Orthodox News

Moskovskaya Troika, a taxi service run by and catering to Russian Orthodox believers, has attracted both customers and criticism.

When Nikolai Maslov, 29, decided to start his own taxi service, he knew he'd need a niche to compete with Moscow's unruly swarms of private cabs and the few large companies that dominate the official market.

Moskovskaya Troika, the company he launched just two months ago, has already built a dedicated following among the city's Russian Orthodox. Its drivers are all devout believers, who are more likely to share a prayer than rant about traffic or the weather.

The cabs come equipped with pre-recorded services from the Orthodox Radonezh radio station, as well as literature from the church.

“Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a donkey, and this was a sort of transportation, too," Maslov said in an interview. "An Orthodox believer can spend time on the road to his soul's advantage. If he's stuck in a traffic jam, he's with an Orthodox driver and listening to church prayers."

The company, which timed its launch to coincide with Palm Sunday, now has 50 privately owned taxis, ranging from Mercedes cars to minivans. Its offices in southern Moscow are alongside a tourist agency providing trips to religious destinations in Russia and abroad.

But as Maslov cashes in on a resurgent interest in the Russian Orthodox Church, he also has had to parry complaints that Moskovskaya Troika is more about excluding others than catering to a few.

Last month, a host on the popular radio station Serebryany Dozhd called the taxi company to book a car to a mosque, giving a Muslim name and speaking with a Caucasus accent.

The station later played the recording of Moskovskaya Troika's dispatcher telling the host, Alex Dubas, that her bosses do not allow the company "to take non-Orthodox passengers."

The recording led to considerable criticism on blogs and in the press, but Maslov maintains that his company is ready to do business with anyone, regardless of faith.

"We are not the Orthodox taxi for Orthodox believers, but an Orthodox taxi for everyone," he said, adding that the company had fired the dispatcher involved in the radio incident and posted an apology on its web site.

Maslov also complained about an article in Afisha magazine, written by reporter Yevgenia Kuida, who pretended she wanted to work as a driver.

In her story, Kuida quoted a company manager present at her interview as saying they do not hire “Georgians or Armenians, only decent, Orthodox people."

Georgia is predominantly Orthodox, while most Armenians follow the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“Afisha magazine has not officially interviewed our company staffers, and a made-up story from a journalist cannot be a source of quotations," according to a statement on the company's web site.

The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on gender or religion, but for an individual to sue a business, he or she would need a written refusal to prove the grounds for the denial of service, said Eduard Sukharev, a Moscow-based civil lawyer.

The Labor Code also prohibits employers from refusing to hire people because of their religious beliefs.

But Maslov said Moskovskaya Troika was not in violation of the law, and that despite the largely hostile reaction in the press, business has been good.

“I had this idea to make money as I saw a market niche that hadn't been occupied yet,” he said. The idea came to him several years ago when he met an Orthodox believer working as a private taxi driver.

"He gave me a business card saying he was an Orthodox man who provides a taxi service for the faithful," recalled Maslov, adding that he had since hired him.

The company distributes leaflets inside churches to attract clients, and 30 percent of its orders come from people who are looking for a ride to church or back home after a service. The rates are comparable to other major services in Moscow, charging 300 rubles, or about $10, for the first half hour and 9 rubles for each additional minute.

Maslov declined to say how much he has invested. He runs the business with a partner, whom he identified only as a former executive at one of Moscow's taxi companies.

The businessman personally interviews would-be drivers, who he said must be baptized Orthodox and should have a car, preferably a Western model in good condition. "Most of our drivers are deeply religious people," Maslov said.

One of them is Pyotr Yurenkov, 43, who joined the company as soon as it was hiring.

“I worked as a driver for a private company, but then it collapsed, thank God. I was glad to find a place where you can work honestly and have a free schedule,” he said.

Like all cars in the company's fleet, Yurenkov’s Honda Civic was blessed by a priest.

Sometimes the company will offer a free ride to a senior church official, Maslov said, recalling how the company had driven a bishop and an icon painter around for a tour of Moscow churches for an entire day.

Galina Yastrebova, a priest’s assistant in the Spas Nerukotvorny Church at Andronikov Monastery in southwestern Moscow, said she welcomed the idea of an Orthodox taxi but doubted that many churchgoers would use the service.

