January 24, 2010
The Kursk
Root Icon of the Mother of God visited St. Tikhon’s Monastery
On
Saturday, January 23, the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God visited
St. Tikhon’s Monastery (OCA) in the village of South Canaan, PA. The
icon was brought to the monastery by diocesan secretary Archpriest
Serge Lukianov in honor of the installation of the monastery’s new
abbot, Abbot Sergius (Bowyer).
St.
Tikhon’s Monastery is the first Orthodox monastery in the United
States. Thanks to the efforts of Hieromonk Arseny (Chagovtsev –
future Archbishop of Winnipeg), the idea to build a monastery in
America quickly became a reality. Despite Fr. Arseny’s having only
arrived in America in 1902, by 1905 the idea received the blessing of
Archbishop Tikhon (future holy hierarch and Patriarch of Moscow and
All Russia), who together with Fr. Arseny purchased land amidst the
hills of northeastern Pennsylvania. The first Divine Liturgy in and
dedication of the monastery were performed by Bishop Raphael of
Brooklyn (Hawaweeny – glorified in 2000). Besides the holy hierarchs
Tikhon and Raphael, the life of the monastery also intertwined with
the fates of three other holy God-pleasers: St. Nikolai (Velimirovich,
author of the Prologue, the Serbian Lives of the Saints, and for some
time rector of the monastery), St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre (Toth, whose
reliquary is located inside the monastery’s cathedral), and
Hieromartyr Alexander (Hotovitsky).
Upon
its arrival at the monastery, the icon was taken to St. Theodosius
Chapel, located near St. Tikhon of Zadonsk Cathedral, the
monastery’s principal church. Their Graces, Bishops Tikhon of
Philadelphia and Ireneus of Quebec triumphantly carried the icon from
the chapel to the church, where it was greeted by over 40 clerics and
a multitude of the faithful. This was followed by the greeting of the
primate of the Orthodox Church in America, His Beatitude Jonah,
Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada,
who celebrated the Divine Liturgy.
After
the Gospel reading, Metropolitan Jonah turned to the faithful with an
archpastoral sermon on the importance of monastic life. His Beatitude
noted, in part, that, "Over the last several years, monasticism
in the OCA has been in decline, and the time has come to renew
monastic life, in order to bear witness to the true Orthodox faith.
Monasteries are the incarnation of the Gospel’s teachings, and
monasticism is the foundation of Church missionary work. With the
election of a new abbot, a new era begins not only for this monastery,
but for our whole Church. The Heavenly Queen Herself is here with us
today to protect the brethren with Her pure omophorion and fortify
them in their monastic labors."
Upon
completion of the Liturgy, after the singing of the troparion,
kontakion, and magnification of the Kursk icon, the rite of
installation of the monastery’s new abbot was performed. His
Beatitude committed the abbot’s staff to Abbot Sergius, blessing him
with the wonder-working icon. The polychronion was then proclaimed for
Abbot Sergius, and Fr. Serge Lukianov presented the monastery with a
copy of the Kursk icon on behalf of the First Hierarch of ROCOR,
Metropolitan Hilarion, in honor of the wonder-working icon’s visit
to St. Tikhon’s monastery. In the monastery trapeza, a bountiful
luncheon was held, after which the icon left for the New Kursk Root
Hermitage in Mahopac.
Media Office of the Eastern American
Diocese
