Freehold, New Jersey – In a profound moment of spiritual solidarity and historical remembrance, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA participated in an ecumenical prayer service marking the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.). The service, hosted at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold, NJ, brought together hierarchs, clergy, seminarians, and faithful from Eastern and Western Christian traditions, testifying to the unifying power of the Nicene Creed and the enduring vision of the Council Fathers.

The event was presided over by The Most Reverend David O’Connell, Bishop of Trenton, NJ, representing His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, who was in Rome following the passing of Pope Francis. Bishop O’Connell opened the service with powerful words of welcome:

“I welcome you, brothers and sisters in Christ – those I have named and all gathered here – to mark this significant anniversary in the history of the Lord’s disciples and all that the Council of Nicaea and the Creed it composed means for us today. In the words of the Apostle Peter, to his Master and ours, ‘Lord, how good it is for us to be here’ (Mt 17:4).”

In his opening reflection, Bishop O’Connell reminded all gathered of the Council’s foundational importance:

“The disciples of Jesus, after Pentecost, spread the Gospel across cultures, continents, and languages. Yet these differences eventually bred conflicts and heresies. In response, Emperor Constantine summoned the bishops of the oikumene to Nicaea, to define the faith and preserve unity. The Creed they forged—confessed still today—binds us across time, tradition, and division.”

Among those participating in the service were hierarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, including:

• His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey
• His Eminence Metropolitan Antony, First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
• His Eminence Archbishop Daniel, Ruling Hierarch of the Western Eparchy and President of the Consistory of the UOC of the USA
• Very Rev. Protopresbyter Aleksa Micich, representing Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church
• Very Rev. Archpriest Gary Breton, representing Archbishop Michael of the Orthodox Church in America

The Eastern Catholic Churches were represented by:

• Very Rev. Msgr. Peter Damian Waslo, Vicar General of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia
• Very Rev. Frank Rella, Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic
• Reverend Fathers Simmy Thomas and Justin Putussery, of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Eparchy

The Roman Catholic Church was represented by a broad delegation of bishops and clergy from across the State of New Jersey:

• Bishop James Massa, auxiliary of Diocese of Brooklyn and rector of St. Joseph Seminary Dunwoodie, Yonkers, NY Archdiocese of New York
• Bishop Joseph Williams of Diocese of Camden
• Bishop emeritus Dennis Sullivan of Camden
• Bishop Kevin Sweeney of Paterson
• Very Reverend Jonathan Toborowsky Vicar General representing Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen
• Bishop Michael Saporito, regional Bishop for Bergen County, Archdiocese of Newark
• Bishop Gregory Studerus, regional Bishop for Hudson County, Archdiocese of Newark
• Bishop Elias Lorenzo, regional Bishop for Union County, Archdiocese of Newark

The Reformed Western Tradition included leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, and the United Methodist Church:

• Reverend Doctor Francis Watson, representing the NJ Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Reverend Sara Lilja, from the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a member of the Coalition of Religious Leaders of New Jersey
• Reverend Canon Stephen J. Connor of the Episcopal Diocese of NJ
• Reverend Lynne Bleich Weber of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, NJ
• Reverend Diana Wilcox of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark
• Reverend Dan Martian, moderator of the Northeast Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church USA in NJ
• Reverend Elder Jean Woodman, administrative co-leader and Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of the Coastlands Presbyterian Church USA in NJ
• Reverend G. Javier Barroso, representing the Greater NJ Conference of the United Methodist Church

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA was honored to be represented through the active participation of its hierarchs and seminarians. In the lead-up to the historic celebration, the Very Rev. Fr. Vasyl Pasakas, Executive Assistant to the Council of Bishops of the UOC of the USA, played an integral role by actively participating in all preparatory meetings.

His Eminence Metropolitan Antony, in his sermon, offered an eloquent and stirring reflection:

“We gather today beneath the Light of Eternity – the Light that shines forth from the empty tomb – to commemorate a foundational moment in Church history. At Nicaea, the Church stood united - not as East and West, but as one Body of Christ… The Creed affirms not only what we believe, but how we live. It is a living testimony inscribed in the hearts of believers… a spiritual constitution and daily manifesto of Christian life.”

He called upon all present to see the Creed not as an ancient formula, but as a call to sacrificial love, unity in truth, and courageous witness in the modern world:

“Unity is not uniformity; it is harmony in truth. Love is not sentiment; it is sacrifice in pursuit of reconciliation. Tradition is not nostalgia; it is the living memory of the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit.”

The Creed of Nicaea, he emphasized, “does not belong to any one confession - it belongs to the One Church.”

Adding a deeply spiritual tone to the celebration, seminarians of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary, under the direction of their sacred music instructor Rev. Fr. Roman Marchyshak, chanted traditional Paschal hymns from Byzantine, Ukrainian, Slavic, and Georgian traditions. Their proclamation of “Christ is risen from the dead…” resonated in the cathedral, elevating the prayer into a foretaste of heavenly unity.

Following the sermon, Archbishop Daniel led the assembly in a heartfelt Prayer for Unity, originally composed by St. John Chrysostom. In unison, clergy and laity recited the Nicene Creed - first in Greek by Metropolitan Apostolos, then in English verse by verse - reaffirming the common foundation of faith.

As the Church celebrates the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA reaffirms its dedication to the conciliar vision of unity grounded in truth and love. In the words of Metropolitan Antony:

“Let us honor Nicaea not only with words, but with action… Let us walk the road from Nicaea not as strangers, but as siblings… not merely as those who repeat the Creed - but as those who live it.”

The celebration in Freehold stands as a witness that the legacy of Nicaea is not entombed in the past, but lives on as a mass of hope and unity passed down to us by the holy Fathers. May the light of the Creed continue to guide all Christians - Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant - toward the fulfillment of Christ’s prayer: “…that they may all be one.”

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST!      HE IS AND EVER SHALL BE!