Saturday, May 2, 2009
On Saturday, May 2nd our parish held "A Celebration of the Nation of Georgia: its Faith, People and Culture". The day began with a Molieben Service in Georgian by Fr. Alexander Tandishvili the rector of St. Nino Church in Brooklyn. The Service was held before the Iveron (Georgian) Icon of the Mother of God. Fr. Alexander spoke that our Orthodox Church embraces all people of all lands and uses many languages. Our Orthodox Faith is One and expressed in both unity and diversity. Fr. James Parsells, rector of Ss. Peter & Paul, welcomed all those gathered and expressed on behalf of the parish, our delight and joy to host this first time event. At the conclusion of the Service, the faithful were anointed with blessed oil from the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, founded in the 5th century and inhabited for centuries by Georgian monastics. Throughout the day the church remained opened and people came in and out to pray and light candles. In our parish hall, a feast of Georgian foods and wines and fellowship took place. Educational displays about Georgia were on display and religious items for sale. A wonderful day!