On Thursday the 8th and Friday the 9th of August, the clergy and parishioners of St. Panteleimon Church in Hartford, CT, celebrated their patronal feast. His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Luke of Syracuse, came to Hartford to officiate the festal divine services.

Serving alongside the hierarch at All-Night Vigil on Thursday evening and Divine Liturgy on Friday morning were parish rector Archpriest Dionisy Nalitov, Priest Stephen Kaznica (rector of Holy New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia Church in Norwich, CT), Priest Phillip Beiner (rector of Holy Trinity Church OCA in New Britain, CT), Archdeacon Paisios (Levakov) and Protodeacon Michael Pavuk (clerics of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, accompanying His Grace), Deacon Konstantin Aleshin (cleric of Nativity of the Mother of God Church at the New Kursk Root Hermitage in Mahopac, NY), and Deacon Seth Davidenko (cleric of Holy Trinity Church in Toronto, ON).

Despite its being a weekday, the services were attended by a large number of parishioners and pilgrims who came from different places to prayerfully honor the memory of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. Those gathered prayed with great reverence before the icon and the holy relics of the Great Martyr, beautifully adorned with bouquets of flowers. A special prayerful mood was arose from the beautiful singing of the parish choir under the direction of Reader John Nalitov. A large number of pilgrims received Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, Bishop Luke greeted everyone with the feast and delivered a sermon, in which he said, in part:

"The time of the Great Martyr Panteleimon was a time of Christianity when the choice to follow Christ was associated with a martyr's death. Panteleimon was a well-educated young man with a great future. But having learned about Christ, Saint Panteleimon loved Him more than life itself. In our evil time, the enemy of our salvation often leads us away from God, distracting us with empty pursuits and aimless pastimes. Therefore, for our weakened souls, the feat of martyrdom is very difficult and lofty. But as soon as a person renounces sin, his passionate sinful inclination, ‒ in word, deed, and thought ‒ the Lord will accept our feat as martyr’s blood."

Bishop Luke noted that in today’s godless society, remaining a faithful member of the Orthodox Church is a powerful testimony to the world even without any special ascetical feat.

The bishop, clergy, and faithful then performed a short moleben.

In the parish hall, the sisterhood arranged a festal luncheon for all, and parishioners and guests continued to interact for a long time in an atmosphere of love and joy. After the prayer of thanksgiving, Bishop Luke once again, on behalf of himself and the entire brotherhood, thanked the rector and parishioners for organizing the feast.