:00 p.m. Below, all whom came to venerate the Sitka Icon received anointing with Holy Oil upon their dismissal from the Akathist.

Above and below - a reception was held in our Church Hall after the Akathist Service. The reception was under the able direction of parishioner Janet Hartman. The Orthodox Church does not observe the pagan ritual of Halloween, however, there is no harm in adorning the tables and Church Hall with the bounty and colors of the Fall season.

The reception consisted of dessert fare (above) and liquid refreshment. Below left, the women of our parish serve visitors apple cider, coffee, and tea. Below right, Valaam Men's Ensemble Manager, Anastasia Goryanina (extreme left in photo), presides over a table offering the Ensemble's CDs as our parishioners examine items for sale.

The two Alaskan priests - V. Rev. Nicholai Larson and Rev. Sergie Active - who accompanied the Sitka Icon of the Madonna took time out from visiting with the faithful to pose for this photo above. Below - future ball player?; future fireman? Perhaps, rather, this young fellow will be a future priest! Adults should always bear in mind the considerable influence that they have upon young people who look up to them for leadership and guidance. Adults influence children by word and deed and in seen and unseen ways.

SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church was open until midnight on Thursday evening so that the faithful might venerate the Sitka Icon. The Church reopened to the faithful at 7:00 a.m. on Friday morning. At 9:00 a.m., a brief prayer service, conducted by Rev. Garretson (photos above), was conducted for the final time before the Sitka Icon of the Most-Holy Theotokos continued along its journey to Orthodox Churches in Pennsylvania. Below, Rev. Garretson reads a passage pertaining to the Theotokos from the Book of Holy Gospels.

Veneration of the Sitka Icon continued until its departure from our Church at 10:00 a.m. The block of six photos below shows faithful of all ages venerating the icon - each in their own manner.

Below left, Rev. David Garretson anoints the faithful after their veneration of the Icon. Below right, the Sitka Icon of the Most-Holy Theotokos is recorded in our Church in a rare moment of solitude.

You may click on the photo above right to view an enlargement.

Above and below, Rev. Garretson joins the Alaskan clergy as the Sitka Icon of the Madonna is escorted from our Church for visitation to other Orthodox parishes throughout the United States. Several items concerning the visit of the Icon impressed this reporter: (1) the number of faithful who came to venerate the Sitka Icon during its sixteen hour visit to our parish; (2) their willingness to wait hours for the much-delayed arrival of the Icon; (3) in this world made uncertain by natural and man-made disasters and pestilence, people are seeking a sense of hope and stability external to themselves; and (4) regarding the icon itself, the manner in which the iconographer wrote the eyes of the Theotokos such that when viewed from any perspective, the eyes of the Icon are upon the viewer (perhaps the viewer can even see this in some of the photos above and below). Some came seeking miracles in the presence of this Icon. None has yet been reported but this is not as discouragement to the faithful. Fr. David stated that miracles occur at God's Will and they are granted when, where, and to whom He chooses and for what purposes He chooses. All who came to venerate the Icon were nonetheless touched in various ways by this rare encounter with the miraculous Sitka Icon of the Most-Holy Theotokos and the parishioners of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church are grateful for its visitation.

You may click on the photo above left to view an enlargement.

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