Holy Week and Pascha in Dublin 2003
Submitted by Archimandrite Serge Keleher
(Father Serge is the pastor of the Byzantine Catholic Parish in Dublin, Ireland).
Pascha this year fell on 27 April, so Holy Week was the last full week of April. Latin Easter fell on Palm Sunday, which meant that Ireland was full of tourists (Latin Easter is a national holiday commemorating the Easter Rising of 1916 - we like to joke that everywhere Easter commemorates the Resurrection, but in Ireland Easter also commemorates the Insurrection). This in turn made transportation and accommodation somewhat problematic.
But no matter. Thanks to the help of the Greek-Catholic Theological Academy in L'viv (now part of the Ukrainian Catholic University), Father Serge Stesenko arrived on the Wednesday evening before Palm Sunday, to hear Confessions and assist with the divine services. He was eagerly awaited and most welcome, but there was a bit of confusion involved, since Father Serge Stesenko and Father Archimandrite Serge have the same Christian name. Since our visitor from L'viv is our honored guest, the problem was solved by reserving "Father Serge" to refer to our visitor, and styling our resident priest in Dublin by his title, "Father Archimandrite". Thus the confusion was not great! The Vincentian Fathers generously accommodated Father Serge in their clergy house in Phibsboro for over a week. Father Serge wanted to learn some Irish during his stay, which made matters more interesting.
Beginning on Lazarus Saturday (with Orthros, Divine Liturgy and Great Vespers), we were able to have a reasonably full schedule of the divine services. However, Archimandrite Serge was in a state of panic - the floral wholesaler who supplies us with pussy willows didn't have any. Lazarus Saturday afternoon a phone call from the florist informed us that the pussy willows would be available for collection early on Palm Sunday morning. God bless that florist (twice over - she gives us a nice discount). Father Serge heard a considerable number of Confessions on Lazarus Saturday. On Palm Sunday, the queue of penitents seemed never-ending; Father Serge took a break to come to the Altar for the Anaphora and Holy Communion and then resumed hearing Confessions.
We were able to leave our Icon-screen up from Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday, which made the services considerably easier.
On Great Monday afternoon Father John Lundberg arrived from California. This was heroism; Father John was to stay and serve for us from Great Monday through Good Friday, and then had to return to California early on Holy Saturday morning, because there was no substitute priest available for him on the Sunday. He was an enormous help, mostly serving as main celebrant. During these days Father John was the house guest of Mr. Declan Sheehy. After Father John's departure Father Serge moved into the room Father John had occupied in Mr. Sheehy's house.
Great Monday and Great Tuesday there was Divine Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts. On Monday almost all the congregation in Church were indigenous Irish faithful. But to our surprise, on Great Tuesday there was a large attendance (this is unusual for Great Tuesday) of rather more than 50 - and on both evenings Father Serge had many Confessions to hear.
On a slightly less exalted level, there is a culinary note: Father Archimandrite had not been able to make a cheese paskha for years, because the necessary cheeses were not available in Ireland. Now, however, with the many new arrivals from Eastern Europe the cheeses are available - so the archimandrite spent two or three hours on the afternoon of Great Tuesday pushing the ingredients through a sieve three times and then left the cheese-cloth wrapped paskha in a flower pot in the refrigerator, where it drained so that we could eat it on Pascha itself (it turned out to be both beautiful and delicious).
On Great Wednesday there was the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified (the last until next year) at 6 PM and then the Mystery of Holy Oil at 8 PM. Father Archimandrite unfortunately missed the second service, although for a pleasant reason - he had to go to the airport to collect Jarko (Jaroslav Pasok, arriving from Preshov, Slovakia, to be with us for the balance of Holy Week and Pascha. An anonymous benefactor offered the needed air tickets. Jarko had a perfectly good passport and Irish visa, but Irish customs nevertheless held him for about an hour before finally allowing him in. He then came to a warm welcome at the home of Mr. Declan Sheehy, where a good supper and a room awaited him.
On Holy Thursday there was as usual the Vespers and Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil at 6 PM and the Orthros of the 12 Passion Gospels at 8 PM - which makes rather a marathon. In addition, Father Serge was swamped with Confessions. Father Serge read the long Gospel at the Divine Liturgy; Father Archimandrite and Father John took turns reading the 12 Gospels at Orthros. Edward Yong arrived that afternoon from London and was of considerable assistance for the rest of Holy Week and Pascha. He also, God bless him, brought a large supply of red dye for the eggs, which Mrs Nuala Ramsay prepared.
On Good Friday there were the Royal Hours at 1:30 PM. For this service, we used a booklet newly-compiled by Andrij Bebko; it proved to be quite helpful and we were sorry not have more copies. Vespers with the setting forth of the Holy Shroud began shortly after 3 PM; people come to Church in good numbers for this service. Father Serge had more Confessions to hear, but managed to join the priests at the Altar to assist with carrying the Holy Shroud (Father John walked under the Shroud, carrying the Gospel Book). Many of the faithful brought lovely flowers to adorn the Tomb.
At 8 PM there was the "Funeral of Christ", the Lamentations, or the Jerusalem Orthros, as various Byzantine traditions term one and the same service! Attendance was well up from previous years - perhaps the awareness of the special beauty of this service is rising. The Third Stasis of the Lamentations had its usual effect; people were singing quite happily. The procession into the proletarian setting of Saint Thomas Lane and back to Saint Kevin's was also quite effective. Father Serge had more Confessions to hear.
