On Tuesday, October 22, the pastoral conference for clergy of the Eastern American and Canadian Dioceses opened in Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.

Over 75 clerics from the parishes of the dioceses gathered for the conference. Clergy and faithful, along with a multitude of pilgrims, greeted the two great icons of the Russian Diaspora – the wonderworking Kursk Root and myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icons of the Mother of God. A moleben was then served before the holy images; praying at the supplicatory service was the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York; Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada; Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishops Nicholas of Manhattan and Luke of Syracuse, and conference participants.

Upon completion of the moleben, Metropolitan Hilarion greeted those in attendance, underscoring the importance and necessity of such brotherly gatherings of diocesan clergy.

For his immense contributions to the spiritual life of Orthodox Christians and his labors in accompanying the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Icon, the icon’s guardian, Deacon Nectarios Yangson, was presented a diocesan gramota, which read, in part:

"Since the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was revealed in 2007... to be streaming holy myrrh in your home, you have dedicated your life wholeheartedly to the service of the Queen of Heaven. In order to bring the holy image and the grace that flows abundantly from it for the consolation and encouragement of the faithful, you spent all that you had to secure its travel around the world, covering expenses and never asking for a penny in return. What money you did receive was donated to help adorn the Icon, to help those in need, to help your home parish of Our Lady of Iveron, or to help many of the poor churches or monasteries you visited in your travels."

Attendees then gathered in Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov Hall where, under the aegis of the Kursk Root and Hawaiian Icons, the pastoral conference began its work. The keynote speaker, addressing "Mental Health Literacy & Referral Practice of Clergy" – was the dean of St. Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral in Howell, NJ, Archpriest Seraphim Chemodakov, a 2002 graduate of Jordanville’s Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary.

Both the pertinence of the subject matter and Fr. Seraphim’s able presentation thereof evoked keen interest on the part of the clergy. Many wished to come forward and share their own thoughts and experiences with problematic parishioners and situations in their parishes, and even in parish schools. To aid the clergy, Fr. Seraphim distributed a guide for dealing with those suffering from psychiatric issues.

Holy Trinity Seminary’s new dean, Dr. Nicolas Schidlovsky, presented his vision for the future of the institution of higher religious education and noted that, next year, the seminary will be celebrating its 90th anniversary. The dean spoke briefly about the jubilee events to be held at the seminary and in nearby cities.

Protodeacon Peter Markevich presented Holy Trinity Publication’s newest projects and releases.

Metropolitan Hilarion and Bishop Nicholas then greeted the conference participants. His Grace, in part, spoke about the pilgrimage trips planned for spring 2020 to the Holy Land and the holy sites of Italy. More information on these will be available on the Synodal and Diocesan websites in the near future.

In gratitude for his archpastoral love, his labors on behalf of the Holy Church, and in honor of the 35th anniversary of his consecration to the episcopate, Metropolitan Hilarion was presented a green set of vestments and miter from the Eastern American Diocese.

A luncheon was then served for conference participants. A roundtable discussion was then held between the clergy and seminarians, during which, in addition questions concerning the internal life of the Church, issues currently facing world Orthodoxy were also touched upon.

The Order of Preparation for Holy Communion was read in church, along with an akathist before the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. After dinner, the hierarchs and clergy served the All-Night Vigil in Holy Trinity Cathedral.