TRENTON, NJ – The consecration of the Church of St. George of the historic parish of Trenton, NJ took place October 14-15 with much devoutness and hundreds in attendance. His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey officiated assisted by His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Sylivria of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and St. George’s presiding priest Fr. James Pavlow and Deacon Philotheos.
Metropolitan Evangelos placed in the Holy Table segments of holy relics of Saints George, Panteleimon and martyrsof Penteli Athens, along with the names of the faithful known as diptychs. Evangelos was vested with a special white vestment and cleaned the Holy Table symbolizing the cleanliness and the renewal of the nave.
Hundreds of congregants of all ages and generations members of the St. George parish and from neighboring parishes had gathered from early in the morning participating in the long but historic and unique Service of the Consecration.
Drs. Spiro and Amalia Spireas, great benefactors of the parish, were in charge of the event. Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras was present.
Ioannis Papachronis, chief cantor and professor of ecclesiastical music chanted the hymns along with his two student cantors, Elias Kapelas and Lazaros Tsorpmatzidis, who came from Greece specifically for the occasion, and St, George chanter Nicholas Tsigas.
On the evening of October 14, Evangelos brought the segments of the holy relics to the Church, where hundreds of faithful and dozens of priests had gathered to welcome the metropolitan and to venerate the holy relics.
A special Service was done prior to the Great Vespers in which Metropolitan Maximos of Sylivria officiated. Maximos, a prominent and learned hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, said in his sermon that “the event of the consecration is unique, as it is unique the event of the Church. We do the consecration in order to somehow consecrate the participation into the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of God is identical with the Church.
“The Kingdom of God is something like a visitation that comes and comes again and every time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy we have a new Resurrection, a new Pentecost, and new Incarnation of the Logos of God, because without the Holy Spirit there is no Church. In every Holy Eucharist the Holy Spirit comes and recreates the creation and as the Fathers of the Church say, St. Gregory of Nyssa, the Church is the new heaven and the new earth.”
Maximos conveyed the love and the wishes of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and said that “the Patriarch loves your Metropolitan very much.”
The Consecration celebration ended on the evening of the 15th with a banquet at the Marion Hall in Cinnaminson. Metropolitan Evangelos read a very thoughtful message of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Dr. Spiro Spireas said “everything tonight looks heaven or rather everything is heaven since our church was consecrated and it became a heavenly place and way of the synaxis of the Kingdom of God in this specific place of Trenton New Jersey. I glorify God who enabled me to experience closely all the holy, sacred, symbolic and ontological took place in the Holy Altar, with so much devoutness, tidiness and perfection tanks to our dear and able Metropolitan Evangelos.”
The Drs. Spireas and the parish council president honored all the presidents from 1924 to the present.
ABOUT ST. GEORGE
St. George was founded in 1922 in Trenton, with a membership of 40 families, mostly from Andros and Chios.
Saint George Church was founded in 1922 in Trenton, New Jersey with a membership of forty families. After moving to other locations, in 1969 the General Assembly approved the purchase of the Klockner Road property in Hamilton as the site of the new complex. The parish is now comprised of approximately 400 households.
PATRIARCH’S MESSAGE
The message from Patriarch Bartholomew on the occasion of the consecration follows:
“To the Reverend Economos Demetrios Pavlou, Presiding Priest, the Esteemed Dr. Spiridon Spireas, President of the Consecration Committee, the Esteemed Mr. Athanasios Gkinis, the President of the Parish Council of the Greek Orthodox Community of Saint George of Trenton, New Jersey, and all of the Devout Members of the Community, our dear spiritual children in the Lord,Grace be to you and Peace from God.
“It is with much paternal joy and pride in Christ, participating in spirit in the consecration of your Church named in honor of Saint George the Great Martyr, that we convey to you on this joyful occasion, the kiss of love on behalf of your Mother, the Holy Great Church of Christ, concelebrating with you who, according to the Biblical: “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn’’ (Romans 12,15) always sharing both the joyful and unpleasant events of your life.
“Our joy at our Holy Center increases from the fact that the Holy Church that is about to be consecrated, honors also this Patriarchal Church, Saint George the Trophy-bearer and through this, creates a sisterly relationship between the two Churches.More specifically, for the entire community that lives around your Church this day of the consecration, which is also the sanctification of this holy Church, is not only a simple opportunity of celebration, but a milestone in the life of the community. This is because through the consecration of the Holy Sanctuary, according to Saint Symeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, “The temple is holy; without the sanctuary there is no church but only a house of prayer; …neither is it a tabernacle of the glory of God, nor a dwelling of it, nor a place full of grace…but the divine gifts are offered on this table in order to be changed into the Body and Blood of Christ through the Holy Spirit…thus, the temple of God must be built accordingly and sanctified” (“On the holy church and its consecration” PG 155, 305).The Divine Grace through this sanctification dwells permanently in the Church which would, only in a case of desecration, need to be consecrated again.
