On Wednesday, October 16, St. Dionysios the Areopagite Monastery in St. James, NY celebrated its patronal feast day. The brotherhood and parishioners welcomed His Eminence Nicholas, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, who arrived to officiate the divine services.

Concelebrating with the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad at Liturgy were: Archpriest Alexander Antchoutine (dean of New York City & Long Island), Hieromonk Vasileios (Willard; monastery abbot), Abbots Silouan (Justiniano) and Zosimas (Krampis) (monastery clerics), Priest Photie Erdman (rector of the Chapel of the Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus in Morris, NY), Protodeacon Eugene Kallaur (cleric of St. Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY), and Deacon Andrei Antchoutine (cleric of Holy Virgin Intercession Church in Glen Cove, NY).

Prior to the start of Liturgy, Peter Rickenback was tonsured a reader and Reader Evangelos Georgakopoulos was ordained a subdeacon. At the Little Entrance, Fr. Vasileios was awarded the right to wear the gold cross and Fr. Silouan was awarded the palitsa.

Upon conclusion of the service, Metropolitan Nicholas invoked a prayer to St. Dionysios and then delivered a sermon about the life of the monastery’s patron saint and its meaning for us in these modern times. The brotherhood then presented the Metropolitan with a portrait of his patron saint, the Holy Hierarch and Equal-of-the-Apostles Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan. The portrait was drawn by Fr. Silouan, the brotherhood’s iconographer.

Following Liturgy, an abundant meal was organized for the clergy and parishioners. Afterward, the First Hierarch and the fathers engaged with the parishioners, marking a beautiful end to a beautiful day.