The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

MID-AMERICAN DIOCESE: 2 April 2025
News from the Diocese of Mid-America

100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE REPOSE OF ST PATRIARCH TIKHON BY THE DIOCESES OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA AND THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA

On Saturday, Feb 22, 2025, on the day of the opening of the relics of Holy Patriarch Tikhon, the memory of this saint of modern times was triumphantly celebrated in a joint liturgical feast at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago (OCA), a church which the saint himself consecrated in 1903.

Celebrating with the Most Reverend Daniel, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest (OCA) was a host of clerics from the Orthodox Church in America and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The service was sung antiphonally between the cathedral choirs of Holy Trinity directed by Philip Sokoloff and the Holy Virgin Protection cathedral directed by Michael Gill.

In his sermon, Archbishop Daniel recalled the remarkable life of St Tikhon, pointing out that even before modern conveniences and means of travel, he visited the rapidly growing Orthodox communities of the New World everywhere from the remotest islands of the Aleutian chain to San Francisco, Chicago and New York. In so doing, he met with a host of other remarkable church fathers who themselves were to ultimately be recognized as saints. In this very cathedral, St Tikhon served with parish priest, Fr. John Kochurov, who soon after was recalled to Russian and became the first priest-martyr of the godless Bolshevik regime. In New York, he served with Syrian hieromonk, and later saint, Raphael of Brooklyn in the newly consecrated cathedral of St. Nicholas in New York City. Back in Russia, he even crossed paths with the remarkable priest Fr Mardary who, following the revolution, was made a bishop and assigned to serve the Serbian parishes of the American Midwest, whose relics now abide at the Serbian monastery in Libertyville, a short drive from Chicago.

Following the Divine Liturgy, the clergy and laity were invited to a reception held at St George Cathedral (OCA), a short distance away. Heeding the special request of the Russian Orthodox Church to honor St Tikhon on the 100th year of his repose with musical performances throughout the homeland and diaspora, the choir of the Holy Virgin Protection cathedral presented a short concert before the luncheon banquet, opening with a poem by Fyodor Sologubov entitled “The sadness of your vastness” which was set to music by the well know composer Georgii Sviridov, as the words reflect his love of his homeland and dedication to the very end for his flock:

I love the sadness of your spaces,
My dear land, holy Rus'.
Of your bleak fate
I'm not afraid nor ashamed.

And all your ways are dear to me,
And let the madness threaten
And the darkness and cold of the grave,
I will not waver.

I do not conjure the evil spirit,
But like a prayer I know by heart
I keep repeating the same four words:
“What vastness! What sadness!

Diocesan Great Lenten Clergy Retreat 2025

The clergymen of our Mid-American Diocese had the opportunity to gather at the diocesan cathedral in Des Plaines, IL, on March 17-19, 2025. This was the first clergy gathering after the repose of Archbishop Peter, and it was led by the Locum Tenens of the diocese, Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada.

The clergy gathered the evening of March 17 to serve the Great Lenten General Unction service led by Archbishop Gabriel. Hundreds of clergymen and gathered faithful were anointed that evening.

The next morning the retreat began in earnest. The time of the clergymen together was spent receiving guidance from Archbishop Gabriel, working on administrative issues in their parishes and the diocese at large, reciving reports on the various diocesan endeavors, and hearing from our guest speaker, Dr Christopher Krampe, Executive Director of Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Dr Krampe’s presentations were challenging, enlightening, and engaging for the gathered fathers, and this was evidenced by the lively question and answer periods both during and after each of Dr Krampe’s presentations.

On Tuesday evening, after a full day of the work of the retreat, the fathers gathered in the cathedral to celebrate the Great Lenten services and had the opportunity to confess their sins. These opportunities for confession are especially important for the fathers, as many in our diocese are geographically isolated from other priests.

On Wednesday morning the Great Lenten Hours were read and sung as usual, and Archbishop Gabriel lead the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. More than 30 priests and deacons served with the Archbishop. At the Divine Liturgy the following received awards in recognition for their diligent service to the Holy Church:

Archpriest Christopher Allen: the right to wear the palitsa
Priest Gabriel Monforte: the right to wear the nabedrinik and kamilavka
Priest David Carder: the right to wear the skufia
Priest Job Considine: the right to wear the nabedrinik
Priest Nicholas Olsen: the right to wear the nabedrinik

The children from the cathedral’s Classic Academy joined the fathers, parishioners, and guests for the Divine Liturgy.

