Texas Parish Hosts Pan-Orthodox Celebration of Sunday of Orthodoxy

Clergy hold icons during the reading of the Synodikon of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in Galveston on Sunday. Photo: Cory Meissner

GALVESTON, TX — Blue skies, mildly warm temperatures, and calm ocean breezes are nothing out of the ordinary for Galveston Island as February closes and weather skips to spring. This year, the first of March also brought a sizable population of Orthodox Christians to the island. However, they were not seeking refuge from the city to enjoy the ocean front views. Instead, they packed the humble church of Ss. Constantine and Helen for evening vespers led by Fr. Srdjan (Serge) Veselinovich on the Feast of the Triumph Orthodoxy.

Though humble in stature, it boasts an impressive legacy with its establishment in 1895 with aid from St. Tsar Nicholas II and its survival of the great Galveston hurricane of 1900, along with countless others since. That legacy has continued to serve faithful generations and extends to the present as it hosted the triumphal celebration of not just the victory of the true faith at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, but also of 130 years of Orthodoxy in Texas. 

The exterior and interior of Ss. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church. Photo: Cory Meissner

The pan-Orthodox service was attended by parishioners and priests from the different dioceses of the Houston area. This conciliar celebration is a testament to universality of the Orthodox faith across ethnic groups and cultures, something the Church of Ss. Constantine and Helen has attested to from the beginning. The first priest, Archimandrite Theoclitos Triantafilides was himself a Greek-born man who attended seminary in Russia, tutored the Royal Family’s children, as well as the Danish Prince Geroge, and made regular visits to the Serbian Monastery of Hilandar while on Mt. Athos before becoming a priest in America. 

Fr. Serge gave a thought-provoking homily in which he challenged the listeners to not just affirm the teachings of the church, but to live them out in their daily lives. To be doers of the word, and not hearers only. It is easy to get caught up in the zeal of the right faith, celebrating the defeat of the iconoclasts and proudly processing the icons. It’s easy to give veneration to our Lord Jesus, His Blessed Mother, to the saints and scenes of sacred scripture. But how many of us fail to give veneration to our fellow man, who also is made according to the image of God? Do we not make ourselves hypocrites to kiss an icon and spit on our brother? The faith is more than a set of doctrines — it is a living faith, done in love.

A Gospel donated to the parish by St. Tsar Nicholas II. Photo: Cory Meissner

He also brought to memory how just six years ago, not long after the Sunday of Orthodoxy commemoration in which the faith was declared, the closing of the churches in fear was a denial of this same faith. “Never Again!” he encouraged the multitude, stressing that a boldness of faith is needed in our times. The silence of reflection soon faded as the people headed toward a welcoming hall to partake in a grand feast provided for by the generous people of Ss. Constantine and Helen. The shared meal and fellowship were a demonstration of this love for one another we are called to have. 

Many thanks were offered to Fr. Serge and the parish of Ss. Constantine and Helen for hosting a wonderful feast this year. Let us all remember with great boldness the words from the Seventh Council:

“This is the faith of the Apostles! This is the Faith of the Fathers! This is the Faith of the Orthodox! This is the Faith that established the universe!”

Clergy from numerous jurisdictions celebrated the Triumph of Orthodoxy in Galveston this past Sunday. Photo: Cory Meissner

Previously, the UOJ reported that a Texas parish received 28 new members on the Feast of the Nativity.

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