On Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of July, the parish of St. Elizabeth the New-Martyr Church in Columbia, SC celebrated its patronal feast day. The rector, Archpriest Mark Mancuso, officiated the divine services, co-served by Priests Eugene Antonov (rector of Joy of All Who Sorrow Church in Cumming (Atlanta), GA) and Peter Markevich (rector of Holy Trinity Church in Mebane, NC), and Protodeacon Dimitri Temidis (parish cleric).

On Friday morning, the church was filled with worshippers. Almost all communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

The parish choir sang the divine services beautifully, performing compositions in English and Slavonic, as well as some German in honor of the land of St. Elizabeth’s birth. The version of the Cherubic Hymn sung that day was the same melody heard by passersby being sung by St. Elizabeth and those martyred with her in the mineshaft in Alapaevsk.

After the service, the clergy, parishioners, and guests gathered for a festal luncheon in St. John’s Parish Hall next to the church, where fellowship was enjoyed by all.