« Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA & Canada celebrated Liturgy in Kazan Metochion in Spokane »
09-12-2024 
On December 8, 2024, the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, the apodosis of the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA & Canada, celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of the Metochion of the Monastery of the Holy Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki in Spokane, Washington.
At the entrance to the church, the archpastor was warmly greeted with traditional bread and salt by the clergy and parishioners of the metochion. Bishop Matthew was concelebrated by the rector of the Metochion, Hieromonk Tikhon (Pashkov), and the clergy of the church, Priest Dionysius Butte and Deacon Oleg Serebryanov.
The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the metochion under the direction of choirmaster Larisa House. At the intercession of the rector of the metochion, for his zealous pastoral service, Bishop Matthew awarded Priest Dionysius his first liturgical awards at the Little Entrance - the right to wear the nabedrennik and kamilavka.
At the end of the Liturgy, the Archpastor was warmly greeted by Father Tikhon, who, on behalf of the clergy and parishioners of the metochion, expressed gratitude to the bishop for the long-awaited visit. In turn, Bishop Matthew addressed the congregation with a sermon, and also thanked Father Tikhon and the brethren of the metochion for their work in the spiritual care of Orthodox believers in the far western United States. As a blessing for many years of work for the glory of the Holy Church and support for the functioning of the metochion, Bishop Matthew awarded the choir conductor of the metochion Larisa House, the church founders Roman and Lyudmila Mogilnykh, and the senior sister of the metochion sisterhood Elena Lenhart with Archpastoral Charter.
The communication between the archpastor and the parishioners continued over a fraternal meal, after which the bishop familiarized himself with the progress of the current construction work on the territory of the Kazan metochion and discussed plans for the work for the coming year with Father Tikhon.
Mospatusa.com/Sourozh.org