Furthermore, the importance of the consecration of a Church is demonstrated by the fact that since the early times, the day of the consecration would be celebrated annually and for this reason in our liturgical books we can find several feasts of consecrations of holy churches, especially in Constantinople.
“As a perceivable sign of the dwelling and Grace of God in the consecrated Church, there is the Holy Myrrh and the Holy Relics that have been placed in the Holy Altar Table.According to Saint Symeon of Thessalonica, the Holy Myrrh symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ and, for this reason, the symbol of His Holy Sepulcher, which is the Holy Altar Table, is anointed with myrrh. The Holy Relics are placed inside the Holy Altar Table because according to the same holy father the sanctification of the Church cannot be done without the holy Relics: “the martyrs are the foundation of the Church, having been built on the foundation of our Savior…the relics…are placed into the consecrated table, for they died for Christ and they are standing before His glorious throne” (chapter 111, PG 155, 316).
“The Holy Martyrs whose relics are placed in the altar table not only had the Grace of God dwelling in themselves, but also shared the same sacrifice with Christ the Savior, spilling the same blood for Him who: “gave his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28 and Mark 10:45) and through this, to imitate Christ, they made clear the words of the Apostle Paul: “you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst’’ (1 Cor. 3:16-17) and as Saint Nicholas Cabasilas quotes: “these relics are a true temple of God, and this handmade temple an imitation of the real one” (PG 150, 636).
Moreover, the relics of the martyrs bring to our minds the exhortation of the Apostle Paul: “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God and … be transformed by the renewing of your mind’’ (Rom. 12:1-2) and in this way the consecration of a Church becomes also the image of the renewal of a person in Christ, as it is written in the Service of the Commemoration of the Consecration of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
“However, inside the Church, prayer and our personal sanctification take place, which become actualized through our participation in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist through which every human who proceeds after appropriate preparation of repentance and confession and partaking of the deifying Body and Blood, gradually becomes deified.
“We pray that this same Grace, the one that not only performs the Holy Sacraments in the Church for the salvation of every human and of the whole world, but also the one that sends to all of us abundantly every perfect gift, and the one that constitutes the loving emanation of the Triune God to His creatures, may dwell in this House of God through the service of the consecration and also in the souls of those who are willing to offer a sacrifice of worship to the Lord.
“We are fervently wishing to all of you, being with you in spirit during this Holy Synaxis, that our Lord and God through the intercessions of Saint George, the glorious Great Martyr, make this Church that is about to be consecrated today into a font of blessings and a haven of salvation for everyone who draws near to the Church to worship God and relieve their souls.
“May the Grace of the All Holy and Teletarchical Spirit be with all of you. Amen.”
METROPOLITAN EVANGELOS’ HOMILY
Metropolitan Evangelos homily at the consecration follows:
“My Beloved in the Lord, it is with the utmost joy and euphoric celebration that we gather here in prayer as this House of Worship, dedicated to St. George the Trophybearer, is consecrated and a community of faithful, guided and guarded by the saints and especially its patron, witnesses this great and marvelous work of the Holy Spirit.
“The concept of dedicating a temple, a place in which one prays, has been a fundamental principle of various religions and societies, and it is a practice that extends back thousands of years. Whereas this concept of a sacred space is a limitation for other religions, it is paradoxical in the Christian Church. We set aside a special place that is holier than all others, yet even though the church is God’s House, His dominion knows no bounds neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor throughout the universe.
“For Orthodox Christians, it is inconceivable to have a community without a church, a House of Worship, as a gathering place for prayer, a sanctified place where hymns of praise and glory may be offered to our loving Lord. A place which is a sentiment as expressed by St. John Chrysostom. Furthermore, we must keep in mind the importance of the church in our everyday life and not just relegate it to a once-a-week obligation. “The church and every liturgy is the authentic revelation of God’s Kingdom to us so that we may participate in His Kingdom while we still live. It is a protection against the wiles of the devil. It is a fortress whose walls can never be shaken. It is a consolation to those in sorrow. It is the spiritual womb through which we pass from this life into eternity. It is the place in which the “scattered nations” are gathered into one place so that we may partake of the Body and Blood of Christ thereby becoming the Body of Christ. In short, the present church in which we pray is our life and the light of the world. For this reason, it is inconceivable that a man would have no temple in which to pray since his sojourning with no spiritual home would be tantamount to him being a sheep without a shepherd. But Christ, as the Good Shepherd, has gathered all of us, His lost sheep, into His temple to partake of His Father’s Kingdom.
