On a quiet, chilled Saturday morning, the spiritual center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA awakened to prayerful purpose. His Eminence Metropolitan Antony and His Eminence Archbishop Daniel departed South Bound Brook, NJ - setting forth to the vibrant borough of Jamaica, Queens - to celebrate an event of profound historical and spiritual significance at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Parish.

This day marked a triple celebration: the Feast of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle, the 10th anniversary of the parish’s renewal, and the 33rd anniversary of priestly service of Very Rev. Fr. Ioan (John) Proteasa, who would be elevated to the dignity of a mitered priest.

Accompanying the hierarchs were seminarians of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary and Protodeacon Pavlo Vysotskyi, symbolizing the unity of clergy, teachers, and future pastors in the life of the Church.

Upon arrival, the hierarchs were met with warmth and reverence by parish leaders who presented the traditional bread and salt, symbols of Christian hospitality, unity, and blessing. His Eminence Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel venerated the offering and blessed the faithful gathered at the doors of the sacred temple.

Fr. Ioan welcomed his hierarchs with deep emotion, asking them to pray for a parish that - just ten years before - stood before a great challenge: the total renewal of a badly damaged church building and the spiritual strengthening of its people. The roof had been repaired, walls rebuilt, iconography restored, relics acquired, and a community reborn.

During the Small Entrance, His Eminence Metropolitan Antony bestowed upon Fr. Ioan the ecclesiastical dignity of a mitered priest, offering a prayer of blessing over his decades of priestly labor. Archbishop Daniel spoke with heartfelt sincerity about the meaning of the miter - a spiritual crown symbolizing not only honor but the heavy cross of pastoral love, sacrifice, and responsibility. The faithful erupted with joy, honoring the pastor who had rebuilt their parish with both hands and heart.

After Protodeacon Pavlo’s chanting of the Holy Gospel, His Eminence Metropolitan Antony stepped forward, offering a sermon overflowing with apostolic imagery, pastoral love, and historical depth.

He began with words that immediately stirred the hearts of those gathered: “Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ - faithful children of St. Andrew the First-Called, members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, sons and daughters of the ancient and holy Romanian Orthodox tradition united here as one family - today is a day of triple joy, triple grace and triple blessing.”

The Metropolitan continued: “We celebrate: the Feast of Saint Andrew the First-Called Apostle, who brought the Good News to peoples and nations and is the spiritual founder of our Church; the 10th Anniversary of this holy parish, born through faith, sacrifice and unity; and third - the elevation of your pastor, Fr. John Protessa, to the dignity of a mitered priest, in recognition of his years of tireless labor, pastoral love, and his literal physical rebuilding of this church from ruins into beauty. Today, Heaven itself rejoices with you!”

Drawing from the Fathers, the Metropolitan reflected on the zeal of St. Andrew: “When the Lord walked along the Sea of Galilee, the first voice to echo the Gospel in human history was that of Andrew, who, hearing Christ say ‘Follow Me,’ responded immediately. Saint John Chrysostom writes: ‘The zeal of Andrew was great; having learned something, he hastened to share it at once – not with strangers, but with his own.’”

He continued: “Apostle Andrew teaches us: the Gospel is never kept for oneself - it is always shared. It is deeply fitting that a parish composed largely of Romanian Orthodox faithful yet belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, should be placed under the protection of the First-Called Apostle - for Andrew is the Apostle who did not divide nations, but united hearts in Christ.”

The Metropolitan then turned to the history of the parish itself: “These first ten years have been ten years of prayer, hope, work and sacrifice. This building was once collapsed, broken, nearly abandoned - yet your faith was not. Just as Nehemiah of the Old Testament reconstructed the walls of Jerusalem, Fr. John and those laboring with him rebuilt this holy house - stone by stone, beam by beam, prayer by prayer.”

He spoke with admiration of Fr. Ioan’s pastoral labor: “Your priest did not inherit a grand cathedral. He inherited ruins. And he transformed them into resurrection. Saint Gregory the Great writes: ‘The shepherd must be pure in thought, exemplary in conduct, compassionate in ministry, and tireless in labor.’ These words describe your pastor perfectly. His elevation today is not merely a bestowal - it is a recognition of what he has already lived.”

In the most pastoral moment of his sermon, Metropolitan Antony addressed the meaning of Holy Communion: “If you receive Holy Communion - what difference does it make in your life? Do you walk out these doors, cross yourself, and say, ‘Goodbye Jesus, see you next Sunday’? Or do you walk out understanding that you now carry Christ within you - His power, His mercy, His love -  ready to transform the world around you? Oh, my beloved family in Christ, open your hearts to the grace of the Holy Spirit… and you will work miracles.”