Following the Liturgy a meal was held in the parish hall provided by the cathedral sisterhood, who diligently labored to feed and host the gathered clergy over the days of the retreat. After the meal His Eminence thanked the sisters for their zealous work. The resolution of the retreat was then accepted unanimously by the fathers, Archbishop Gabriel gave his final instructions and blessing, and the fathers departed for their home parishes.

RESOLUTION

We, the clergy of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America, having gathered at the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in Des Plaines, IL for our annual Pastoral Retreat, greet our beloved flock this Lenten season and call upon all to continue in prayer, fasting, and repentance during these holy days of the fast. While we give thanks to Almighty God for His mercy in once again permitting us to assemble for prayer, fellowship, and pastoral discussion, this is our first official convocation since the repose of our beloved Abba, Archbishop Peter, of thrice-blessed memory, whose physical presence is sorely missed. We are grateful that God has not abandoned us, and that we were able to meet under the fatherly care of our locum tenens, Archbishop Gabriel. We call upon the faithful to join us in continued prayer for the soul of our late archpastor, and we place our trust in God that He will give us another archpastor who can measure up to his predecessors.

At the retreat we heard presentations by Dr Christopher Krampe, the President of the Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries (http://www.theoym.org/). We were edified and challenged by his work, which reminded us that our spiritual educational efforts should be focused on approaching the chalice and living a sacramental life in the Church. We thank Dr. Christopher for all his efforts and resources in furthering the upbuilding of Christ's Church here in America.

This year, 2025, marks the centenary of the repose of the Holy Hierarchs Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, Enlightener of North America, and Jonah, Bishop of Hankow and Manchuria. The joint diocesan celebration of the repose of St. Tikhon, held last month on the feast of the miraculous finding of his relics on February 22, was led by Archbishop Daniel at Holy Trinity Cathedral here in Chicago, and co-served by many clergy of the Diocese of Chicago and the Midwest of the Orthodox Church in America and our Diocese. This joyous concelebration was the culmination of months of efforts and planning, and was exactly the kind of relations that our late archpastor, Vladyka Peter, tirelessly sought to cultivate between other jurisdictions and our Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. His Eminence, Vladyka Daniel, noted in his homily that day, that this was St. Tikhon's vision for the Orthodox Church in North America, while he was its ruling hierarch. Even if we do not at the present time have administrative unity here in America, we can still gather in eucharistic celebration with our brethren in the Faith. It was moving to concelebrate in the cathedral which St. Tikhon himself consecrated, and whose first rector was the protomartyr of the Bolshevik yoke St. John Kochurov. Next month, on Sunday, April 6, we look forward to prayerfully marking St. Tikhon's repose in each of our parishes, per the pastoral directive of our Synod of Bishops. As a Diocese, we will also celebrate St. Tikhon's memory at a later date to be determined. On October 19-20, we encourage our clergy and faithful to come celebrate St. Jonah's centennial in Spring, TX, at the only church in the world dedicated to him.

This fall, there will be two important events at our Diocesan Cathedral. The Diocesan Assembly is from October 13-17, and both rectors and lay representatives must be prepared to attend. On Saturday, November 8, the feast of Great-martyr Demetrius, rectors and the faithful are encouraged to attend memorial services for the first anniversary of Vladyka Peter's repose.

We call the faithful of our Diocese to almsgiving, both during the Great Fast and throughout the year. Firstly, we remind everyone of the appeal of our First Hierarch, Metropolitan Nicholas, to give generously towards the repair of our Synodal Headquarters, which houses the miraculous Kursk-Root Icon, the Protectress of our Diaspora. Secondly, we also remind the faithful that due to the lack of tourism and pilgrimages in the Holy Land, our Ecclesiastical Mission there is in great need of assistance. Especially impacted are the nuns who live in and keep up the convents and run the girls' school. Thirdly, our own Diocese needs the funding of parish assessments, and diocesan benevolent funds and mission parishes require additional charitable contributions. And finally, we enjoin the faithful to support the Diocesan Pastoral School and Holy Trinity Seminary, both of which are vital to the future of our Diocese.