On Sunday, March 11, the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, the NYC Deanery served Mission Vespers here, at St. Andrew Church.
Clergy from throughout the Long Island and New York City area joined together for the concelebration of the Mission Vespers service, which are a hallmark of the Lenten season and are traditionally served by all the area’s clergy in different churches each Sunday during Lent.
Leading the concelebration was Archpriest Joseph Woodill, pastor at St. Nicholas Church in Whitestone. The sermon, on the life and theology of St. Gregory Palamas, was offered by Archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America. In addition to our own Fr. John Klingel, the concelebrants included Fr. Wiaczeslaw Krawczuk (Dean of the NYC Deanery; Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Brooklyn), Fr. Daniel Degyansky (St. John Chrysostom, Woodside), Fr. John Bartholomew (Our Lady of Kazan, Sea Cliff), Fr. Jonathan Ivanoff (St. John the Theologian, Shirley), Fr. Martin Kraus (Holy Trinity, East Meadow), and Fr. Nathan Preston (St. Nicholas, Jamaica Estates). We were also joined by Fr. David Cowan (Holy Trinity, Yonkers) and Fr. Dn. John Diamantis (Holy Trinity, East Meadow). Our own Reader Lasha Kvetenadze directed our choir beautifully.
Following the Vespers, we enjoyed a lenten agape (meal) in the parish hall; a beautiful spread was provided by the parish. Thank you to all who helped cook, clean, and sing, and helped in hosting our parish’s celebration of the Mission Vespers. The schedule for the other Lenten Mission Vespers for this season is included below.
Pictures of the Mission Vespers are posted here, thanks to Mark Guyer.
Pictures of the Sunday of Orthodoxy are posted here, thanks to Kathryn Larkin.
Sunday of Orthodoxy (March 4 • 6:00 PM)
St Nicholas Antiochian Church
355 State Street Brooklyn, NY 11217-1705
Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas (March 11 • 5:00 PM)
St. Andrew’s Orthodox Church
1095 Carll’s Straight Path Dix Hills, NY
Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross (March 18 • 5:00 PM)
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
14-65 Clintonville St Whitestone, NY 11357
Sunday of St. John Climacus / Holy Annunciation (March 25 • 5:00 PM)
Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church
Trinity Plaza, 46 Seymour St, Yonkers, NY 10701
Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt (April 1 • 5:00 PM)
St. Nino Georgian Orthodox Church
1241 Castleton Avenue Staten Island NY 10310