On January 11, 2026, two days after the service of the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, the Saint Stephen parish in Lackawanna, New York celebrated the festal temple slava with their Diocesan Archpastor, His Grace Irinej, Bishop of Washington-New York and Eastern America. Serving with His Grace were Protopresbyter-stavrophor Rodney Torbic; Presbyter Economos Branislav Golić; Deacons Steven Gjurich and Daniel August; Readers Gregory Korbut, John Buffalini, and Daniel Hawkins; and acolytes Dimitri Zausen and Luka Ćulum.

Following the inspirational hymnography accompanying the vesting of His Grace and the joyful Great Doxology, the first exclamation of the Divine Liturgy, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” drew the faithful into the heavenly worship with the angels and the saints, setting before them the object of their worship: participation in the eternal life of the Kingdom through their partaking of the Holy Eucharist, the precious Body and Blood of Christ. 

The Kosta Manojlovich Choir, under the direction of Mrs. Diane Sullivan, provided the prayerful atmosphere that His Grace, our Father and Bishop Irinej, enhanced through his edifying homily.

Following his warm greeting, His Grace outlined the commemorations of the day: the continuation of the Nativity of Christ; Holy Joseph the Betrothed; the Prophet King David; Saint James, the Brother of the Lord; and the 14,000 Children Slain by Herod.

Recounting the prophecies of Isaiah (A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel), Jeremiah (Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not), and Hosea (I…called My Son out of Egypt), His Grace explained the fulfillments of the words of the prophets. He discussed the paradox of the concurrent commemoration of both joy and tragedy: the joy that God, who is love, came into the world to overcome the “death of love” that consumed Herod; and the tragedy of the murder of 14,000 boys aged two years and under. Herod, void of love, was a king who intended to kill the King who is Love born into the world as perfect God and perfect man.

His Grace reminded the listeners that on this day, falling during the festal Nativity season, we celebrated both the birth of Jesus Christ, and, its having been a Sunday, His Resurrection. In his homily he explained that from the time of His birth, the Lord was preparing for His death, through which He destroyed death. Because God is love, death no longer rules man. Because the feast day of Saint Stephen falls on the third day of Christmas, His Grace referenced a portion of the kontakion for the saint: Yesterday the Master came to us in the flesh, and today His servant departs from the flesh, stressing that God entered a human body while Saint Stephen departed from his body.

The key to His Grace’s homily is expressed in his statement, “Everything comes together in the Liturgy,” as the many faithful communicants on this day experienced.

After the cutting of the festal kolach and the blessing of the wheat, offered by Kumovi Radenko and Branislava Ristić and their family, the children of the Saint Stephen church school presented His Grace a small concert of spiritual songs. Protopresbyter Trajko Boseovski of the neighboring Macedonian Orthodox Church joined the clergy at the banquet prepared by the Saint Petka Circle of Serbian Sisters, under the leadership of president Kata Pajić.

With gratitude that His Grace Bishop Irinej, the spiritual father of the Diocese, presided over the Vespers and Divine Liturgy of the patronal feast celebration at Saint Stephen Church, the parishioners pray God grant him Many Years!