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The first pan-orthodox liturgy
On the 12th of November 2008, the feast day of St. Barnabas, the Protector of Indiana, the first pan-orthodox liturgy has been served at St. Nicholas’ Serbian Orthodox church.
The leading concelebrant was Hieromonk Gerasim, the abbot of the St. Herman of Alasca Monastery in Platina, CA. The other priests who served: Fr. Stephen Rhudy & Fr. Jerome Sanderson together with the host Fr. Dragan Petrovic, as well as those present: Fr. Nabil Hanna, Fr. Stevan Bauman, Fr. David and Fr. Radoslav Filipovic, came from the other Orthodox churches in Indiana. Mother Katherine and Mother Makaria from the Skete of St. Xenia of Petersburg together with the two parishioners: Karra and Anna Mozina were chanting.
Fr. Gerasim reminded people in his sermon that St. Barnabas (Varnava in Serbian) was born in Gary, IN, and though later in his life he served in the land of his parents – Serbia, he kept in constant touch with his parish and friends from Indiana. At the time of his Episcopal service, Serbia was part of Yugoslavia, and he was persecuted by the communist regime for the sake of his love for God and for the truth and of his courage to speak it openly and uncompromisingly. He had to spend many years in prison, and eventually he died under unclear circumstances, with great suspicion that he was actually poisoned.
Abbot Gerasim said that in this country it is hard even to imagine what it means to suffer persecution because of one’s religious believes, but even if we never come to such a position, we should be witnesses of our faith, of its joyous and salvific message, in our daily lives and under circumstances that are given to us.
The liturgy was followed, or rather its communal atmosphere was continued, at the Trapeza – table of the church hall where several sisters prepared a brunch. The whole event proved once again that nothing as the living example of holiness unifies people of various Orthodox Christian tradiotions and cultures and brings them all around the one cup of the eternal life. Everything began and ended with joy and the hope of the host, Fr. Dragan, that the pan-orthodox character of the feast day of St. Barnabas will become a tradition.
