On Monday, October 14, when the Holy Church celebrates the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Holy Protection Church in New Brunswick, NJ celebrated its patronal feast. Archpriest Serge Lukianov, dean of New Jersey, officiated Divine Liturgy, co-served by Archpriests Vasily Andrejuk (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell, NJ), Leonid Goferman (parish rector), and Ion Arama (rector of Holy Annunciation Church in Flushing, NY), and Deacon Dimitry Lisan (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral). The parish choir sang the service.

Numerous parishioners and believers from other churches prayed during Liturgy, having come to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos and congratulate the clergy and parishioners on their patronal feast. Many communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, Fr. Serge congratulated all with the feast and addressed those present with a sermon, in which he said, in part:

"How the whole Christian world loved the Immaculate Virgin Mary, how the holy apostles loved her, with what attention and love they sang her funeral service in the Garden of Gethsemane! How they worried when the apostle Thomas came and found the tomb empty. But they did not lose their heads; they began to pray. There is a special place in the Garden of Gethsemane, a large stone, where they prayed. And suddenly the Mother of God came, descended from Heaven to the apostles, and threw her belt to them for consolation. And how great was their delight when they saw the Most Pure Virgin! …How many churches throughout the world are consecrated in honor of her Protection, in honor of her love for us! …And we end our prayers by mentioning the Mother of God as our intercessor, calling her the ‘Champion Leader’."

Fr. Serge reminded the faithful of the pain that parents feel when their children leave them – priests hear many such confessions. And how they worry, how they pray, when they are already powerless and cannot do anything. At this moment, you need to go to your favorite icon of the Mother of God and say: ‘O Mother of God, I entrust to you my daughter or my son, because I am already powerless.’ And every evening, you need to repeat: ‘Most Holy Mother of God, do not abandon my son or daughter!’ and called on the parishioners to keep the protection of the Most Holy Mother of God in their hearts.

The clergy knelt and served a short moleben before the icon of the Protection of the Mother of God.

On behalf of the parish of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Fr. Serge presented Fr. Leonid with a cross.

A festal meal was held in the parish hall for the clergy and believers, during which many warm words were said and those present shared miraculous cases of help from the Most Holy Theotokos and particularly from the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.