The holy temple of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church, the spiritual heart of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, overflowed with faithful on the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, which this year coincided with the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. What unfolded within those sacred walls was not only the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, but the living mystery of the Cross itself: suffering transfigured into hope, sacrifice transformed into love, and death overcome by the eternal life of Christ.

The celebration was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Antony, Prime Hierarch of our Church, together with His Eminence Archbishop Daniel, spiritual father of the Western Eparchy, who served with deep warmth and fatherly presence. Concelebrating with them were devoted clergy whose lives are bound to the flock of Christ:

• Protopresbyter Yuriy Siwko, pastor-emeritus of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church,
• Very Rev. Fr. Vasyl Pasakas, current pastor of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church,
• Very Rev. Fr. Orest Poukhalsky, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Millville, NJ,
• Rev. Fr. David Chidzhokie of the Three Holy Hierarchs Chapel of St. Sophia Seminary,
• Protodeacon Pavlo Vysotskyi of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church,
• Deacon Adrian Mazur of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, New York.

The choir, under the gifted direction of Maestro Michael Andrec, lifted prayers heavenward, weaving voices into a single offering of beauty and devotion.

The Gospel proclaimed that day united two great themes: Christ’s command to “take up your cross and follow Me” and the Parable of the Talents. At first glance they seem separate, yet in the mystery of the Kingdom, they converge.

Archbishop Daniel, stepping down from the ambo to walk among the faithful as a shepherd among his flock, wove these themes together in a sermon that was at once tender and powerful.

“The Cross,” he reminded, “is not only the wood on which Christ was crucified. It is every burden we bear for love, every sacrifice made for another, every act of faithfulness when the world tempts us to turn away. And the talents are not coins buried in the earth, but the gifts of God - both great and small - entrusted to each of us. To carry the Cross and to multiply the talents is one and the same calling: to live as faithful stewards of grace.”

The Archbishop illustrated his message with living stories:

• A woman in Ukraine, having lost all material possessions to war, uses her humble gift of sewing to stitch blankets for displaced children. “She cannot stop the bombs,” he said, “but she transforms her pain into warmth for shivering little ones.”
• In Kyiv, another woman rises early each morning to cook meals with her own hands and deliver them to wounded soldiers. “She is not a general commanding armies,” the Archbishop reflected, “but she commands the power of love that heals broken spirits.”
• There was also the quiet construction worker, who without fanfare repaired the homes of widows free of charge. And the teenager who stood up for a bullied classmate, risking his own popularity to defend the vulnerable. “Sometimes one trembling voice,” Archbishop Daniel said, “multiplies courage in others.”

Every day, we are tempted to bury our talents in fear, comfort, or excuses: “I am too busy, too old, too poor, too small.”But God never asks us to save the world—He has already given us a Savior. He simply asks us to be faithful with what is in our hands.

• If you can sing - sing for His glory.
• If you can cook - feed the hungry.
• If you can listen - comfort the lonely.
• If you can pray - pray without ceasing.

Do not despise small offerings. In God’s hands, five loaves and two fish became a banquet for thousands.

When our Master returns, may He not find our gifts buried in fear, but multiplied in love and mercy. Then we shall hear His eternal promise: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

The Divine Liturgy culminated in the solemn rite of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. The relic-bearing Cross - brought to America by Metropolitan John Theodorovich and entrusted to Metropolitan Antony - was raised on high to the four directions of the world.

As the Cross was lifted, the bells of St. Andrew tolled, incense rose, and the voices of clergy, seminarians, and faithful thundered “Lord, have mercy!” more than 250 times, echoing across the temple like the sea’s endless waves. In that moment, the Memorial Church was no longer just a church in New Jersey; it became Golgotha, it became Jerusalem, the very center of the cosmos, heaven and earth joined in Christ’s embrace.

This Sunday also carried moments of tender farewell and joyful celebration.

After more than 31 years of pastoral service, Protopresbyter Yuriy Siwko and his devoted wife, Dobrodijka Lesia, were lovingly bid farewell as they prepared to relocate to Georgia. Metropolitan Antony praised their more than four decades of ministry, offering gratitude for the faith, stability, and love they poured into the Church.

The Sisterhood of St. Andrew Memorial Church presented them with a sacred icon of the Annunciation of the Mother of God. Members of the choir, through the words of Natalia Honcharenko, expressed heartfelt gratitude for years of spiritual guidance and care.

In a providential joy, the same day marked the birthday of Archbishop Daniel. The faithful greeted their bishop with prayers and warm wishes, making the day one of double thanksgiving: honoring the past through Fr. Yuriy’s service, and celebrating the gift of continuing leadership through Archbishop Daniel.

The liturgical joy continued in the Sisterhood Hall, where Chef Volodymyr Morozovsky and his staff prepared a banquet for over 150 guests. A slideshow of Fr. Yuriy’s decades of ministry stirred memories, while the choir and seminarians, guided by Fr. Roman Marchyshak, offered songs that lifted hearts heavenward. What began at the Holy Altar spilled naturally into fellowship at the common table - Eucharistic joy made visible in love.

The Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross is not only a liturgical commemoration; it is a challenge. To bow before the Cross is to promise to take it up. To receive the Body and Blood of Christ is to become His Body in the world. To venerate a relic is to become a living relic of His love.

The faithful left St. Andrew Memorial Church with Metropolitan Antony’s words echoing in their hearts:

“Your talents are not yours to keep. They are gifts of the Spirit, entrusted for a time, to be multiplied in service, sacrifice, and love. Carry your cross, multiply your talents, and the Kingdom of God will be revealed in you.”

On this holy day, the Cross of Christ shone as light in darkness, and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA renewed their calling to be bearers of that light - for one another, for Ukraine, and for the whole world.