Sunday of Orthodoxy Pan-Orthodox Vespers

On Sunday, February 21st at 5:00 PM, the Sunday of Orthodoxy a Pan-Orthodox Vespers will take place at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church located at 24 Orchardhill Road in Jamaica Plain, MA.

On behalf of all the clergy and the people of St. Andrew the First Called UOC we invite you to share in this celebration with us as we gather together to glorify our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please spread the word around.  We would like everyone to come!

Lenten desserts will be served after the Vespers Service.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact Fr. Dn. Borislav at 617-792-5434

On the first Sunday of Lent the Orthodox Church celebrates the Victory of Orthodoxy over the iconoclastic heresy. Iconoclasts falsely argued that icon veneration was a type of idolatry. Iconoclastic emperors forbid icon veneration. Sacred Images were destroyed and removed from Churches. Clergy that supported Icons were excommunicated and exiled. Led by St. Theodore Studite and St. John of Damascus, faithful Orthodox Christians continued to venerate icons even in the face of persecution and even death. Finally in 787, on the first Sunday of Lent the 7^th Ecumenical Council defeated the Iconoclasts, and although persecution of Icons continued for some time after the Council,this was the first step to the Victory of Orthodoxy.  Finally the Iconoclasts were defeated in the year of 843 when the Empress Theodora stopped all persecutions and restored Orthodoxy in the East.  The Victory of Orthodoxy is immensely important because it not only restored Icon veneration,but again reaffirmed the Orthodox beliefs in the mystery of Incarnation. Our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ became man; by this act He sanctified the entire world and everything in it. Human nature itself was glorified in His Divine Person . As the Kontakion of the feast proclaims, our Lord "restored the fallen image to it's former glory" through the Incarnation, Crucifixion and His Glorious Rerurection.  Icons are often called "windows to to heaven", because they represent the mystery of the Incarnate and Risen Christ.  They represent diefied humanity. They serve a constant witness to the eschatological nature of the Orthodox faith and to the Grace of God that opens for us all Life Eternal and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Troparion - Tone 2

We venerate Your most pure image, O Good One,
and ask forgiveness of our transgressions, O Christ God.
Of Your own will You were pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh
to deliver Your creatures from bondage to the enemy.
Therefore with thanksgiving we cry aloud to You:
You have filled all with joy, O our Savior,
by coming to save the world.

Kontakion - Tone 8

No one could describe the Word of the Father;
but when He took flesh from you, O Theotokos, He accepted to be described,
and restored the fallen image to its former beauty.
We confess and proclaim our salvation in word and images.