On Holy Saturday morning, quite early, Father John Lundberg had to leave; there was a congregation awaiting him in the USA the next day and no priest to take his place. Reluctantly, then, we parted with him, thanking him profusely for all his invaluable help during Holy Week. Holy Saturday afternoon there was as usual Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, with the change to bright vestments following the Epistle and the blessing of wine, bread and figs at the Dismissal. It was then necessary to dismantle all the Byzantine equipment; that night we would be serving in the large upstairs church, and the Saint Kevin's Group would need the chapel for their Saturday evening Mass. When this was accomplished Father Archimandrite had just time to go home for a bath and a change of clothes.
Father Archimandrite had arranged to rent some tables (from the hire-firm the Pro-Cathedral normally uses) for the baskets of Paschal foods to be blessed. Unfortunately, Father had underestimated the number of tables required; not only were the tables covered with baskets but there were at least an equal number of baskets on the floor! Oh well, there's always next year.
The Byzantine equipment was all well installed in the Church; Father Serge was hearing Confessions (and only escaped just in time for the blessing of the Pro-Cathedral doors at the end of the Procession). Mesonycticon began at 11:30 PM. Our beautiful new icon of Hieromartyr Nicholas (Charnetsky) was enthroned at the High Place. The acolytes and faithful carried the Processional Cross, the Ripidia, the Gospel Books, and many icons; everyone had processional candles and small copies of our patronal icon. At about 11:57 Father Archimandrite remembered that his white woollen scarf was still in the sacristy, so he went in to put it on (this is a health precaution against a sore throat, which would be a disaster on Pascha). Felix culpa; in the sacristy Father Archimandrite found Father Gabriel Burke who had driven all the way from Macroom, County Cork, to serve with us! There was a set of white Byzantine vestments available, so both priests made it to the Altar with no time to spare.
The faithful, for some reason, arrived a bit later than usual, but by midnight there were a good 500 people in the Pro-Cathedral awaiting the Procession. Father Archimandrite welcomed them all, and assured them that regardless of what the politicians may say, Ireland needs them. The sacristan then put off the electric lights and the Procession began. The crowd was so large that the clergy and acolytes had to wait in the street at the end of the Procession for everyone to emerge from the Pro-Cathedral. Father Serge also appeared; he had finished hearing Confessions. Father Archimandrite and Father Serge each read the Orthros Resurrection Gospel; Father Archimandrite blessed the doors, and the triumphal chanting of "Christ is Risen" began, in Greek, Church-Slavonic and Romanian, many times over, with the Psalm verses. The Procession then returned to the Pro-Cathedral, with the sacristan turning on the electric lights progressively as the priests came down the main aisle to the Paschal Icon, where they remained throughout Orthros. The three priests took it in turn to cense the faithful and the temple during each of the Odes of the Canon. After the Paschal Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom, and his Apolytkion, the clergy and acolytes entered the Altar as the assembly chanted "As many as have been baptized in Christ . . ." The Gospel was chanted in Greek, Church-Slavonic, Latin, Irish and Ukrainian. The Divine Liturgy continued with the usual Paschal order. Two priests distributed Holy Communion (because there were only two Communion Spoons available). After the blessing of the eggs, everyone came for the Paschal kiss and a blessed eggs - although some stragglers had left the Pro-Cathedral before the end, over 350 eggs were distributed. It was about 3:30 AM by that time.
The priests then blessed the Paschal foods. Besides the baskets, there were generous gifts of food from three Russian delicatessens in Dublin, so that many of the faithful remained to enjoy this traditional Paschal collation, with people tasting special dishes and exchanging recipes.
The faithful dismantled all the Byzantine equipment, so that the Latins could use the Pro-Cathedral in the morning. It was approaching 5 AM before Father Archimandrite was able to go home.
At 4 PM there was Paschal Vespers, back in Saint Kevin's Oratory. About 40 people came, and Father Serge had more Confessions to hear! Better late than never. The priests were invited to dinner at the home of some parishioners - it turned into quite a party, with many people coming and going, and an excellent meal, with conversations in four languages simultaneously.
There was no Divine Liturgy on Bright Monday, because of a wedding in Saint Kevin's and another event in the main church. Father Gabriel Burke had stayed in Dublin, and invited the priests, Jaroslav Pasok and Edward Yong out to a memorable dinner. On Tuesday morning, Edward had to return to London; Father Archimandrite took Father Serge and Jaroslav Pasok to visit the ancient monastery at Glendalough, where we offered some of the Paschal hours in the Rifeart Church.
On Wednesday morning, Jaroslav returned to Slovakia. Father Archimandrite and Father Serge spent the day fairly quietly, going over some matters of common interest and concern. On Thursday morning, Father Serge returned to Ukraine, taking with him the abundant gratitude of Father Archimandrite and all the Dublin Greek-Catholic community.
On Bright Saturday it was announced that Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Glendalough has just been appointed Coadjutor to the Cardinal-Archbishop of Dublin. Many Years! We ask everyone's prayers both for the Cardinal Archbishop and for the new Coadjutor.
Received 5/3/2003
