On August 29/September 11, the Feast Day of the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, we will mark 60 years since the founding of our parish in the Nation’s Capital. We consider this Feast Day to be the birthday of our church community, because on this day exactly 60 years ago, St. John of Shanghai (and later of San Francisco), celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in our fledgling church community. The holy hierarch John is considered our second heavenly patron and is always commemorated at the dismissal after St. John the Forerunner.

Given that on Sept. 11 the parish rector Fr. Victor Potapov is traveling to Russia with a ROCOR delegation, accompanying the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, it was decided to mark the 60^thanniversary of our parish during the weekend of the 5 and 6 of September.

The celebrations were headed by His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan. Our usual weekly English-language vigil and Sunday liturgy were cancelled to enable all parishioners to pray with Bishop Jerome at a common liturgy.

At all the services our two choirs – Slavonic, under the direction of Yuri Petcherkin and the English one, directed by Jared Brewer – as always, were superb in their bilingual singing, especially when they chanted together. 

At the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Jerome awarded priest Alexander Resnikoff, a clergyman of St. John the Baptist Cathedral, who was ordained a year ago, with the “nabedrennik” (shield). After the reading of the Sunday Gospel Bishop Jerome delivered a sermon in English on the theme of the Parable of the Vineyard, calling on all of us, members of the Church – keepers the vineyard of Christ – to be worthy of our high calling and obedience. At the end of the Liturgy, His Grace Jerome offered a second homily in Russian, devoted to the lofty example of our Heavenly Patron St. John the Baptist. His Grace reminded the worshipers of the importance of the podvig of “the greatest man to be born of a woman” John the Baptist and urged the faithful to deepen their veneration for this great prophet of God. More than a hundred-fifty persons received the Holy Mysteries of Christ from three chalices.

As is our tradition after liturgy, a moleben and a procession of the Cross were held. At the end of the procession our longtime parish warden Dimitry Saretsky greeted the congregation with our upcoming feast day and the 60^th anniversary of the parish. Then Dimitri Mikhailovich addressed the rector Archpriest Victor Potapov, and congratulated him on the 35^th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood (note: Fr. Victor was ordained by Metropolitan Philaret on September 1, 1974). In his address, Mr. Saretsky noted that before the Russian Revolution Archimandrite Nicholas Pekatoros, who for 28 years served as rector of our parish, gave him a pocket New Testament, which, when he was a schoolboy in Odessa, he received from the hands of the royal martyr Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. Dimitri Mikhailovich presented this New Testament to Fr. Victor as a gift from the parish to commemorate the anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Fr. Victor Potapov thanked Mr. Saretsky for the precious gift and promised always to cherish the holy book. 

During the festive communal meal, prepared by the Holy Protection Sisterhood, Fr. Victor announced to all those gathered an upcoming joyous event. On October 3 and 4 our parish will be visited by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion and the holy wonder-working icon of the Mother of God from Moscow “The Softener of Evil Hearts.”

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese