With the blessing of His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, the annual Saint Herman Youth Conference will be hosted by Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo" in Nanuet, NY and Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack, NY. The conference will commence on the evening of Friday, December 22, and conclude on the morning of Tuesday, December 26. The conference is open to all youth 16 years of age and older. All registrations will be managed online at the Youth Conference website here.

The theme of this year’s Conference will be the 100-year commemoration of the beginnings of the terrible persecutions of the Orthodox Church in the former Soviet Union. This year’s guest speaker will be Archpriest Viatcheslav Kharinov, rector of Joy of All Who Sorrow Church in St. Petersburg, Russia. Fr. Viatcheslav is an instructor and spiritual father of the St. Petersburg Spiritual Academy, as well as an expert on the New Martyrs of Russia. He is a renowned speaker and researcher with a spellbinding knowledge of the martyrs.

Additionally, Priest Gennady Titov of St. Petersburg has been the lead researcher on the life and glorification of the Blessed Matrona the Barefoot of St. Petersburg. Material is currently being gathered for her glorification, and Fr. Gennady will share the latest information on her life. She was a fool for Christ who lived on the eve of the godless revolution and was an acquaintance of Righteous John of Kronstadt.

In addition to the lectures, there will be discussion groups, workshops, and an outdoor social activity.

The cost of the conference is $300.00 per person and includes all lodging (quad occupancy), meals, transportation from the hotel to the church. The conference will begin with a travel day of Friday, December 22, with registration beginning in the hotel at 3:00 PM. Airport pickup is available only at Newark Liberty International Airport on the 22nd between the hours of 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM. The Conference will conclude with a morning check-out on Wednesday, December 27. Delivery to the Newark Airport will be available only between the hours of 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM on the 27th.

The deadline for registration is Friday, December 1st, and after that date the cost will increase to $350.00 with no guarantee of space remaining. Any youth who need a scholarship may contact the Conference administration on the website here. All clergy are encouraged to participate and bring a delegation from their parish, as well as sending in a donation to help with scholarships and the work of the Conference.