« His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presided over the patronal feast at St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Church in New York »

On December 19, 2021, on the feast day of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, the Wonderworker, patronal feast of St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York (Patriarchal parishes in the USA) was celebrated.

On this feast day, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and by invitation of Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, temporary Administrator of Patriarchal Parishes in the United States, His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral.

His Beatitude was assisted by archpriest George Konyev, Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the United States, clergy of the Cathedral, staff of the office of the Orthodox Church in America, priest Alessandro Margheritino and Deacon Peter Illchuk.

At the end of the divine service, His Beatitude Vladyka Tikhon was greeted, on behalf of Bishop Matthew, by hegumen Nicodemus (Balyasnikov) and, in memory of the divine service celebrated on this feast day, presented Metropolitan Tikhon with a liturgical spoon made by Russian craftsmen. He also conveyed congratulations from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Head of the Department for External Church Relations, with the upcoming feast of Nativity of Christ and the New Year.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church in America addressed the participants in the divine service with a sermon.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon also noted: “It is a great joy for me to be with you today in this historic St. Nicholas Cathedral and to enjoy your hospitality.  First of all, I am grateful to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for his blessing to serve in this Cathedral, and I look forward to visiting him in Moscow, when the circumstances of the pandemic, that the whole world is going through, will favour this.  I am also sincerely sorry that, for the same reasons, His Grace Bishop Matthew could not come to the United States and concelebrate today, but I am grateful for his invitation and appreciate our friendship.  I am also grateful to all of you, my beloved children, for the joy of common prayer on this feast day."

His Beatitude Vladyka warmly greeted the believers, and also expressed gratitude to the singers, beautifiers and the sisterhood of the parish.

At the end of the service, a telephone conversation took place between His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh and His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon. During the conversation, Vladyka Matthew congratulated the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America with the feast of Saint Nicholas and with the approaching feast of the Nativity of Christ, which will be celebrated in the Orthodox Church in America on December 25, according to the New Julian calendar. The interlocutors discussed issues of inter-Orthodox cooperation between the Patriarchal Parishes in the United States and the Orthodox Church in America.

After the fraternal meal, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon visited the Sunday school of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, where he blessed the teachers and students. The children performed for the distinguished guest several carols, which they prepared for the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

Mospatusa.com/Sourozh.org

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