The Serbian Orthodox Church Community of the Mission Parish in Middlefield, CT, celebrated, with a solemn Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, celebrated by His Grace Bishop Irinej of Washington–New York and Eastern America, the Thronal Feast of its heavenly patrons, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Enlighteners of the Slavic Peoples, on the Seventh Sunday after Pascha, May 24, 2026.

Before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Irinej graciously deigned to perform the lesser consecration of the filled parish church, erected 160 years ago and therefore inscribed among the historically significant buildings of the State of Connecticut, as well as of the church-administrative and school premises of this most beautiful complex. On this occasion, the members of the community, together with their Bishop, the priest, and the members of the Parish Board of Trustees, expressed profound gratitude to the brethren of the Church Community of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Warren, OH, for the love shown in donating the iconostasis and sacred items necessary for the full liturgical life of the parish, which at the same time stands as a visible sign of the continuity and heritage of Serbian Orthodoxy upon the North American continent. With the blessing of His Grace Irinej, Bishop of Washington–New York and Eastern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Mission Parish of Saints Cyril and Methodius was established in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts in 2023.

Serving together with His Grace were the Episcopal Dean of Boston Deanery and initiator of this mission parish, Protopresbyter–Stavrophor Aleksandar Vlajković; Protopresbyter–Stavrophor Ivan Marjanović; and temporary administrator of the Mission Parish in Middlefield, Protosyngellos Nektarije (Tešanović); together with Deacons Milan Damljanović and Vladimir Srbljak. The splendor of the solemn Divine Liturgy was further adorned by the chanting of the “Desanka Maksimović” Choir from Boston.

After the reading of the New Testament pericopes, Bishop Irinej addressed the faithful with the following words:

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the All-Holy, Good and Life-Creating Spirit!

My beloved, according to the words of the Holy Gospel which we have just heard, “You are the light of the world!” Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify our Father Who is in the heavens!

And lo, today we have come unto a precious moment in the history of this parish, the lesser consecration of this monumental temple. My heart within me rejoices, for we have lived to behold this great joy, for at last—behold, we are our own, and on our own! We find ourselves beneath the vaults of our own holy temple! From the first gathering in the Greek Orthodox church, when we assembled from every side—some knowing one another, others not yet acquainted at all; from all those then gathered, behold, this Christ-like community has been formed! And our Holy Orthodox Church rightly and ceaselessly teaches that there can be no salvation apart from communion and community.

Today, in the Seventh Sunday after the Resurrection of Christ, we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. This, as most every Sunday in the liturgical year, is dedicated to the glorification of the Resurrection of Christ. And today we also remember those 318 Holy Fathers who have bequeathed unto us the The Creed (=Symbol of Faith). Even to this day, from that Holy and Great Council in Nicaea, convened by the great Emperor Constantine, at every Divine Liturgy is heard that very Symbol of Faith. No one can approach Orthodoxy without confessing this Symbol of Faith at Holy Baptism.

And we also celebrate your great heavenly protectors, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, the teachers of the Slavic peoples. Today, most beloved, our feast is a feast of light and life, for today the word and literacy itself are glorified. Without these Equal-to-the-Apostles teachers, lacking our own script, we would not have become the people that we are. Through them the history of our salvation is recorded; through them, each Sunday something wondrous takes place—that the Divine Liturgy is served in a language which we are able to understand! We know that Christ is the Logos, that is, the Word of God. And what takes place in the Holy Divine Liturgy when we hear hymns, Holy Scripture, and homilies? We ourselves are transformed into logoi of the Logos Himself. We are, therefore, word from the Word. We have become children of God.

The Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius were directed unto our forefathers by the great saint of Christ’s Holy Church, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople. His very name is derived from the word meaning light, and he bestowed upon us precisely this—light—when he sent the Holy Brothers from the city of Thessaloniki among the Slavic peoples as enlighteners. By translating Holy Scripture and the divine services into the spoken tongue of the Slavs, that they might become literate, and reading the divine words might themselves become a word from the Word of God. They likewise brought with them the cult of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki.

All that we possess, therefore, we owe unto them. And thus, we must be attentive whenever we pray unto God, that it be in a rational and clear language. Saint Methodius, who translated the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, recorded in the introduction to his translation that the people ought to use that script and language so long as it remains understandable unto the people, for the people themselves must understand the church services, so that not only with heart and soul, but also as a rational flock of Christ’s Church, they may lift up prayer also with mind.

And the Lord granted us yet another blessing this morning, sending rain which has moistened and refreshed our surroundings. This is a blessing, for without rain—that is, without water—man cannot live. Water is the prima substantia in this world. During the preceding six weeks, every Gospel reading, save for the first two, spoke precisely of water, that is, of the water of Baptism, for the Lord desired that in the Paschal forty-day period we renew within ourselves our Baptism.

Blessed be this day! And may the Lord God, through the prayers of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, preserve and protect you all the days of your life, from our present joyful encounter unto the final and all-joyous encounter in the Heavenly Kingdom of Christ!’”

After the Prayer Before the Ambo, His Grace blessed the festal gifts and broke the slava bread, offering prayers for the blessed and peaceful progress of all the assembled faithful. In paternal joy he congratulated this year’s kumovi, Mr. Slobodan Marinković and his family, giving thanks for the love, labor, and sacrifice which they have offered unto their Holy Church and community.

His Grace then invited that someone among those gathered might accept the honor of hosting the patronal feast in the coming year, and this blessed duty was joyfully accepted by Dr. Aleksandar Lazarević.

Following the cutting of the Festal Bread, and the conclusion of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, His Grace, together with the clergy and faithful proceeded to the grand foyer of the adjoining administrative building for the blessing of the dining hall, offices and school rooms.

The festive assembly continued in the spirit of fellowship at the agape table of love prepared by this year’s kumovi, as well as through an appropriate cultural and artistic program presented by members of the folklore ensemble “Gračanica” from Boston and the pupils of the Church School, adorning the feast with song, dance, and children’s joy.

Source: easterndiocese.org