“Most of them are taking the metro or ask for a lift from other churchgoers,” she said.

But she added that if she ever needed a taxi, she'd rather choose an Orthodox one. “Orthodox people understand each other better,” she said.

The Russian Orthodox Church also was supportive of the idea, although cautioning that the service should be respectful of others' beliefs.

“This is a good idea in general, because people who are usually reluctant to take cabs would feel comfortable sharing a car with a fellow believer," said Vsevolod Chaplin, who heads the church's department for relations with the state. "But I would advise the owners not to treat people with other religious beliefs with disregard."

Maslov said he planned to expand the business to include transportation and moving services for corporate clients.

“There are people who are looking for businesses with an Orthodox view, who will not be able to cheat,” he said.

29, 2010
New York, NY: The Meeting of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America is Brought to a Close

On Friday morning, May 28, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Greek Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York, thereby bringing to a close the meeting of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America. The Assembly of bishops of North and Central America was conducted according to the decisions of the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference in Chambésy, Switzerland, held June 7-13, 2009. There the decision was made to create regional Episcopal Assemblies of every canonical Orthodox bishop. The region of North and Central America includes Orthodox Church structures in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the countries of Central America.

As reported by the official website of the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA, "The stated goal of creating the Episcopal Assemblies was care for the unity of Orthodoxy and development of mutual cooperation between representatives of the various Orthodox Church jurisdictions active in the territories of one or another region, in the areas of pastoral care of the faithful, missionary work, the development of theological education, and Orthodox witness in the face of heterodoxy. All of these issues were discussed in New York at the meeting of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America."

Photos: P. Lukianov

Message of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America

We glorify the name of the Triune God for gathering us at this first Episcopal Assembly of this region in New York City on May 26-28, 2010 in response to the decisions of the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference held at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Switzerland, from June 6-12, 2009, at the invitation of His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Gathered together in the joy of the Feast of Pentecost, we humbly recognize our calling, in our unworthiness, to serve as instruments and disciples of the Paraclete, who "holds together the whole institution of the Church" (Hymn of Vespers of Pentecost).

We honor and express gratitude to the Primates and Representatives of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches who assembled at the Ecumenical Patriarchate from October 10-12, 2008 to affirm their "unswerving position and obligation to safeguard the unity of the Orthodox Church" (Chambésy Rules of Operation, Article 5.1a) and emphasized their will and "desire for the swift healing of every canonical anomaly that has arisen from historical circumstances and pastoral requirements" (Message of the Primates 13.1-2).

We call to mind those who envisioned this unity in this region and strove to transcend the canonical irregularities resulting for many reasons, including geographically overlapping jurisdictions. For, just as the Lord in the Divine Eucharist is "broken and distributed, but not divided" (Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), so also His Body comprises many members, while constituting His One Church.

We are grateful for the gift of the doctrinal and liturgical unity that we already share, and we are inspired by our leaders, the Heads of all the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, who proposed that which we painfully yearn for in this region, i.e., the "swift healing of every canonical anomaly" (Message of the Primates 13.2). We are also grateful that they established a fundamental process toward a canonical direction and resolution.

We are thankful to almighty God for the growth of Orthodoxy, for the preservation of our traditions, and for the influence of our communities in this region. This is indeed a miracle and a mystery.

During our gathering, and in accordance with the rules of operation of Episcopal Assemblies promulgated by the Fourth Pan-Orthodox Pre-Conciliar Conference, we established:

1. A registry of canonical bishops (Article 6.1).

2. A committee to determine the canonical status of local communities in the region that have no reference to the Most Holy Autocephalous Churches (Article 6.2).

3. A registry of canonical clergy (Article 6.3).

4. Committees to undertake the work of the Assembly, among others including liturgical, pastoral, financial, educational, ecumenical, and legal issues (Articles 11 and 12).

5. A committee to plan for the organization of the Orthodox of the region on a canonical basis (Article 5.1).

In addition to the above, we agreed that a directory would be created and maintained by the Assembly of all canonical congregations in our region.

We as the Episcopal Assembly understand ourselves as being the successors of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), assuming its agencies, dialogues, and other ministries.

