On Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, 2024, the Parish of the Holy Resurrection of Christ in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, had an awesome blessing on this beautiful feast of the Resurrection of Lazarus, to welcome its Bishop and Father, His Grace Kyr Irinej, who presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. His concelebrants were Fr. Borjan Vitanov, presbyter-oikonomos and parish priest, Deacon Darko Tripkovic, Diocesan Financial Secretary, Deacon Bojan Gligorevich from St. Nicholas Parish in Steelton, PA, and Deacon Matthew Keil, from the Russian Orthodox church Abroad.

On the Eve of the feast, on Friday, during the service of the Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, His Grace, upon his arrival and the joyous welcome of his parishioners, joined all of us in prayer and gave edifying words to all of those who came to greet their Hierarch and spiritual father.

The following day, on Lazarus Saturday, His Grace Bishop Kyr Irinej presided with the Divine Liturgy and after the reading of the Gospel, gave inspiring sermon on the meaning of the Resurrection of Lazarus and how the Godman Christ, as fully human – as Son of Man and as fully Divine, as Son of God, but in the One Person (Hypostasis) of Jesus Christ after the resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus and of the resurrection of the dead son of the Widow of Nain, now, on this third resurrection of Lazarus (as it is recorded in the chronology of the Gospels) how He (as Godman) "wept" for His beloved friend Lazarus and again as a Godman resurrected him from dead.

This day, is the pre-taste of the resurrection which we will all witness the following week, on the day of the glorious Pascha of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

After the service everyone came to the Church Hall to festal trapeza prepared by our parishioners who worked hard to continue the obedience of our "small" but growing parish which is known for its hospitality and big heart, because every time when His Grace, our Father and Bishop Kyr Irinej is in our midst, for us becomes a special feast day and already a pre-taste of the reality of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ to which our Parish is dedicated.

"Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord", the psalmist would sing, and we are always thrilled and thankful to God for days like today. We hope and pray that God will bring our Archpastor more often to visit us and strengthen our parishioners with his edifying hierarchical words of encouragement, especially for those who recently have joined our growing Parish and confirm in the faith our Catechumens who seeking to find home in the Holy Resurrection of Christ in Lebanon, PA.

May it be for many years! Na mnogaja leta, the Feast of the Resurrection of Lazarus.