« Bishop Matthew of Sourozh meets with Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco & the West »
24-12-2024 
On December 22, 2024, at the invitation of Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West of the Orthodox Church in America, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA & Canada, visited Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco.
Archbishop Benjamin and the rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Kirill Sokolov, warmly welcomed the bishop and the clergy accompanying him. Bishop Matthew venerated the relics of the cathedral, including the panagia of St. Philip of Moscow, the icon of St. Nicholas, donated by the Emperor-Martyr Nicholas II, and the vestments of the holy confessor Patriarch Tikhon, carefully preserved since the time of his service in North America. The rector of the cathedral told the guests about the history of the church, the first cathedra of the Russian Church in the USA before the transfer of the episcopal see to New York in 1905.
After this, a fraternal meeting of the hierarchs took place in the cultural center of Holy Trinity Cathedral. The meeting was also attended by the rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Kirill Sokolov, Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Abbot Nicodemus (Balyasnikov), Vice-Chancellor, Priest Mark Rashkov, dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral in San Francisco, Priest Mikhail Kozyrev, and Bishop Matthew’s personal secretary Nikolai Trubnikov.
During the meeting, the archpastors discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including joint services and memorial events in 2025 dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the repose of Holy Confessor Patriarch Tikhon (Bellavin).
At the end of the fraternal communication, the bishops exchanged memorable gifts and congratulated each other on the approaching holy days of the Nativity of Christ.
Mospatusa.com/Sourozh.org