Moreover, at the formal request of the Hierarchs who have jurisdiction in Canada, the Assembly will submit to the Ecumenical Patriarch, in accordance with the rules of operation (Article 13), a request to partition the present region of North and Central America into two distinct regions of the United States and Canada. Additionally, at the request of the Hierarchs who have jurisdiction in Mexico and Central America, the Assembly will likewise request to merge Mexico and Central America with the Assembly of South America.

As Orthodox Hierarchs in this blessed region, we express our resolve to adhere to and adopt the regulations proposed by the Pan-Orthodox Conferences and approved by the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, and to do everything in our power by the grace of God to advance actions that facilitate canonical order in our region.

We confess our fidelity to the Apostolic Orthodox faith and pledge to promote "common action to address the pastoral needs of Orthodox living in our region" (Chambésy, Decision 2c). We call upon our clergy and faithful to join us in these efforts "to safeguard and contribute to the unity of the Orthodox Church of the region in its theological, ecclesiological, canonical, spiritual, philanthropic, educational and missionary obligations" (Article 5.1) as we eagerly anticipate the Holy and Great Council.

The Assembly concluded with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Friday, May 28, 2010 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral in New York City. During the Liturgy prayers were offered for the repose of the eleven victims of the current ecological disaster in the Gulf Coast, for the consolation of their families, for all those adversely affected by this catastrophe, as well as for all people living under conditions of war, persecution, violence, and oppression.

Of the sixty-six hierarchs in the region, the following 55 were present at this Assembly:

Archbishop Demetrios, Chairman
Metropolitan Philip, Vice Chairman
Archbishop Justinian, Vice Chairman
Bishop Basil, Secretary
Archbishop Antony, Treasurer
Patriarchate of Constantinople
Metropolitan Iakovos
Metropolitan Constantine
Metropolitan Athenagoras
Metropolitan Methodios
Metropolitan Isaiah
Metropolitan Nicholas
Metropolitan Alexios
Metropolitan Nikitas
Metropolitan Nicholas
Metropolitan Gerasimos
Metropolitan Evangelos
Metropolitan Paisios
Archbishop Yurij
Bishop Christopher
Bishop Vikentios
Bishop Savas
Bishop Andonios
Bishop Ilia
Bishop Ilarion
Bishop Andriy
Bishop Demetrios
Bishop Daniel
Antiochian Archdiocese
Bishop Antoun
Bishop Joseph
Bishop Alexander
Bishop Thomas
Bishop Mark
Russian Church
Metropolitan Hilarion
Bishop Job
Bishop Gabriel
Bishop Peter
Bishop Theodosius
Bishop George
Bishop Jerome
Serbian Church
Metropolitan Christopher
Bishop Maxim
Romanian Church
Archbishop Nicolae
Bishop Ioan Casian
Bulgarian Church
Metropolitan Joseph
Orthodox Church in America
Metropolitan Jonah
Archbishop Nathaniel
Archbishop Seraphim
Bishop Nikon
Bishop Tikhon
Bishop Benjamin
Bishop Melchisedek
Bishop Irineu
Bishop Irinee
Bishop Michael

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese

With restoration works currently in full swing, the Cathedral remarkably remains an eye-catcher, our correspondent Milena Simonova (The Voice of Russia) says, pointing to the fact that the current session of the Guardian Council coincides with a visit by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to St.Petersburg. On Saturday, Patriarch Kirill, in turn, heaped praise on what he called an important link between Russian and Byzantine Orthodoxy.

The Kronstadt Cathedral is a replica of the St.Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, which in turn added substantially to Prince Vladimir’s final decision on baptism of the Kievan Rus in ancient times, Patriarch Kirill explains.The Cathedral’s construction was initiated by St.John of Kronstadt in the early 1900s. Overlooking the Gulf of Finland, the Cathedral remarkably helped sailors to navigate in the area at the time , experts explain, particularly pointing to the Cathedral’s eye-catching interior.The Cathedral was closed in 1929, and was then converted to a cinema, a House of Officers, a concert hall and a branch of the Central Museum of the Russian Navy. It owes its reconstruction to the Russian Orthodox Church, which started to grapple with the issue in the late 1990s. Repossessing the Cathedral is yet to be resolved by the Moscow Patriarchate, which, meanwhile, continues the facility’s reconstruction in a close cooperation with the state. For his part, Patriarch Kirill voiced hope that upon being restored, the Kronstadt Cathedral will turn into a major shrine of the Russian military.

