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On Friday, August 30, and Saturday, 31, 2024, at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Alexander of Dallas, the South and the Bulgarian Archdiocese, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon made an archpastoral visit to St. Cyprian of Carthage Church in Midlothian, VA, to preside at their 50th Anniversary celebrations.
On Friday evening, Archpriest David Arnold, Rector, celebrated Great Vespers and welcomed His Beatitude to the community at the conclusion of the service. Following Vespers, a reception was held at Ss. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Richmond, VA.
On Saturday morning, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of the hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the feast of St. Cyprian. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were Archpriest David Arnold along with numerous attached and visiting clergy. In his homily, His Beatitude spoke about the unity of the Orthodox Church as witnessed to by St. Cyprian, and that this unity must be something we strive for. He remarked that, “though unity is proper to the Church, part of its origin and present and final destiny, this does not mean that unity in this life is somehow automatic, any more than abiding in the Church during this life is automatic. We can fall away from unity, and we can fall away from the Church. We recall those words of St. Cyprian, that in this life we have “begun to be sons of God.” Simply to be sons of God is something proper to the next world, to the life to come.”
Read the full text of His Beatitude’s homily
Following the Divine Liturgy, the clergy and faithful went in procession to the parish cemetery where a Lity for the Departed was served at the grave of Archpriest George Detrana, founder of the parish whose 20th anniversary of repose is remembered this year. After the singing of Memory Eternal for all departed members of the parish, the clergy and faithful processed back to the church where greetings and words of encouragement were offered by Fr. David and His Beatitude.
A festive luncheon followed, where the 20th anniversary of Fr. David’s ordination to the holy priesthood was also celebrated.
