Diocesan Life First Confessions at Holy Resurrection Church Over the winter months between Theophany and the start of Great Lent, children at Holy Resurrection Church in Wayne, NJ worked with their Sunday school teachers to prepare for their first confessions. On the Saturday at the end of the first week of Great Lent they each completed the Sacrament of Confession for the first time with the community’s pastor, Fr. Paul Kucynda. v
Continued from page 17 outlived that statistic. We might ask ourselves, what has been the driving force in preserving St. Nicholas Church over these years? The answer is that we are a family. Even though we have our ups and downs as every family does, we are not strangers to each other. There is a connection between our people just as if we are 4th and 5th cousins living in that village in Lemkovyna. This connection is evident whenever we have our flea markets. The new members of our church have said that they chose St. Nicholas as their parish because they feel comfortable here. It is interesting that it is not the outward things such as having an operatic choir, a robust Sunday school, a golden mouthed priest, or a fancy cathedral, but it is comfort, something that is inward. Comfort is home; home is where the family is, and home is where God is.
Continued from page 22 distinguished Orthodox theologian/scholar/author. It has been noted that Fr. Florovsky spent more time in Princeton than in any other locale during his 86 years. Transfiguration Chapel and the OCF sponsor the Florovsky Memorial Lecture, inviting prominent theologians and artists to speak on their areas of interest as they pertain to Father Georges’ career. Speakers have included Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware), Peter Brown, Jaroslav Pelikan, Oleg Grabar, Vladislav Andrejev, and Bishop Michael among others. Princeton being an international magnet, the Chapel has also hosted an impressive number of clergy and lay visitors: two Patriarchs, six Metropolitans, countless Bishops and priests, many
Spring/ Summer 2015
Fr. Kucynda with teacher, Tanya Reese and the children offering their first confessions
If we look back at the church of our grandparents and compare that culture to what we have now, we have further evolved. Today, parishioners not only have Slavic names or roots, but our church is populated with Anglo-Saxon, Italian, and French surnames to name a few. On October 12th we remembered the past 100 years, but we also celebrated the beginning of our future. The future can be likened to a relay race where the runner puts all of his efforts to pass the baton to another with precision. The baton is being passed, and the course is in motion for the next 100th year anniversary. As the years increase, the church will have new opportunities and challenges. The pierogi making, coffee hours, and flea markets will survive, but the cast of characters will change. We are confident that when 2114 comes around, we will all see a vibrant St. Nicholas from our resting place above. v being alumni of Princeton, and, of course, scholars from the world over. Perhaps more than most parishes, Princeton’s Chapel of the Transfiguration is a transient community: students graduate, academics on sabbatical at the University or Institute come and go. But for important periods of time, for students and many others, the Chapel is a vibrant spiritual home for Orthodox faithful on an especially beautiful and famed university campus. At the same time, the Chapel has been blessed with a devoted core group of faithful who have supported this community for decades. It continues to thrive and welcomes short and long term visitors to join in its Orthodox worship and programs. v
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