Metropolitan Juvenaly consecrates a church in Novaya Derevnya
9.12.2001 · English, Архив 2001
METROPOLITAN JUVENALY CONSECRATES A CHURCH IN NOVAYA DEREVNYA
Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna consecrated on November 19, 2001, a church dedicated to the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky at Novaya Derevnya and celebrated the Divine Liturgy in it.
The new church has been built next to the Church of the Meeting of Our Lord, of which Archpriest Alexander Men was rector in the last years of his life. His pastoral ministry had a clear emphasis on the religious education of children and serious catechization of adults preparing themselves for Baptism. When God gave the ample opportunities for preaching and catechizing, Father Alexander acted loosing not a single minute. He designed the exterior of a longed-for building for baptisms, Sunday school and catechization classes. The project began to be implemented in 1990, but the final permission for it was granted only five days before the tragic death of Father Alexander on September 9, 1990.
The wok to realize his plan was continued, and on September 8, 1992, Metropolitan Juvenaly blessed the construction site and on September 9, 1997, the classrooms in the new building. In the following years, granite floors were installed in the church and staircases, much work to finish the church interior was carried out, lighting was installed, the work on the iconostasis and the interior arches was begun. The church was accomplished in 1999. Meanwhile, the parish icon-painting workshop began working on the iconostasis images. In 2000-2001, a font for baptism by full immersion was designed, made and installed. With time, the territory of the church was developed and equipped with modern amenities.
In 2001, the community bought 8 bells, a mosaic icon of the altar image of the Savior and an icon of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, the heavenly patron of Father Alexander Men. During the construction work, the community worked to provide the Sunday school with the necessary equipment and furniture.
The most important thing, however, is that the new parish community has grown and developed successfully. There are from 40 to 50 children attending the school, while some 25 graduates of the past years and some 45 adults have been engaged in the post-catechetical and Bible studies. Parishioners can feel themselves part of a one church family responsible not only for the church building but also the life and work of the community. For many years, the parish has participated in the life of the orphanages at the Sergiev-Posad district and the Pravda railway station and has worked with mentally deranged children at Pushkino and at the Faith and Light Community in Moscow. Since 1999, the parish has published the Gorchichnoye zerno (Mustard Seed) newspaper. In 1999, the parish entered in close cooperation in education and social work with Spivakov’s Foundation.
Among important achievements was the experience of inchurching many people who wished to become donators to the construction of the church. Some of them were baptized, while others took the path of serious personal spiritual grown and still others, first suspicious and out-of-body, joined the ranks of those actively interested and sympathizing. Thus, the Church has gained a large circle of friends, like-minded people and allies who have gone through catechization indirectly.
(Publishing Department of the Moscow diocese)
See also: