Parish Centennial Celebration – Saturday, May 4, 2019

On Bright Saturday, May 4, interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated Divine Liturgy in Holy Trinity Church for the Annual Bright Saturday Liturgy of the Patriarchal Parishes and on the day of our parish’s Centennial Celebrations. Upon his arrival Bishop Matthew was greeted with flowers by Kay Plaskowitz, Anna Maria Frujinoiu and Maria Khalimovskiy offering greetings in English, Russian and Romanian. Then, our Parish Council President Victor Marinich welcomed His Grace with the traditional bread and salt. After vesting in the center of the church, His Grace led the celebration of the Paschal Divine Liturgy, co-served by 28 priests and five deacons, from the Patriarchal Parishes, ROCOR, OCA and the Antiochian Archdiocese. Before the start of the Liturgy, Bishop Matthew performed the tonsure and ordinations of new readers and subdeacons. At the Little Entrance, several priests received liturgical awards, including Fr. John Vass who was awarded the right to wear the palitsa. After the Eucharistic Canon, Bishop Matthew ordained Subdeacon Artemy Kulikovsky a deacon for All Saints of Russia Church in Pine Bush, NY. After Holy Communion, a procession was held around the block. At the beginning of the procession, Bishop Matthew unveiled a new street sign renaming the street on which the church is situated "Holy Trinity Way." The choir, led by Brian Seraphim Cardell, sang beautifully and prayerfully. Afterwards, Fr. John greeted Bishop Matthew and expressed his gratitude for coming to Baltimore for the paschal celebration as well as the celebration our parish's centennial anniversary. His Grace, in turn, congratulated the clergy on the feast of the bright Resurrection of Christ, as well as on the significant anniversary of the church. The archpastor highlighted the works of the rector, president and members of the parish committees of Holy Trinity Church, who completed major improvements to the interior of the church and who organized a hospitable reception for the clergy, guests and parishioners on this historic day. With the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, Bishop Matthew bestowed jubilee medals in honor of the "100th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church" on parish rectors of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA. Also, in honor of the Centennial, Bishop Matthew bestowed Archpastoral Gramotas to Kay Plaskowitz, Michael Mickel and Arthur-Stephen Lisowsky for their life-long dedication and tireless work for the benefit of the parish. Then, we conducted a joyous and elegant reception in the church hall. The tables were beautifully adorned with fresh flowers and fine linens. The catered reception featured a wide and abundant variety of appetizers, main entrees and beverages. The meal was catered so all of our parishioners could enjoy these once-in-a-lifetime celebrations. More than 170 people attended this very joyous event. We offer our sincere gratitude to the Parish Council and Centennial Committees for their hard work, insight and leadership over the last three years to beautify the church and make the celebration so beautiful, joyous and memorable. Literally, more than half the parish was actively engaged in the many centennial related projects over the last three years. Special thanks to Michael Mickel for coordinating the work of the restorations, to Victor Marinich for his leadership as council president, Andrei Burbelo for his historical research and writing the parish history, and to Tatiana Masiuk and Natalie Burbelo for coordinating the elegant banquet. Everyone, your hard work, generosity, sacrifice and prayers were clearly reflected in this historic celebration. Thank you to all of you. May God bless you and grant you many years!

Photo Album: http://holytrinityorthodox.com/albums/ParishAnniversary2019/index.htm