Seminary Feast in Australia

On Jan. 30/Feb. 12 of this year the Lord granted the clergymen of the Sydney area who are graduates of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary to celebrate with solemnity and spiritual fervor the memory of "the three greatest luminaries of the triune Godhead" - John Chrysostom, Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, the heavenly patrons of our "garden of theology" in Jordanville.

It was decided to celebrate this event in the main church of Our Lady of Kazan Convent in Kentlyn, which is ministered to by Archpriest Nikita Chemodakov and Priest Seraphim Gan, and where the superior is Abbess Evpraksia (Pustovalova). On the eve of the feast, prior to the commencement of the evening services, the clergy, sisters and assembled worshippers solemnly greeted the Akhtyrsk icon of the Mother of God, which was brought from the Bishop's Chapel at the Diocese by Archpriest Michael Boikov, the secretary of the Diocesan Administration of many years.

Matins with polyeleos was served by Priest Seraphim Gan and Deacon Nicholas Triantafillidis. The faithful were moved to tears by the antiphonal singing of the sisters and the clergy, past students of our seminary, who had brought with them, for all to appreciate, the spirit of "the lavra of the emigration." Following the example of the ever-memorable Archpriest Rostislav Gan, who once served here as confessor of the sisters and as dean, the clergy sang "Praise ye the name of the Lord" from the altar, entirely antiphonally, with the sisters who sang on the main kliros. Then, during the chanting of the last verse, the clergy solemnly exited the sanctuary to sing the Magnification. The polyeleos was headed by Archpriest Peter Semovskih, rector of St Seraphim Church in Brisbane, in concelebration with Archpriests Nikita Chemodakov and Michael Boikov, Priest Seraphim Gan and Deacon Nicholas Triantafillidis.

On the actual day of the commemoration of the Three Hierarchs, the Divine Liturgy was headed by His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand, in concelebration with Archpriests Peter Semovskih, Nikita Chemodakov and Michael Boikov, Priests Vladimir Tsoukanov and Seraphim Gan, Protodeacon Basil Yakimov, and Deacons Nicholas Triantafillidis and Vadim Gan. Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan, who had just arrived from the United States, prayed in the altar during the Liturgy. During the Little Entrance Archbishop Hilarion awarded the priest Seraphim Gan the right to wear the kamilavka and the priest Vladimir Tsoukanov - the nabedrennik. At the conclusion of the Liturgy Deacon Nicholas Triantafillidis intoned "Eternal memory" for the departed Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko), Archbishop Averky (Taushev), the Seminary Deans Nicholas Alexander and Eugene Alferieff, and all deceased teachers and students. Following this, Protodeacon Basil Yakimov intoned "Many years" for the present Rector of the Seminary, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Laurus, and the current faculty members, seminarians and residents of Holy Trinity Monastery.

His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion then greeted Bishop Gabriel and his clergy-concelebrants with the feast of the heavenly protectors of the Seminary, summoning all to zealous labors, to the end of their lives, in Christ's Vineyard, thus nurturing and developing the spiritual wealth which was received by them in seminary.

After the service everyone proceeded to the monastery refectory, where the clergy, subdeacons and servers shared with the sisters and worshippers their reminiscences concerning the "best years of their lives," spent in seminary and the spiritual giants of Holy Trinity Monastery who took part in their spiritual formation: the ever-memorable Archbishop Averky (Taushev), Archimandrites Panteleimon (Niznik), Joseph (Kolos), Vladimir (Suhobok), Constantine (Zaitsev), Anthony (Yamschikoff), Sergius (Romberg) and Cyprian (Pijoff), Igumens Gury (Golosov) and Ignaty (Trepatchko), Hieromonks Nikodim (Soemmering) and John (Melander), Archpriest Moissey Tarasevich, N.N. Alexander, I.M. Andreyevsky, N.D. Talberg and many others, men of whom, according to Apostle Paul, "the world was not worthy."
At the end of the meal a congratulatory letter was composed and addressed to the Most Reverend Rector, as well as to the faculty and students. Archpriest Gabriel Makarov, rector of the Brisbane St Nicholas Cathedral ; Priest George Lapardin, cleric of the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in Sydney; Priest Daniel Metlenko, cleric of St Vladimir's Church in Sydney and Deacon Alexander Kotliarov of the Bishop's Chapel in Croydon added their signatures to this letter in abstentia. (Photo: Group photo of the participants of the holiday: Archbishop Hilarion and Bishop Gabriel with the clergy.)

It is imperative, especially in this age of the "waxing cold of love," for us to remember the "trinity of hierarchs" and teachers of the Christian faith, concerning whom Archbishop Nathanael of Austria wrote the following: "There is much for which we are indebted to the holy Three Hierarchs; our debt before them is incalculable. They defended and firmly established holy Orthodoxy. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom worked on the order of the Divine Liturgy. St Gregory the Theologian filled our divine services with his inspired prayers and hymns. How can we repay our debt of love and gratitude to them? Only by prayers warmed with compunction and ardent petitions that they might kindle in our hearts the reflection of the Unfading Light with which their hearts radiated so brightly.

By their prayers may the Lord, Who is wondrous in His saints, grant us in His Kingdom to eternally contemplate His Divine beauty.

Text of the Greeting Sent to Metropolitan Laurus

Your Eminence
Metropolitan LAURUS
of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary
Your Eminence, Eminent Vladyko! Bless us!

We, the undersigned clergymen of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, gathering this day for united prayer and Communion at Divine Liturgy, send heartfelt greetings to Your Eminence, the brethren of the monastery and all the teachers and students on this day of the Three Hierarchs, the heavenly protectors of our "vinyard of theology" in Jordanville, and prayerfully hope that our monastery remains a part of Holy Rus, and that our seminary, in the persons of its teachers and students would continue to shine, consoling the faithful with new workers in the harvest-fields of the Lord.

We must say that our seminary has always honorably fulfilled its main goal: to provide spiritual education, enlightenment in the spirit of the Church and the preparation of young people to serve the Church as clergymen. For this reason, today we not only congratulate the Seminary, but give warm-hearted thanks for all that it gave us, we thank those laborers who left a deep impression upon our hearts, whom we prayerfully remember today.

Asking your prayers as First Hierarch and your archpastoral blessings.

Your eternal well-wishers,

Ü Archbishop Hilarion

Ü Bishop Gabriel

Protopriest Peter Semovskih

Protopriest Nikita Chemodakov

Protopriest Gabriel Makarov

Protopriest Michael Boikov

Priest George Lapardin

Priest Vladimir Tsukanov

Priest Serafim Gan

Priest Daniel Metelenko

Protodeacon Basil Yakimov

Deacon Nikolai Triantafillidis

Deacon Alexander Kotliaroff

Deacon Vadim Gan

Subdeacon Nikolai Martinoff

Reader Nikolai Krivosheev

Priest Seraphim Gan

12 February 2003
Kentlyn, Australia

A great number of photoraphs of the holiday can be viewed at: http://www.trianta.net/images/SeminaryFeast.htm