It was the Kronstadt Cathedral where our forefathers were blessed to uphold the independence of their Motherland, Patriarch Kirill says, specifically piling praise on the Soviet people’s immortal feat-of-arms during World War Two. A symbol of Russia’s revival, the soon-to-be-restored Cathedral is all but certain to contribute to the Russian Armed Forces’ overhaul, Patriarch Kirill concludes.ANNOUNCER: Experts say that the reconstruction of the Naval Cathedral of St.Nicholas in Kronstadt is due to be completed by 2013, when the centenary of its consecration will be celebrated.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ordered the handover of about 20 Moscow-area monasteries to the Russian Orthodox Church, returning properties seized during the Bolshevik Revolution almost a century ago.

In January, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered the handover, which will make Novodevichy a fully functioning convent for the first time since the Bolsheviks seized the property almost a century ago. But the directive may also force museums to relinquish thousands of icons and other worship-related items that originally belonged to the site, so they, too, can be used once again in religious ceremonies.

Novodevichy is the last of about 20 Moscow-area monasteries to be returned to the church, along with hundreds of similar buildings around the country, in a process that church spokespeople and nationalist politicians in the State Duma hail as "historical justice."

But critics allege the mass giveaway of art and real estate to the church endangers precious artifacts, removes vast swaths of Russia's heritage from the public sphere, and cements a controversial political compact between church and Kremlin.

"Novodevichy is an outstanding historical monument, and it should be left to professionals to preserve it," says Alexei Lebedev, with the Institute of Cultural Studies in Moscow, which is run by the Ministry of Culture. "This process of 'demuseumification' that's going on now is a sign of serious social illness. The church is not an institution dedicated to preserving the heritage of history and culture, it has a different mission. It's not going to be their keeper, and that's a potential tragedy."

Church leader: 'This is a sacred place''

Church leaders, however, insist the returned assets are needed to serve Russia's huge Orthodox community, who associate the historical buildings and objects with the foundations of their faith.

"Novodevichy is an ancient convent that has been at the center of our nation's spiritual life for centuries," says Sergei Zvonaryov, a spokesman for the patriarch, who is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. "It was created for this purpose, and every Russian believer knows of it. This is a sacred place, and with its transference Novodevichy will again become a place of prayer, a place one can associate with God."

No one is exactly sure how many churches and monasteries have been given back since "restitution" began in earnest about a decade ago. But the director of Russia's State History Museum, Alexander Shkurko, says about two-thirds of all former church buildings nationalized by the Communists have already been returned, and he would like to see the new legislation being drafted in the State Duma set some limits on the handovers and require the church to cooperate with the museum service.

MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - The Moscow Patriarchate expressed its condolences on Monday over the death of Grand Duchess of Russia Leonida Georgievna Romanov.

"Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, who had lived a very dramatic, complicated and long life, never forgot Russia," archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, who is in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church's relations with society, said.

The de-jure empress, the eldest representative of the Romanov family, died late on Sunday at the age of 95 in Madrid.

"Yesterday, the senior priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate in Madrid, Father Andrei Korodchkin, visited her and administered the Holy Mysteries. Towards evening, there was deterioration [in her health], and the monarchess was taken to hospital," spokesman for the Romanov house Alexander Zakatov said.

He said Leonida Georgievna's daughter and Head of the Romanov Dynasty Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, remained by her mother's side until the end.

Leonida Georgievna was the last representative of the Romanov Imperial House born before the Russian Revolution in 1914. She was descended from the House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the Bagrationi dynasty. Her family ruled ancient Georgia and Armenia from the early Middle Ages until the beginning of the 16th century.

Leonida Georgievna left the Soviet Union in 1931, with the help of Russian writer Maxim Gorky.

She married Sumner Moore Kirby in 1934, and gave birth to her first daughter Helen. After divorcing Kirby, the princess married Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich Romanov, who claimed to be the Russian Emperor from 1938 to his death.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna is the daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir and has styled herself as the heir to the Russian imperial throne since her father died in 1992.

