I knew that Nicky and I just HAD to go to the joint MP/ROCOR service at St Nick’s last Saturday. Albany is only some 250 kilometres from the city, so, it was not an overly-long trip. We hopped in the car at 05.15, and we were off! Again, we chose not to take the main motorway. Instead, we took the Taconic State Parkway, which was much less crowded. We were on our way to Croton-on-Hudson in northern Westchester to park the car in a secure lot (without having to take out a mortgage) and catch the Metro-North train to the city. We had one unscheduled stop, but, we made fairly good time, and were in Croton by 07.50. It only cost us six bucks to park the car for the whole day. Any of you who know the prices for parking in the City know that is a steal. In fact, if you factor in the gas used, bridge tolls, and astronomical parking fees, it is cheaper to do what we did and take the train in (it was a 15 dollar fare round-trip for each of us).
We caught the 08.27 to Grand Central, and it was a fairly quiet and uneventful ride into town, and we arrived at about 09.25. Then, it was down into the subway station under Grand Central, I got the all-day passes (only 7.50, a bargain, considering that one ride on the bus or train is two bucks a throw), and we got on the platform for the Lex Ave IRT local. I was thrown for a loop at first, because it was a new subway car with a slightly different format for the line indication. The new job had a LED display in red, whereas the older Lex Av trains all had a white “six” in a green circle. See what happens when you are away… It was quite pleasant, but, the trip from 42nd to 96th was not long, a little under 10 minutes. From the subway stop, it wasn’t long to the church. You walk uptown one block, then, you turn left at 97th, cross Park and Mad, and St Nick’s is on the right-hand side in the centre of a rather ritzy block (it is the Upper East Side, after all!). Nicky wanted to approach from the left-hand side to take photos, and he took some nice shots. From the outside, the church looked rather normal. I looked at my watch, 10.05… drat! Five minutes late… oh, well.
We opened the door to the church, and… WHAM-O! Wall-to-wall people. I am not exaggerating, I am not using hyperbole. There was so little space that a baba couldn’t swing her cane, if she wanted to. Then, there was the sound of the clergy and the congregation singing the “Khristos Voskrese”… hundreds of voices. The effect was palpable, it was almost physical. It was like a mighty proclamation with the full force of Heaven shouted to the whole world! Of course, I joined in… I was absolutely FLOORED. I have heard this hymn hundreds of times, I have sung it hundreds of times, but, this time was SPECIAL. It was as though the Holy Fire had been transported from Jerusalem to Moscow to New York. There was an intensity that I have rarely felt. We MEANT every word and it SHOWED.
Khristos voskrese iz mertvykh, smertiyu smert po prav!
I sushchym vo grobekh, zhivot darovav!
(Christ is risen from the dead, trampling on death by death!
And upon those in the tombs, bestowing life!)
We were so crowded that we sometimes jostled one another as we crossed ourselves. Nonetheless, there was excellent order throughout it all. People were genuinely kind to one another in the crush, and we all helped those who were unfamiliar with the layout. There was a lovely family from Pennsylvania, Patty Marks, her son, and two daughters. It was their first time in New York, and they had such difficulty parking their conversion van. I met a nice fellow, Aleksandr, who is a “New Russian”, and he translated a plaque in the back of the church for some people who could not read it.
Americans and Russians together, there was no difference in us, we were all Orthodox Christians celebrating the unity of our Russian Orthodox Faith. The bonds of Christ’s love united us all. This did not come about through scholars, learning, or windy lectures. This was the result of the quiet work of Blessed Laurus the Silent of Jordanville. The only thing I can say is “Thank you, Vladyki!” The emotion was so strong that I was close to tears at times.
As is the custom at St Nick’s, the Creed and the Our Father were sung in simple settings that we all knew, so, of course, we all joined in. I cannot describe to you adequately the atmosphere of the service. Yes, we were so packed that we could hardly move. Yes, there was the usual hub-bub of a Russian cathedral service. However, I simply do not have the words to describe the gut intensity of it all. This was something that I had dreamed of and longed for since 1991. It did NOT disappoint. There was a palpable power hovering over us, there was the sense that a great weight had been lifted off each of us individually. THE WAR WAS OVER. I remember the deluded sorts who told me, “The Reds are still in charge! These people are nothing but communists in disguise!” (Hmm… I did wear a bright RED hat at the service. Was that a statement? That’s for me to know…) Many people suffered for believing in unity in the 90s in time of the insane Ustinovshchyna, when the ROCOR dared to establish parishes in Russia (a clear violation of Ukaz 362). I despaired of seeing sanity and unity in my lifetime.
Nevertheless, it came! It came on silent cat’s paws, through the agency of Metropolitan Laurus of Blessed Memory. I cannot mention his role often enough. There was no cataclysm; unity came as silently as the fall of the Soviet Union. Of course, there were those who left (noisily, I might add) in a snit because the MP did not meet their definition of “repentance”. I agree with Fr Alexander Lebedeff. If all the clergy of the MP, from Patriarch Aleksei on down, were to beat themselves bloody with whips of barbed-wire whilst kneeling on jagged shards of glass, it would not be good enough for them. For me, it is simple. “God forgives!” I felt that way in August 1991 and I continue to feel the same way today. We were stubborn, wilful, and disobedient children. Our Lord Christ said, “Love one another as I have loved you”. Did we do that? I leave that question for you to answer in your heart of hearts.
I saw Bishop Merkury and Bishop Gavriil walk together as brothers, as they should. You could not tell the difference between the MP and ROCOR clergy and faithful, and that is as it should be. We have one heart, one soul, one blood, and one Orthodox Faith. Why, O Lord, did it take so long for that to be realised?
After the service had ended, I was looking for an e-mail priest friend of mine. Well, I despaired of finding him. However, talk about the Lord working in mysterious ways! I was chatting with someone in the ladies’ and I found out that she was a Matushka. “Oh, and who’s your husband?” When she said his name, I was surprised. She was his wife! Of course, we all got together and had a wonderful time. I also ran into Fr George and his Matushka (Dear me, I have forgotten your name! Please do leave a comment, dear, and I shall be able to contact you!), who I met at Jordanville at Vladyki’s funeral. The overwhelming atmosphere was filled with Christian LOVE as I have rarely seen before.
To be honest, the rest of the day was taken up with some minor sightseeing as I took Nicky about town. We ate at Veselka’s in the Village, and I took him to Times Square. Nicky was a bit taken aback by the odd sorts to be found in the Village, to be sure! The ending was fairly anti-climactic. We hopped on the 17.56 train to Croton, picked up the car, retraced our steps and were home by 21.30.
The last six weeks have been hectic. First, there was Vladyki’s funeral. Then, there was Easter at Jordanville. Lastly, there was the unity service at St Nick’s. The intensity of it all was almost frightening. The flame of the revival in the Motherland has come here to America. I saw that flame lit at St Nick’s on Saturday. I would say to all in the OCA:
“It is time to come home. Leave all the silliness of the past behind. We want you and we are willing to forget the past. Only come forward and live!”
God willing, there shall be those with ears to hear.
Vara Drezhlo
Wednesday 7 May 2008
