NEW YORK: January 24, 2017
His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York Celebrates Divine Services in the Stavropeghial Podvorie in Brooklyn

On Sunday, January 8, 2017, the second day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ, when the Holy Church honors the Most-Holy Mother of God, the Synaxis of the Theotokos, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York made an archpastoral visit to the stavropeghial podvorie in Brighton Beach (Brooklyn), NY, where he celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Cup.”

With the blessing of His Eminence, an icon containing a great relic of the Christian world, a portion of the Cincture (belt) of the Most-Holy Mother of God, was brought to the church.

Joining Metropolitan Hilarion at Liturgy was Senior Priest Protopriest Alexander Belya, Protopriest Alexandre Antchoutine, Deputy Rector Hieromonk Elivfery (Skiba), Hieromonk Tikhon (Gayfudinov), Rector of Protection Hermitage in Buena, NJ, and Protodeacon Denis Lvov, the personal assistant of the Metropolitan.

The parishioners greeted the First Hierarch in the traditional manner, with bread and salt, and a bouquet of flowers as a symbol of aroma and warmth. After a brief greeting, Fr Alexander and the parishioners of the “Inexhaustible Cup” parish gave His Eminence a gift of a set of episcopal vestments.

At the end of Liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion addressed the worshipers with a sermon, congratulating them on the Nativity of Christ, after which he distributed gifts to the parish children. At the time, the choir sang traditional Christmas carols in Ukrainian, Russian and English with a multitude of worshipers in attendance. Vladyka Metropolitan praised the performance of the choir under the direction of Zlata Mishina.

In response to the great number of requests, Metropolitan Hilarion offered his blessing to keep the icon in Brighton Beach for another week so that all those who desire could venerate it.

A festive trapeza luncheon followed, after which the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia departed.