On the Third Sunday of Holy and Great Lent, on March 23rd, 2025, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross, the faithful of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Pittsburgh, PA were truly blessed by an Archpastoral Visit by His Grace Bishop Irinej, Bishop of Washington-New York and Eastern America. 

His Grace Bishop Irinej celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and was joined in concelebration by Cathedral Priest, Reverend Presbyter Nebojsa Varagic, Reverend Deacons Daniel August and Mark Matejevich. Cathedral Deacon, the Very Reverend Protodeacon David Manko was in prayerful attendance. 

During the chanting of the Great Doxology, His Grace together with the clergy, fervently processed with the decorated Holy Cross from the Holy Altar into the naive of the Cathedral. As the Holy Cross was placed in the center of the Cathedral for veneration, the choir and faithful in unison sang the Troparion of the Holy Cross: “O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance. Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries. And by virtue of Your Cross, preserve Your habitation.”

In his homily, His Grace emphasized the integral significance of the Holy Cross to the entire season of the Great and Holy Lenт. On the Third Sunday, we read of the two trees planted by God in Eden – the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Tree of Life. The latter was the Cross, from which humankind was not only to draw eternal life but deification – becoming by God’s grace all that God is by nature. But attempting to realize this without God, by the taking and eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, humankind brought mortification upon itself instead of deification. As a prevention to self-destruction, not punishment, God withdrew the Tree of Life in Eden from humankind, deigning by His providence that it re-emerges on Golgotha, restoring us to life, through the Cross and Resurrection, “… in all its fullness” (Jn. 10:10). 

Following the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, Fr. Nebojsa expressed his sincere gratitude to His Grace for blessing and honoring the Holy Trinity Cathedral parish and the faithful with His time, presence, and Archpastoral love and care. Fr. Nebojsa also invited all the present faithful to come together in by prayer led by His Grace Bishop Irinej at the Great Lenten Vespers service hosted by the St. George parish of Midland, PA.

Upon venerating the Holy Cross and receiving the antidoron, the faithful gathered around their hierarch and enjoyed a Great Lenten Agape meal prepared by the parish Circle of Serbian Sisters.