Orthodoxy in Duluth
During our stay in Duluth, MN we went to church at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church. This was the first time we've been to a Serbian church. Some of the service was in English but it was very easy to follow along when it wasn't as the music was the same. We had spoken with Father Zoran ahead of time and he knew we would be attending. He said that we should follow our home congregation's practice concerning communion but that amongst this congregation they only took communion so many number of times during the year.
One interesting thing that was different from our Antiochian parish was the placement of the sermon. Our sermon comes after the reading of the Gospel, but at St. George it comes after the priest has received communion. After the sermon the rest of the congregation receives communion (which was one little girl and our family). Speaking with the Deacon after service about this difference, he noted that it was good for a priest to receive communion before speaking the Word but that other ways also had their good points.
The people of the church were very welcoming and interested in how we came to visit them. The ladies made sure we all had some kolyva from the memorial at the end of the service. It was just like our Antiochian version except that they decorated theirs with red hots in the shape of a cross.
The iconostasis was written by a famous iconographer in the area, very well done in more of a Russian style. The side walls were painted with murals of famous Western religious motifs. They also had very beautiful icon windows with various saints. Showing our pictures to family, everyone wanted to know who was the saint in the well? I didn't know and was hoping maybe one of you know this saint.
One interesting thing that was different from our Antiochian parish was the placement of the sermon. Our sermon comes after the reading of the Gospel, but at St. George it comes after the priest has received communion. After the sermon the rest of the congregation receives communion (which was one little girl and our family). Speaking with the Deacon after service about this difference, he noted that it was good for a priest to receive communion before speaking the Word but that other ways also had their good points.
The people of the church were very welcoming and interested in how we came to visit them. The ladies made sure we all had some kolyva from the memorial at the end of the service. It was just like our Antiochian version except that they decorated theirs with red hots in the shape of a cross.
The iconostasis was written by a famous iconographer in the area, very well done in more of a Russian style. The side walls were painted with murals of famous Western religious motifs. They also had very beautiful icon windows with various saints. Showing our pictures to family, everyone wanted to know who was the saint in the well? I didn't know and was hoping maybe one of you know this saint.
Comments
It is good to experience various churches within Orthodoxy!
The saint in the well looks as if he's wearing a coptic mantia... a bit. Intriguing. I will ask my Egyptian friends about him.
At first I wondered whether he was a stylite, but that doesn't seem quite right. He is definitely a monk. It may also be a saint who enclosed himself in something or other, a tower, etc. There is normally writing at the bottom of such windows, which might have given a hint with a little Cyrillic decoding (though sometimes it's just the name of the donor). I'm not as versed in the ancient Serbian saints beyond Sava, Basil of Ostrog and Tsar St Lazar. Write the priest and ask him for us!
I can't remember whether I went to the Serbian or the Greek church in Duluth when I was visiting my wife (she was dancing with a ballet company there at the time - it was warmer in her freezer than outside! So cold.)
Anyway, I digress, this Serbian parish also has few communicants, and the Sermon at the end of the service.
I'm also curious about the saint.
More frequent communion was a major part of the Kollyvades Movement stemming from Mt Athos in the 18th Century. St. Nicodemus the Athonite was for it, many others were against it.