It was in pouring rain worthy of the film “Welcome to the Sticks” that we welcomed at the Lille station our Archbishop John, who came to our parish to celebrate our patronal feast of St Nicholas as well as the 100th anniversary of its founding. Metropolitan John was accompanied by two subdeacons of the cathedral, his secretary and Antoine Kadar. Archpriest André Drobot had likewise joined us for this great occasion.
On Saturday evening we went to the Catholic Archdiocese of Lille for a fraternal meeting with Archbishop Laurent Le Boulc’h in the presence of his vicar general and of Mrs Véronique Pilet, head of ecumenical relations of the diocese. The meeting was marked by simplicity and allowed Metropolitan John to present the life of our Archdiocese and its pastoral vocation.
Sunday morning was devoted to the pontifical Divine Liturgy, marked by great solemnity and carried by the singing of the choir, which was attended by a very large number of faithful, as well as many young people and children. Father Luc Forestier, a Catholic priest and co-head of ecumenism, was also present.
At the time of the Little Entrance, Metropolitan John wished to thank our deacon Ioann (Bouin) for his spirit of service and his availability by granting him the right to wear the double orarion and the kamilavka. Likewise, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of his priesthood, 31 of them in the service of the parish of St Nicholas, Metropolitan John granted Archpriest Jean (Maquart), the rector, the right to wear the mitre.
The end of the Liturgy was an opportunity to offer our wishes of “many years” to our Archbishop, as well as “memory eternal” for the former hierarchs of our Archdiocese and the former rectors of the parish of St Nicholas who ensured the continuity of its liturgical and sacramental life.
Then Metropolitan John warmly thanked the whole parish for its vitality, and also all the members of our choir for the beauty of their singing. He gave the medal of our holy Mother Maria to our choir director, Mrs Roxana Rusu, for her 30 years of service to the choir, and then “gramotas” in gratitude for services to Mrs Angéla Volk, Treasurer, Dominique Lohinova, Secretary, Natalia Bogatalia, prosphora, and Tatiana Kajenjieri for her fidelity to the choir and her availability to provide the weekday services.
Father Jean then warmly thanked Metropolitan John for coming to Lille, and presented him, in the name of the whole parish of St Nicholas, with an encolpion.
Then we gathered in a nearby parish hall made available to us by Father Lionel Dewavrin, Catholic parish priest of Fives and Hellemmes, who stayed with us for the agape meal, in which many of the faithful took part. The hall had been decorated with great care, and panels tracing the hundred years of the parish were displayed on the walls.
After the warm wishes addressed to Metropolitan John, we gathered in the large courtyard for group photos, after which the time had come to take our guests back to the station for their return to Paris.
These moments, filled with great solemnity and at the same time simplicity, will remain in the hearts of all the participants.
The rector of the parish, Archpriest Jean Maquart.