Zakatov said Leonida Georgievna would be buried in Russia near Duke Vladimir, in St. Petersburg's Peter and Paul Cathedral. The date of the burial has not yet been set.

Chaplin said the decision to bury the late grand duchess in the Peter and Paul Fortress, where many other members of the Romanov family are buried, was "natural and right."

Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, his wife, their four daughters and son, and several servants, were shot dead by the Bolsheviks in a basement in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in the early hours of July 17, 1918.

The Krutitsi Cloister was called so because it is situated on “krutitsi”, the old name for the hills on the left bank of the River Moskva. The first buildings on the grounds of the future Patriarch’s residence appeared as early as the late 13th century, says the cloister Father Superior archpriest Sergey Shastin.

“The Krutitsi Cloister is one of the oldest places in Moscow. Once, by request of the Prince St. Alexander Nevsky and on the initiative of Metropolitan Kirill of Kiev, the Sarsko-Podonskaya diocese was established on the “krutitsi”. The name was derived from the Golden Horde capital city name of Saray. The bishops who were at the head of that diocese attended to Russian prisoners in the Golden Horde. And in the 17th century a Krutitsi diocese was established. Its area was equal to that of today’s France,” said Farther Sergey.

The authorities tried to close the Krutitsi cloister in Moscow many times, fearing its power and influence on parishioners. But it managed to withstand those attempts and to become one of the most respected spiritual centres. Here, on the rather small grounds, real gems of Russian architecture were constructed. The Assumption Cathedral is a smaller version of its name-sake in the Kremlin. The Krutitsi wooden house “teremok” with covered-in suspended passages of special historical and artistic interest are the Metropolitan’s Chamber, which is a peculiar palace of the Krutitsi Metropolitans, and a tent-shaped Resurrection Church with the tombs of many Russian high priests in the basement.

In the 1920s the Bolsheviks managed to close the Krutitsi cloister. For many years its buildings became army barracks and the grounds were called a military zone. In mid-1950s the Architecture Committee of the Council of Ministers decided to start restoring the cloister and 30 years later, in mid-1980s, the State History Museum deposits were housed on the grounds.

The process of returning the cloister to the Russian Orthodox Church has been continuing for 20 years and is still going on. At present most of the unique buildings have been turned over to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate plans to become the only legitimate owner of the cloister by the end of this year. Though, it does not rule out further cooperation of the Church with the museum, the Father Superior archpriest Sergey Shastin is convinced.

“The State History Museum arranged numerous exhibitions in the Metropolitan’s Chamber. And now we have an agreement that after the restoration of the Chamber the museum will keep doing it. This cooperation will favour people’s spiritual and cultural education,” said Sergey Shastin.

April 12, 2010 www.eadiocese.org
New York: Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk and Bishop Jerome of Manhattan concelebrated on Bright Saturday

On Bright Saturday, April 10, 2010, the Administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA, His Eminence, Justinian, Archbishop of Naro-Fominsk, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York. His Eminence was co-served by His Grace Jerome, Bishop of Manhattan, a multitude of clergy from the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as clerics from ROCOR's Synodal Cathedral. Upon completion of the Liturgy, in accordance with Pascha tradition, a great procession through the streets of New York took place. After the procession, Archbishop Justinian addressed worshipers with the following sermon:

Christ is Risen! My dear ones, during these days of Paschal joy we recall how Christ’s disciples Luke and Cleopas, after the events of the Crucifixion and burial in the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ, departed from Jerusalem simultaneously full of hope and great doubt as a result of what had transpired. And here, coming down the road, a certain fellow traveler approached them, and at first they did not understand who was walking with them. The Lord made it so that for a moment their eyes might be closed. That is, they could see with their physical eyes, but their spirits could not tell that their fellow traveler was Christ the Savior. And so, they continued on the road, sharing the story of what had occurred, of how much sorrow they felt in their hearts! They had put so much hope into their Teacher, Jesus Christ, they honored Him as the long-awaited Messiah, but these hopes were dashed. Instead of His bring enthroned in glory, He was crucified and buried, and their hearts were troubled...

