Endicott Parish Celebrates 100 Years

by Dn. Simeon Peet

Saints Peter and Paul Church in Endicott, NY celebrated its patronal feast and 100 th Anniversary on June 29. The festive Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was served by His Beatitude, Tikhon, Metropolitan of All America and Canda along with our own hierarch, His Grace Michael, Bishop of New York, and His Grace Mark, Bishop of Philadelphia. The hierarchs, ten priests, four deacons, and eight subdeacons were assisted by 22 altar servers. His Beatitude gave the homily and the choir was led by Professor Gleb Ivanov.

Gramotas were awarded to Robert and Rita Kushner, Allen and Elaine Costello, Nina Poltar, Anne Kolota, Maria Guryleva, and Norman P. Cross. The hierarchs were presented with red rose bouquets by the young women of the parish; a fourth bouquet of white roses was presented to former pastor, Fr. Yaroslav Sudick.

After the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy a Gala Centennial Banquet was held at the McKinley, in Endicott, NY. Thirty-six tables seating 236 people filled the venue. The program consisted of piano duets and trios by Gleb Ivanov, Lawrence Zoernig and Eric Grossman; addresses by Bishop Michael, three youths (Anna Darling, Jacob Pylypciw, and Gregory Fedorchak), former pastor Fr. Yaroslav Sudick, son of the parish Fr. Daniel Donlick, and Sunday School teacher Nancy Kulikowski; and the presentation of gifts to the three hierarchs.

A milestone anniversary presents an opportunity to take stock and to keep before us three critically important thoughts. First, we always give thanks to the Lord for everything. At the beginning of the Anaphora of every Divine Liturgy, which itself is an act of thanksgiving, we pray: “It is fitting (2 Thess. 1:3) and right to hymn You, to bless You, to praise You, to give thanks to You and to bow down to You (Mt. 4:10) in every place of Your dominion (Ps. 102:22). Second, everything that we do and have done is in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ, for apart from Him, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). Third, we must be resolved to continue God’s work in the vineyard He has given us, for the Lord’s work is never done – it must be renewed from one generation to the next. This is not a time to sit on one’s laurels, but to continue the work our forefathers in the faith began. May we be worthy of their love, labor and sacrifice, and may their love, labor, and sacrifice inspire us to keep the faith handed down to us from the Apostles.