Our "first" icon!

The icon shown here could perhaps be called our first icon. It was a card that was distributed at the first divine liturgy held in our parish. The card is the one Steve Merowsky's mother received, and kept safe all these years tucked inside her copy of Faith of Our Fathers: The Eastern Orthodox Religion, a book she used in teaching Sunday School.

On the back it reads:

This icon was Blessed and Distributed on the occasion of the Celebration of the First Divine Liturgy, St. John the Baptish Orthodox Catholic Church, Rochester, New York, on the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Ladies May 17, 1964, with the blessings of The Most Reverend Metropolitan Leonty, Archbishop of New York and the Americas by the V. Rev. Fr. Alexander Warnecke, Pastor, The Rev. Hieromonk Daniel (Krstich) of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Responses sung by Ss. Peter & Paul Orthodox Catholic Church Choir of Syracuse, N. Y., Mr. Oleg V. Beljaeff, Director.

TROPARION TO ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST:

The memory of the just is blessed, but for thee, O Forerunner, the Lord's testimony sufficeth; for thou has verily shown thyself to be the most honorable of the prophets, since thou wast blessed above all in baptizing him whom they prophesied. Then, having gladly suffered for the truth, thou didst proclaim also to those in hell God manifest in the flesh taking upon himself the sins of the world and showing great mercy upon us.