On Demetrius Memorial Saturday, His Grace Bishop Matthew Celebrates the Liturgy at St. Nicholas Church in Bayonne On November 2, 2024, Demetrius Memorial Saturday and the feast of the Great Martyr Artemius, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Temporary Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and Canada, visited St. Nicholas Church in Bayonne, New Jersey, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy. At the entrance to the church, the bishop was cordially welcomed by Sunday School students and members of the Parish Council. Concelebrating with the bishop were the rector of the church and Dean of the Eastern States, Archpriest Michael Kapcicz; the acting Secretary of the diocese, Hegumen Nikodim (Balyasnikov); the rector of the Church of All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Russian Land at the Patriarchal estate in Pine Bush, Priest Artemy Kulikovsky; and the clergy of St. Nicholas Church, Priest Dimitri Sukhorukov and Deacon Nicholas Arabidze. The deacons were led by the head of the hierarchical protocol service, Deacon Alexis Golubov. At the Little Entrance, for diligent service for the good of the Church and on the occasion of his name day, Priest Artemy received from Bishop Matthew his first liturgical award — the right to wear the nabedrennik. During the service, the bishop offered fervent prayers for the repose of the departed bishops, clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church who carried out their obedience in North America. At the end of the Liturgy, the rector of the church, Fr. Michael Kapcicz, warmly greeted the Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and Canada. The bishop thanked the rector for his unfailingly warm welcome and the considerable help Fr. Michael gives the bishop in his archpastoral labors in the USA, as well as for his multifaceted, sacrificial service to people both as an Orthodox pastor and as a physician with a doctorate in medical sciences. At the request of Bishop Matthew, in recognition of his diligent labors and his 60th birthday, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ awarded Archpriest Michael Kapcicz a high award of the Russian Orthodox Church — the Order of St. Luke the Confessor (Voino-Yasenetsky), 3rd class. The bishop warmly congratulated the awarded clergy on these well-deserved marks of recognition from the church hierarchy, thanked the participants in the service for their common prayers and invoked God’s blessing upon all, that they may be worthy continuers of our predecessors in the holy work of preaching Orthodoxy in North America.