Finally, he offered a call to mission: “You have restored these walls - now restore hearts. Continue building through kindness, forgiveness, sacrificial love, and unity. May this parish stand as a lighthouse of Orthodoxy for generations to come. And may St. Andrew - whose relics are here among you - intercede for each of you every day of your lives.”

He closed with the doxology: “To our Lord Jesus Christ be all glory, honor, and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.”

The faithful approached the Holy Chalice in great numbers, forming a powerful vision of unity. As Metropolitan Antony later stated, “the Eucharist is the true Thanksgiving, the true unity, the true healing of the Church.” The Body and Blood of Christ united Ukrainians, Romanians, Greeks, and Americans into one holy Orthodox family.

At the end of the liturgy, Archbishop Daniel reflected upon the history of the building, once a cathedral for the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. He spoke of Metropolitan Andriy Kuschak and Archbishop Vsevolod Majdansky, of blessed memory, and their legacy of dedicated service.

Following Metropolitan Antony’s sermon and the solemn reception of the Holy Eucharist, His Eminence Archbishop Daniel addressed the gathered faithful with a message that connected the local parish celebration to the universal life of the Orthodox Church.

His words, spoken with pastoral warmth and deep historical consciousness, drew the attention of the entire congregation: “Today, dear brothers and sisters, something profoundly historic is unfolding not only here in Jamaica, but in the City of Constantine - the Queen of Cities - Constantinople.”

He continued by reminding the faithful that this very weekend, in the Phanar - the spiritual center of world Orthodoxy - His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV of Rome were gathered in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George the Great Martyr for a common prayer service, marking the Feast of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Archbishop Daniel connected these events to the foundational history of the Church: “When Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis stood side by side this morning and recited the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed together - without addition, without alteration - they offered a living reminder of that sacred gathering in A.D. 325 in the city of Nicaea.”

He reflected on the First Ecumenical Council, convened by Emperor Constantine, where bishops gathered from across the Christian world to proclaim the divinity of Christ and establish the Creed that binds Christians across centuries.

With pastoral care he continued: “In Nicaea, our fathers in faith raised their voices as one - declaring Christ as true God of true God, Light of Light, begotten and not made. Today, in Nicaea and Constantinople, their successors raised that same confession. The words have not changed. The faith has not changed. What changes is our willingness to live as Christians united in the love of the same Lord.”

The Archbishop described the moment when the Patriarch and the Pope together proclaimed the Creed. He noted that this was not merely ceremonial or symbolic, but profoundly theological: “The Creed is not a museum artifact. It is the beating heart of Christian confession. When Patriarch and Pope proclaimed it together, they showed that despite historical wounds and divisions, the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches still kneel before the same truth - the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

He stressed that such gestures do not erase differences, nor do they compromise Orthodox ecclesiology; instead, they reveal the path of Christ-like humility and the desire for reconciliation.

Archbishop Daniel emphasized that the prayers offered in Constantinople were especially directed toward peace in the world, and most urgently, toward Ukraine, suffering under the ongoing invasion.

“Their prayer rises for the innocent victims of war, for the murdered and displaced, for children shivering in darkness, for the elderly left alone, for families torn apart. Their prayer joins ours - one petition, one cry, one hope: ‘Lord, grant peace to Your world.’”

He emphasized that this unity in prayer is not mere diplomacy, but a ministry of healing.

Archbishop Daniel looked at Fr. Ioan and spoke directly to the community: “If the Patriarch and the Pope - carrying centuries of history - can stand together in prayer, then surely we, who share a common Chalice each week, can stand together in love, humility, and service.”

He concluded with a call to action: “You recite the Creed at every Divine Liturgy. Do not recite it only with your lips. Recite it with your lives. Live as people who believe in one God, one Lord, one Baptism, one Church -  a people who build up rather than tear down, who reconcile rather than divide, who love as Christ commanded us to love.”

His words resonated deeply, reminding the faithful that the Orthodox faith is not preserved by memory alone, but by the active living of the Gospel in daily life.

The hierarchs imparted final blessings as faithful came forward to venerate the cross. What followed was a joyous Agape luncheon, filled with fellowship, gratitude, and humble thanksgiving to God.

This gathering coincided with the American Thanksgiving weekend, reminding all that Eucharist means Thanksgiving - the truest form of gratitude.

The celebration at St. Andrew Parish stands as a living testament to God’s grace: A church once in ruins now shines with beauty. A community once scattered now worships in unity. A pastor who sacrificed everything now receives the crown of the miter. A parish renewed now looks toward decades of mission, faith, and spiritual growth.

May St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle, whose relics sanctify this temple, intercede always for this parish family.