On Sunday, December 8, the Leavetaking of the great feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos and the feast of the Holy Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, His Grace Theodosius, Bishop of Seattle, celebrated Divine Liturgy in Holy Myrrhbearers Church in Brooklyn, NY. Serving alongside the vicar of the Western American Diocese were parish clerics: rector Archpriest Paul Ivanov and Deacon Fiodor Tulbur.

Singing at the divine service was the parish youth choir under the direction of Gregory Ivanov.

In his sermon, Bishop Theodosius spoke about the Gospel reading on the healing of the bent woman. He turned parishioners’ attention to the fact that, before performing the healing, the Lord called the ailing woman to Himself. The majority of Gospel events have many meanings. One of the meanings of this reading is the comparison of this women, always bent downward, to our minds, which cannot strive upward, but always stare at earthly things. But God’s grace can heal our minds if we respond to the Lord’s call.

His Grace also spoke about the life of the Hieromartyr Clement, who lived and labored in the 1st century and was a disciple of the Holy Apostle Barnabas. The Apostle Peter installed him as Bishop of Rome, and he suffered a martyr’s death. He was exiled to Crimea and was later executed by drowning not far from Chersonesus, where the Holy Prince Vladimir would later receive baptism. The relics of the Hieromartyr Clement were miraculously found in the sea by Sts. Cyril and Methodius and sent on to Rome. His precious head remained in Crimea and was later given to St. Vladimir, being kept in Kiev in the Tithing Church. After that church was destroyed by the Tatars, the head of St. Clement was transferred to the Kiev Caves Lavra. It is kept there in a special reliquary among other myrrh-streaming heads of venerable saints.

Bishop Theodosius shared his recollections from when he was living at the Kiev Caves Lavra and these heads would always exude exactly as much myrrh as was needed to anoint the people who came to pray at the holy relics. With heartfelt sympathy, His Grace touched on the confessors’ path of the current fathers of the Kiev Caves and the destruction of the new Tithing Church by the modern-day persecutors of the Church.

After the dismissal, Bishop Theodosius greeted parishioners and wished them God’s aid in their efforts to obtain a church. Fr. Paul expressed the thanks of his flock to His Grace and the hope that this will not be his last visit to Holy Myrrhbearers parish.

Upon conclusion of the service, the parishioners warmly received Bishop Theodosius, and a luncheon was held in the parish refectory.