Bp. Vasily Presides Over Patristic Nectar Conference, Sunday of the Cross
The OCA hierarch served the Akathist, Vespers, and Divine Liturgy while in Riverside, California, for a conference on the Christian life.
RIVERSIDE, CA — Last weekend, His Grace Bishop Vasily of the Orthodox Church in America’s (OCA) Diocese of San Francisco and the West presided over Patristic Nectar’s Lenten conference on the Christian life, as well as multiple services, all hosted at St. Andrew Orthodox Christian Church.
The Akathist hymn, Vespers, and the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Holy Cross were all celebrated by Bp. Vasily at the Antiochian parish. Concelebrating clergy included Fr. Josiah Trenham, Fr. Thomas Hernandez, Fr. Jason Covarrubias, Fr. Joseph Corrigan, and Dn. Elie Khoury, all of St. Andrew’s, along with Fr. Kirill Sokolov, chancellor of the OCA’s Diocese of the West, and Fr. Pedro Sarsama, who was recently ordained to the priesthood by Abp. Daniel of the Diocese of the Midwest. Fr. Alexis Torrance and Fr. Demetrios Harper, who gave talks at the conference, also concelebrated.
At the conference, engaging lectures were offered by Fr. Alexis Torrance, who is an Associate Professor of Byzantine History and Theology at the University of Notre Dame; Fr. Demetrios Harper, who is Associate Professor of Dogmatic and Systematic Theology at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary; and Dr. Timothy Patitsas, Director of the Theology program at Hellenic College Holy Cross and a respected voice in the field of Christian ethics.
The parish also graciously provided Lenten meals for the faithful who gathered, and Fr. Josiah gave a church tour to those interested in seeing the parish, which holds relics of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle and currently has 1,300 active parishioners and more than 300 catechumens. On the left and right side of the main church, there is a chapel dedicated to St. John Chrysostom and a large baptistry in the shape of an "X" in honor St. Andrew's cross, respectively.
Fr. Josiah Trenham gives a tour of St. Andrew Orthodox Christian Church. Photo: Aaron Hickman/UOJ-USA
During the Divine Liturgy, at the Litany of the Catechumens, Bp. Vasily offered a blessing to each and every one who came forward. At a certain point, His Grace began offering a blessing with his right and left hand so as not to significantly delay the Liturgy.
“I think the fruit of the work of this parish is shown in the number of people who are present at the Liturgy, who are worshiping at the Liturgy, and also a number of catechumens and inquirers who are seeking the fullness of the truth and want to come into the doors of the Orthodox Church, to be part of the Orthodox Church,” Bp. Vasily said in an interview with the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America.
Well-researched in liturgical studies, His Grace said he felt as if he were in ancient Constantinople at the Hagia Sophia, where the bishop traditionally gave a blessing to the catechumens preparing for baptism at Pascha on the Sunday of the Holy Cross.
“Today, it felt like the descriptions of the services in some of the primary sources of the fourth and fifth century where you read about the catechumens coming to the bishop for a blessing individually,” His Grace said. “It was an honor for me to do this today.”
Bp. Vasily blesses more than 300 catechumens during the Divine Liturgy at St. Andrew Orthodox Christian Church. Photo: Aaron Hickman/UOJ-USA
In his homily during the Divine Liturgy, Bp. Vasily spoke about the joy and refreshment given to us by the Cross at the halfway point of Great Lent.
“Today, almost in the middle of Lent, we approach and bow down before the image of the wood upon which our Lord was crucified, anticipating the encounter with Christ at the end of this Lenten season and Holy Week, and the joy of the sleepless and shining night when we will partake of the glory of Christ's resurrection,” His Grace said.
“Orthodox Christians, of course, are reminded of the cross so many times throughout their lives. We make the sign of the cross. We wear it on our bodies. The veneration of the Cross seals our entire life, and for the people outside of the Church, even for those who themselves are tolerant or respectful of Christianity, such a reverence to the instrument of Christ's death may seem absurd. And there are ancient and modern teachings that explicitly reject the idea that Christ could be crucified or that the Cross can be honored. For the mind enveloped in the secular idea of success and triumph and glory, the Cross would seem like a failure or a sign of weakness. We Christians, however, express through our worship what we read in the letters of St. Paul, who says, far be it from me to glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world was crucified to me and I to the world. When we look at the Cross with the eyes of faith, with the vision illumined by the Gospel, we do not just see an unfortunate, innocent Man stretched out upon an instrument of torture, but we bow down before the Cross as before the glorious throne of our King… Thus, as the Israelites in the desert looked upon the bronze serpent in the form of a cure, we Christians look upon the Cross with the eyes of faith and hope and behold the crucified God who offers Himself as a pure and holy sacrifice for the salvation of all.”
Bp. Vasily closed his homily with an admonition to remain steadfast as we continue the journey to Pascha.
Bp. Vasily gives the homily on the Sunday of the Holy Cross. Photo: Aaron Hickman/UOJ-USA
“May we have courage to pass faithfully through the remaining time of the fast, always asking forgiveness of God for our faults, but giving Him our thanksgiving and glory for the mercy and love revealed unto us on this life-giving Tree,” His Grace said. “As one of the hymns that we sang said, ‘Shine, O Cross of the Lord, shine with the light of Your grace upon the hearts of those that honor You.’ Amen.”
