LINCOLN, NE [DOM] – On Saturday, August 2, a group of 20 pilgrims from St. John of Kronstadt Church, Lincoln, NE made a pilgrimage to Kearney (two hours west of Lincoln) to pray at the gravesite of Fr. Nicola Yanney. Many had read about Fr. Nicola in the popular publication “Apostle to the Plains: The Life of Father Nicola Yanney” and were inspired by this circuit-riding priest, the first ever to be ordained by St. Raphael of Brooklyn, who ministered to a hundred Orthodox communities throughout the Great Plains region and ultimately died because he refused to stop visiting those suffering from Spanish Flu.
The pilgrims were greeted at the cemetery by Fr. Christopher Morris, the parish priest of St. George Church, the home base of Fr. Nicola, and a group from the parish that included one of the great grandsons of Fr. Nicola. After a brief word on the character of Fr. Nicola, Priest Joseph Winsler served a panakhida service for the reposed priest.
Following the prayer at the gravesite, the pilgrims enjoyed the hospitality of St. George Church, where they shared a meal and toured the temple. As Fr. Christopher showed them the icons in the narthex featuring St. Raphael and Fr. Nicola, the pilgrims were especially delighted to hear that records were discovered which tell the latter had actually ministered to an Orthodox community in Lincoln.
