Bishop’s Report (Annual General Meeting of the St. Barbara Russian Orthodox Catherdal in Edmonton, Canada)

Reverend Father Sergiy and Deacon Andrei, with families, dear President of the Parish council, Roman Lopushinsky, and the members of the Parish Council , dear participants of the Church Choir, altar attendants, dear members of the brotherhood and sisterhood of the Cathedral of Saint Barbara, our beloved in the Lord brothers and sisters!

Unfortunately, I cannot be present at this meeting in person, because at the end of December I was already scheduled to worship on this day at our parish in Regina. This parish does not have a permanent priest, and once a month (before a proper priest is found) I conduct Services in the Temple there.

In early February this year, I visited Moscow and took part in the celebration of the 5th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. I also spent some time in the Western Ukraine, where I served and prayed in several monasteries and temples, providing spiritual support to the local believers in the difficult time of aggressive protests and threatening to capture our Orthodox temples by the members of the Uniat Church.

The past year of life of our Cathedral will always be well remembered by the happy moments of the visits of the Two Holy Icons – the Wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” and, equally-revered, “The Softener of Evil Hearts”, as well as by the ordination of the new priests and deacon. These events, that gloriously affirm the Orthodox faith, had been very rare in our church until the recent years…

I heartily congratulate Father Andrei Boldyrev with the reception of the diaconate ministry and with the beginning of his service in our cathedral! I hope that your diaconal ministry and prayers in two languages will help to bring new parishioners to the cathedral, and that in the future we will find among them the new candidates to the diaconate as well! The Bible classes, conducted by the prior – Father Sergiy – twice a month- also is of great importance for our parish and, especially, for the new parishioners.

The amount of worshiping Services in our Temple significantly increased for the last few years. On each such church service (that is usually held on Saturdays) from 10 to 15 worshipers are generally present. It should be noted with much regret though, that, on the other hand, the attendance on Sunday Liturgies has not increased, but every so often significantly decreased during the same years. All of us need to think together about the following questions: where do our children go and why do they leave the temple, why the newcomers do not frequent the church for worship services, and how can we make our parish stronger? We realize, that for the Christians the main unifying principle – is, of course, the Eucharist and the common prayers, but in order to ensure that the temple is not just a community, but a real spiritual family, the parishioners should be united, beside the spiritual ties, by helping each other to solve in common every-day life problems (ex., how to help our children to learn Ukrainian and Russian languages, how to learn more and teach others about God) – an the similar tasks of different character, so that everyone might be interested and capable to contribute.

Everlasting memory to those parishioners of our cathedral, who passed away last year, and, above all, to Victor Lopushinsky! Let us pray that Our God, the Merciful Lord, give them the eternal rest in the dwellings of the righteous!

I thank all the participants of today’s meeting for your attention to these my words, all the parishioners for greeting me with my anniversary and for the precious gift of a new bishop’s mitre! I congratulate all of you with the beginning of the Great Lent and wish to all of you to complete it in good health and spiritual peace, perpetually strengthening in cardiac praying and good deeds! Let us pray to invoke God’s blessing on your work for the glory of the Holy Church and our common home – the Cathedral of St. Barbara. I also entreat all of you to join during these days our fervent prayers for the peace in the woeful and suffering Ukraine!