Our church 50th anniversary!

Our church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin celebrates its 50th anniversary. The service of the Great consecration of our church building was held on July 4th 1965. Below is the description of the event.

Exactly at 9 am all clergy gathered for the consecration started the procession to meet arrived bishops: His Eminence the Metropolitan Filaret, Archbishop St. John (Maximovich) and Bishop Savva of Edmonton.

After the First Hierarch put on the mantle, the procession passed a gallery along the south wall of the church, went along the street and then along the north wall, and then the Metropolitan entered into the church through its main (western) gate. After the usual entrance prayers the Metropolitan was donned into the vestments, then all involved in the consecration of the church clerics put over their full dresses white working aprons (apron), went through the side gate into the Altar and started the service of consecration. The royal doors were kept closed and in the altar in front of the clergy there was a table on which lay all that is necessary for the consecration.

Three bishops, eight priests, archdeacon of the church and three subdeacons participated in the event with 12 young men and boys serving them.

At the beginning of the service, to the indescribable joy of the faithful, arrived the Holy and Miracle working icon of the Kursk-Root Mother of God and the beloved by all parishioners bishop Nectary.

For a long period  of time the sound of hammering of wooden nails could  be heard from the Altar, accompanied by the melodious singing of psalms. According to custom the hammering was done not with hammers, but with stones.

Finally Royal Doors were opened, the clergy left the Altar and the First Hierarch on his knees read the prayer in front of kneeling faithful. The procession around the church with the miracle working icon and preceding it religious banners crowned the church consecration. Metropolitan Filaret carried the paten with holy relics that were to be put into the altar table of our church. The bright sun was shining on the golden vestments of the clergy and the snow-white sticharions of the altar servants.

The First Hierarch stopped in front of the doors of the western entrance into the church, that were open but curtained with a special veil, and twice exclaimed: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in!" And the chorus from behind of the veil asked: "Who is this King of glory?" The Metropolitan read the last prayer and, blessing the gate crosswise with paten and relics, said: "The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!" The veil was torn from top to bottom, and while singing these words, Bishop and religious procession entered the church.

The Metropolitan brought the relics into the Altar and anointed them with holy chrism. Then he put the relics into a special small box and passed it to the Archbishop John, who then placed the box into a special cavity inside the altar table.

The consecration of the new church to the Protection of the Holy Virgin is done!

After the consecration by the four bishops, the eight priests served the Divine Liturgy.
 
Immediately after the service, with care and labors of the Sisterhood, all the clergy, all the parishioners and guests were moved from the church to the spacious hall of the Syrian orthodox church for the solemn feast. About 600 people shared the food at the dinner table. The First Hierarch Metropolitan Filaret and other clergy addressed the public and congratulated the Holy Protection parish.