On Saturday, 12/25 January 2025 at the Old Rite Cathedral of Our Lord’s Nativity in Erie, Pennsylvania, Bishop John of Caracas & South America, as overseer of the Old Rite in ROCOR, received through chrismation Rev. Priest Nikola Pimenovich Yakunin, with his good wife Marfa Silivesterovna, of Homer, Alaska, and Rev. Priest Nikita Varsonofievich Toran, with his good wife Elena Malofeevna, of Woodburn, Oregon, from the Romanian juristiction of Belokrinitsa Old Believers.
During the course of the following week, Bishop John ordained both through the various steps to the canonical priesthood. On Sunday, 13/26 Jan. Bishop John ordain both to reader and subdeacon, and Fr Nikola to the diaconate. On Tuesday, 15/28 Jan. he ordained Fr Nikola to the priesthood, simultaneously, with the blessing of the First Hierarch, Metropolitan Nicholas, awarding him with the right to wear the gold cross, and, at the same Liturgy, Bishop John ordained Fr Nikita to the diaconate. On Sunday, 20 Jan/ 2 Feb. Bishop John ordained Fr Nikita to the priesthood. We wish Fr Nikola and Fr Nikita along with their families and flock, God’s help in the difficult road ahead.
ADDRESS GIVEN BY JOHN, BISHOP OF CARACAS & S.AMERICA, OVERSEER OF THE OLD RITE IN ROCOR ON THE RECEPTION OF OLD BELIEVERS
Church of the Nativity, Erie pa. 13/26 January, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The sermon is considered to be an extension of the preaching of the Gospel in the broad sense, hence I normally expound on the gospel reading or the epistle, as the case may be. It is not the place for personal opinions, and even less so, for political views, which unfortunately, in recent times, have been espoused from the ambo, even in the highest places. Today, I will depart a little bit from this idea and, instead of preaching about the Gospel readings, it will be, maybe, a bit more of a current affairs bulletin along with some slight theological dissertation.
But, the Gospel, the meaning of the word gospel is glad tidings, or good news, so in that respect, I have very good news to spread for all of the Old Rite within the bosom of the Universal Church, that we have people from Alaska and Oregon who are coming into our fold.
Yesterday, I chrismated Father Nikola and Father Nikita. Father Nikola from Alaska, along with his Matushka, and Father Nikita from Oregon, so also with his Matushka, were chrismated, and today, we did the order of making them sub deacons, and Father Nikola into a deacon. However, they both were priests in the Belokrinitsa jurisdiction of Old Believers. Unfortunately, we cannot recognize their orders. However, we do not say that they are invalid. So for receiving them, we are repeating the ordination.
If we look at their previous ordination, it could be either valid or it could be invalid, or it could be, as I would say, dubious. If it is valid, then all we are doing is underlining what was previously done. If it is invalid, then, of course, we are giving it validity. And if it is dubious, then we are taking away every doubt, so that we will have no doubt about whether they are canonical priests, and whether our parishes there will be having canonical liturgies.
In the Old Rite, generally, we all take a strict and inflexible stance on most matters, and, so again here, we are taking a strict stance. But it should not be misinterpreted and should not be looked at as any sort of “putdown”, for want of a better word. When we receive Holy Communion, we say “I believe, O Lord, and I confess.” We do not say “I think, O Lord, and I hope.”
And so here, we are welcoming our brethren into the fold. We’ve been separated for so long, but just as this community forty years ago came into the fold and received priesthood, so also now, we are seeing some fruits further afield, and we hope this is the beginning of something great.
We must really praise the bravery of Father Nikola and Father Nikita in their courage in facing this difficult problem. Of course, they will face great difficulties and antagonism back home, as those of you who are old enough to remember how it was here when you came into communion with the Greater Orthodox Church, and here, maybe, it is even more difficult.
We have to, of course, always look on the positive side of things and not condemn, for instance, the hierarchy of Belokrinitsa. We truly have to admire the heroism of those who found or sought a hierarchy. They really realized the importance of having clergy, and so they truly went to great lengths to get themselves a hierarchy.
Unfortunately, they did not show the same zeal for the unity of the Church, and their hierarchy was highly dubious, and, of course, there was no unity, but we are now hoping for more unity and so, we truly welcome our brethren from Alaska and Oregon and elsewhere.
On Tuesday, we will be completing Father Nicholas’ ordination to the priesthood and then, Father Nikita to the deaconate, and then, the following Sunday, Father Nikita to the priesthood.
So, we congratulate and welcome you and may God help you and protect you. We know how difficult it will be, and I ask everybody to pray for them.
Thank you.
Office of Bishop John, overseeing the Old Rite in ROCOR