Holiday at St. Seraphim Camp of the Vitiazi

On 15 January 2003, the feast day of St. Seraphim of Sarov the God-bearer, the Australian chapter of the National Organization of Vitiazi (Knights), held in the Blue Hills, two hours from Sydney, a service of supplication was held to this great laborer in God of the Russian Church. St. Seraphim has been the protector of this camp since 1961. An icon of the saint was donated to the Vitiaz organization many years ago. During camp, the participants pray to St. Seraphim every morning and evening and venerate his icon. One hundred years ago, this icon was blessed upon the relics of St. Seraphim himself. On the occasion of this anniversary, the administration of the NOV decided to invite the parents of the campers and the friends of the organization to participate in a solemn service before the icon and to pray that St. Seraphim protect the camp and help reat the children in the spirit of Russian Orthodoxy.

At 11 a.m., under the open sky, on the site of the new chapel being built in honor of St. Seraphim, the singing began marking the beginning of the service. All the children, from the age of 7 up, stood in formation by height in their blue uniforms. Upon the analogion lay the icon of St. Seraphim. A new frame for the icon was prepared by Protodeacon Basil Hadarin of Protection Church in Cabramatta. The spiritual guides of the Vitiazi performed the service of supplication: Protopriest Michael Konstantinoff and Priest George Lapardin, along with the cathedral Deacon Nicholas Triantafillidis. The Vitiaz choir sang under the direction of Andrei Lapteff. After the service and a brief sermon on the life of St. Seraphim given by Fr. Michael Konstantinoff, all the children venerated the icon, accompanied by the singing of the troparion “From his youth did Christ love him…”

After the service, the clergy and Vitiazi performed a procession of the cross to the hall for a trapeza feast.

Deacon N.T.