“Historically, we see references made to making a space holy for prayer in the Old Testament with the consecration of the Tabernacle by Aaron in which a space was dedicated for prayer. We see similar references made about these practices in the New Testament by St. Paul. During the early Christian era, when Christians were persecuted for their faith, they would hold liturgies in the catacombs of those who had given their lives as witnesses or martyrs to the faith since the Church was built upon the sacrifices of the thousands who had given their lives for their devotion to Christ. The first consecration of a Christian church took place on September 13th, 335 in Jerusalem at the Church of the Resurrection where our Lord’s holy and precious body had lain before rising from the dead. Even with the eventual decriminalization of Christianity in the early 4th century, the faithful still found faith and inspiration in the sacrifices of the martyrs. Thus, the practice of having liturgy in the catacombs transformed so that, in many cases, the churches were built over the tombs of martyrs with the Holy Altar being directly over the place of the martyr’s tomb. In the 7th canon of the 7th Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 787, the Holy Fathers of the Church mention the necessity for churches to be consecrated and also mention the essential quality of consecration which is that relics of the martyrs are to be placed in the Holy Altar. However, since it is not possible for every church to be over the place of a martyr’s tomb, relics from the martyred saints were placed in the Altar Table of every church and it is a tradition that continues to this day in the sacrament of the consecration of a church.
“Thus, the church, through the participation of the people in the Divine Liturgy, is what gathers all of creation and all people both living and dead together in the Holy Eucharist which can be actuated due to the consecration of the church with the relics of the martyrs as witnesses of the faith. In this way, the simple building changes into a house of worship and prayer and its table is transformed into a Holy Altar.Without these critical elements, it is not possible for any mystery, Sacrament, to take place in the church except with the antimension which acts in place of the consecrated Holy Altar until the church is consecrated.
“The sacrament of the consecration is not just for the sake of the building becoming a house of prayer, but it is also for the edification of the people through the hymns chanted and the prayers offered. It is also an apt time for each person to reflect on the life of Christ, the life of the saints, and their own lives as they seek to emulate those holy people who have gone before us. But the hymnology of the divine services for this day fittingly highlights the importance both in the making of a place of worship and also the role of the person who worships; for whereas we may believe that only the building is that which is being consecrated, the reality is that we also, as participants of the consecration, are particularly blessed and consecrated ourselves since each of our bodies is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus, He who dwells in the house that has newly been consecrated also dwells in our hearts since we participate through prayers, hymns, and offerings to His Holy House.
“This church is primarily God’s House, but it is also our home as well. It is the center of our spiritual lives and, thus, we should treat it with the utmost love and respect. As much as we adorn our own homes with pleasantries and aesthetical splendors, so much more should we endeavor to beautify the House of God which is our own eternal spiritual home. This church will be the epicenter where every major event in our lives will take place. This church is where we are baptized, where we will be married, where our children and our children’s children will be brought in and blessed after being born, and where they too will be baptized as well. This is the church where we will rejoice with one another, mourn with one another, fortify one another, and spiritually struggle side by side. This is the church where our children will gather in fellowship to build eternal bonds of friendship and love. Above all, this is the church from which we shall receive the precious Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and for eternal life. The sacrament of the consecration will renew and invigorate all of these things while also allowing each of us to specially remember this day as we receive some of the materials used in the divine services.
“My Beloved Faithful Orthodox Christians, the magnitude of today’s celebrations is incalculable and the joy boundless as we offer our sincerest thanks to Almighty God through whose immeasurable Grace we are blessed to be here and blessed that all of these endeavors were possible through Him and through the intercessions of the Great Martyr George the Trophy-bearer, our patron.
“Additionally, as your Chief Shepherd, I would like to express my thanks to the Proistamenos of the parish, the President of the Parish Council, Mr. Athanasios Ginis and all Members of the Parish Council, the Chairman of the Consecration Committee and great benefactors, Dr. Spiridon Spireas, and co-chair Dr. Amalia Spireas, the Philoptochos Sisterhood, the members of all Community organizations which include the Sunday School of Catechesis, the Greek School, the G.O.Y.A. and to each and every one of you who have participated in today’s celebrations, and all whoover the years have offered your time, talent, and treasure to bring the consecration to fruition.
“With all my heart, I pray that the light of the unwaning candle which, from today, illumines and shines on the Holy Altar becomes a beacon of light that will lead your steps to the true Light, the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ.
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