NEW YORK: November 4, 2010
The Namesday of the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad is Celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign

On November 3, 2010, the feast day of St Hilarion of Kievo-Pechersk, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York officiated at Divine Liturgy at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign. He was joined in the service by His Eminence Archbishop Ionafan of Tulshinsk and Bratslavsk; His Grace Bishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada; His Grace Bishop George of Mayfield; His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan and a host of clergymen. The myrrh-streaming Icon of the “Hawaiian Iveron” Mother of God was present during the divine service.

At the end of Liturgy, Vladyka Hilarion was congratulated by Archbishop Ionafan, who gave His Eminence a holy panaghia, and Bishop Gabriel read a greeting from His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, Vice President of the Synod of Bishops (see the Russian-language pdf file here). A gift of a hierarchal staff from the Eastern American Diocese was given to Vladyka Hilarion. During the festive trapeza that followed, Protopriest Igor Vyzhanov read a congratulatory letter from His Eminence Archbishop Justinian, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, who is on an archpastoral trip to California. 

The following morning, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, along with Archbishop Ionafan, departed for California to participate in the Fall Pastoral Conference of the Western American Diocese and the feast day celebrations of the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco.