From Tuesday the 21st to Friday the 24th of February, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, paid an archpastoral visit to St. Nicholas Monastery in North Ft. Myers, Florida.

On Friday morning, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad celebrated Divine Liturgy, at which he was co-served by Archpriest Andrey Kovalev (rector of St. Gregory the Theologian Patriarchal Church in Tampa, FL), Priest Mark Rowe (dean of ROCOR Western Rite parishes), Priest Constantine Desrosiers (cleric of St. Xenia’s Church in Methuen, MA), Deacon Michael Criscella (cleric of St. Gregory’s Church), and visiting clergy.

At the Sixth Hour, Fr. Michael’s two sons – Mark and Isaiah – were tonsured readers; after the Great Entrance, Fr. Michael was ordained to the priesthood, and after the Eucharistic Canon, Subdeacon Seraphim Byrd was ordained to the diaconate to serve in the ROCOR Western Rite.

At the request of His Grace John, Bishop of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, and with the blessing of the ROCOR First Hierarch, Fr. Michael is temporarily serving in St. Gregory the Theologian Church in Tampa.