And then the Lord halts their sad talk and begins to remind them of all the prophesies, which attested to the fact that, Yes! Crucifixion and death await Christ, but Christ will rise, as well! And He explains to them that this had to take place. And then the apostles, being relieved by these words, begin joyously calling their Fellow Traveler: Do not leave us, come and break bread with us! And during the meal the Lord breaks and blesses the bread, and at that moment their eyes are opened, and they see that it is Him, their Messiah, the long-awaited Savior Christ! It is He, truly Risen from the dead, together with them!

And at that moment the Lord leaves them, and they, having had their faith in Christ’s Resurrection confirmed, in joy, in elation, in celebration, could no longer continue their travels, as they had planned to do. They, despite the fact that the day was waning and they were tired, once more hurried to return to Jerusalem, and found the disciples gathered there, some of whom also said: Christ the Risen Savior appeared unto us, as well! and others came at that time, bearing witness: And we saw the Risen Lord! And then Luke and Cleopas said, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way? That is, sometimes the heart whispers more to man than his rational thought. I reckon we will sooner feel God with our hearts, than with cold human logic. "Did not our heart burn within us?" asked Luke and Cleopas.

And so I am sure, my dear co-brothers in the Lord coming from the Patriarchal parishes, and our co-brothers and guests who prayed with us today during the Divine Liturgy, I am sure that in your parishes, in your hearts, you are certain of Christ’s Resurrection. Your hearts are filled with joy, and this joy caused you, as it did Luke and Cleopas to return to Jerusalem, for your part to come from the Patriarchal parishes to this Little Jerusalem, to our Cathedral of St. Nicholas, in order to share this Paschal joy with me, your newly appointed hierarch, and with Bishop Jerome. And from one another, as a candle from a candle, we burn brighter and then we truly feel with one heart, truly experience this great joy together. My dears, the event of Christ’s Resurrection is historical fact, but it is important that we understand the event of Christ’s Resurrection in our heart, experiencing it in our soul, because, you understand, the Gospel also describes Christ’s Resurrection, but here the Book lies shut, and it truly speaks of Christ’s Resurrection, but if we will not open that Book, will not read it, will not experience what is written therein in our hearts, then it is just a book, and all that is good and beneficial therein will remain within it. Christ is Risen, yes! This is a fact, one which no one can ever negate. But it is important for us to understand and experience for ourselves that it was for me, for me that Christ came into this world, was crucified, buried, and gloriously arose again, that an event from the distant past might repeat in Christians’ hearts in all days, and we might truly continue Christ’s work here on earth and be crucified alongside Him, and be spiritually resurrected. And I, dear Vladyka, dear in the Lord fathers and brothers, I greet you with all with this victorious proclamation, a truly joyous proclamation that affirms life and bears witness that the event of Christ’s Resurrection is not something far-removed from us, something that happened once upon a time. The event of Christ’s Resurrection is our personal inheritance, no one, no enemy, will ever take it from our souls. Christ is Risen!

In his response, Bishop Jerome said:

“After the wonderful words of Vladyka Justinian, there is little more left to say, for truly, "Did not our heart burn within us?" (Luke 24:32). But last year, on this very feast day, one pious woman, the matushka of one the priests, told me that when she was taking part in the procession through the streets, she felt as though the whole world was Orthodox. By the way, she was not mistaken: we know, brothers and sisters, that the whole world truly is Orthodox; it is just that some of those around us have yet to realize this fact. But as we sang today, "The Lord is my light and my Savior; whom then shall I fear?" And as we are with the Resurrected Lord, we have nothing to fear in this world or in the next. Christ is Risen!”

On behalf of the Patriarchal parish clergy, Archpriest George Konyev greeted Archbishop Justinian, saying:

Dear Vladyka, on behalf of all those present here and on behalf of the parishioners of the Patriarchal parishes in the United States of America, we greet you here on American soil. We pray that the Lord grant you His help, that you might always rule in kindness, in fortitude, and in understanding. For our part we will always work alongside you, in general matters, in the work of restoring the Russian Orthodox Church, and in the work of restoring a true Christian spirit in this American land. May the Lord preserve you, dear Vladyka, as well as us, for many prosperous years! Christ is Risen!