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Heritage of faith
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
The Rev. Gabriel Bilas, new priest at Nativity of Christ Church, represents a new beginning for the congregation that has been without a spiritual leader at times.
He also is a link to the past in that his grandparents, the late John and Olga Bilas, were longtime members and his father, Terrence Bilas of Akron, also attended. “I was 9 years old when I was here last ... as an altar boy,” Father Bilas said.
Terrence Bilas, a subdeacon, directs the choir at St. Elia the Prophet Orthodox Church in Akron. He will be guest choir director for Divine Liturgy on Sunday. The church, which may be small in numbers, demonstrates great devotion and faith. A testament to that fortitude is the celebration of the 100th anniversary this weekend.
Recently, Judy Cundik, anniversary chairwoman and church treasurer; Lydia McNichol, parish council president; and Father Bilas met to discuss the church, which is part of the Patriarchal Church of the USA under the Patriarch of Moscow.
Cundik said the 31-member congregation keeps the church going. Though not large enough to sponsor outreach, it has contributed to help orphanages in Russia through Project Orphan Outreach.
About 35 to 40 people attend Sunday services,” Cundik said. “We’re a parish family.”
Father Bilas, who came to Nativity of Christ on Sept. 13, said he hopes to bring some new ideas and services to the church. “I am honored to be a part of the rich tradition and history of Nativity of Christ Church,” he said. He said his suggestions include observing St. Nicholas Day in December, blessing palms and pussy willows on Palm Sunday and baskets at Pascha and blessing flowers and herbs in August for Transfiguration.
He is looking forward to Advent and Christmas, which is the Feast Day of the church. “Advent is a time of fasting and doubling our prayer,” he said. There will be Divine Liturgy on Christmas Day and possibly a Great Compline on Christmas Eve, a service commemorating the eve of the Nativity of Christ. Christmas is a double celebration for the church. It is the birth of Christ and Metropolitan Boris issued an encyclical establishing Dec. 25 as the patronal Feast Day of the church.
The church has cherished items that are venerated. Among them are relics of St. Barbara, a martyr, and a chip of a stone of the Holy Sepulcher, which were placed in the altar by Bishop Dositheus.
Cundik said a special icon of Theotokos, Mary, the mother of God, is treasured. “The story is that the icon was stolen by the Nazis during World War II in Russian then recovered by the U.S. military and safeguarded at the Pentagon along with other religious artifacts for a time,” Cundik said. The icon, set into a star-burst style frame, is posititioned above the Royal Doors that lead to the altar. It is lowered from its place of honor on special feasts for veneration.
When the Rev. Feodor Kovalchuk, priest from 1952-2008, visited Russia in the 1960s, he returned with an icon, Smolensk Theotokos, from Patriarch Alexis, Cundik said. “That was during the Cold War, and it is believed he smuggled it out,” she said. It is used as the sanctuary processional icon.
The church interior is rich in iconography, which highlights the walls, ceiling and iconostasis. Constantine Youssis wrote “The Eucharist,” which is over the front arch, and there are 28 icons on the walls, written by the Revs. Theodore and Philip Loufos and Sergius Kovalchuk. Sanctuary walls include icons, also written by Youssis, including “Descent into Hell,” “Transfiguration” and “Ascension. The Rev. Theodore Juriewicz wrote the icons of saints in the nave. Most of the icons were done in the 1960s and donated by parishioners.
A tapesty on the burial of Christ is estimated to be about 100 years old is housed in a case at the back of the sanctuary. Father Bilas also mentioned a Gospel book in Church Slavonic, a liturgical language with Slavic influence.
Father Bilas said he hopes to “reach out to the children” of the church and get them involved. He has good memories of the church when he was a child. “It is a testament to the strength and faith of the members who have stayed together without a priest here,” Father Bilas said.
“I’ve been here all my life,” said Cundik, who also sings in the church choir directed by Tammy Cardarelli. “We’re small but mighty,” she said, and that is to the faith and fellow members. “This church is part of my life.”
McNichol said, “The church is a big part of my life.”