On Tuesday, May 6, when the Holy Church honors the memory of the Holy Great Martyr & Victory-bearer George, the eponymous Cossack parish in Howell, New Jersey celebrated its patronal feast. Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York arrived on the eve. On the morning of May 6, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad celebrated the festal Divine Liturgy.

Diocesan clergy served alongside His Eminence: parish rector Archpriest Serge Lukianov, Archpriests Vasily Andrejuk (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell), Leonid Goferman (rector of Holy Virgin Protection Church in New Brunswick, NJ), Serge Ledkovsky (deputy rector of St. Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ), and Nikolai Manduke (cleric of St. Vladimir Memorial Church), and Priest Anthony Williams, Protodeacon Paul Drozdowski, and Deacon Dimitry Lisan (clerics of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral).

The parish choir sang under the direction of Andrei Roudenko.

Those who gathered to honor the memory of the saint received Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, Metropolitan Nicholas congratulated all with the feast, congratulated those celebrating their namesday, and delivered a sermon, which he said, in part:

"Today we have come to pay tribute to God, to pay homage to Great Martyr George, because the Lord God gives us everything, and our patron shows us an example both with his life and his confession of faith.

"The Great Martyr had a lofty position in his earthly life and could have advanced further in his service, but he chose the path of martyrdom. He defended the Orthodox Faith, confessed God, went against the impudent ruler Diocletian and suffered for it. He was mocked, tormented, imprisoned and, in the end, he was beheaded.

"We know many miracles from his life, but one miracle, the most famous, is the renowned ‘Miracle of the Dragon,’ when Saint George saved the princess from being sacrificed to the dragon. The saint appeared, killed the dragon, and saved the princess.

"The Holy Fathers explain this miracle as follows: the princess represents the Holy Church, and the dragon is the pagans and the devil himself, who is trying to tempt us and turn us away from our faith and the Church. But we are Orthodox and we know that this is our temple, where we can come, repent, pray, and continue to firmly profess the Orthodox Faith and defend our Church, especially in our difficult times."

In the Cossack hall, a festal meal was arranged for everyone, during which the fraternal interaction between the clergy and faithful continued.