PASCHA 2015

Dear Parishioners and Supplicators of the Holy Protection Cathedral!

We greet you on the great and joyous feast of the Resurrection of Christ!

Christ is Risen!

            With these words do we greet each other, expressing our joy that Our Savior, having suffered and died on the cross – has risen.  Death is vanquished, the power of the devil is crushed and the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven are opened for mankind.

            In order to feel with our whole hearts the importance and divine nature of the Resurrection of Christ, we have to approach Him with a clean heart, i.e. sinless.  In this manner does the Holy Church address us on the Paschal night with the words “Let us purify our senses”.  For this was the 40-day fast appointed with repentance and supplication that we would leave behind all of our worldly habits, hatred, envy, ill will, egoism, and only then on the Paschal day we “behold Christ, shining with the light of the resurrection and rejoicingly calling”, as He greets the women myrrh-bearers.

            And so, on this Paschal night, may the sinful world leave us, and may we rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ with our resurrected souls.

            In Russian, the first day of the week all year is called the Resurrection (voskreseniye).  This shows that our forefathers tried to stretch the joy of Pascha even further in order that it keep us from all bad things.  Unfortunately, in Russia this feeling in many has been extinguished and people often call Sunday a day off, e.g. a day for making merry.

Let us keep in mind the zeal of our forefathers and let the Paschal fire shine for us our whole life and surround us.

            We call to your attention to our Paypal site  for your donation to the needs of the church, especially in connection with completing the building of our parish school.  We thank you in advance!

Your grateful supplicators: Archbishop Alypy,
         Bishop Peter, the clergy, the church warden,
 parish council, brotherhood and sisterhood