On Friday, March 9, the feast of the First and Second Findings of the Head of St. John the Forerunner, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York paid an archpastoral visit to St. Panteleimon Church in Hartford, CT, where he officiated at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

Concelebrating with His Eminence were Archpriests Brendan Crowley (rector of St. Nicholas Church in Enfield, CT) and Dionisy Nalitov (parish rector), Hieromonk Tikhon (Gayfudinov; abbot of Holy Protection Skete in Buena, NJ), and Deacons Alexey Pnev (cleric of Nativity of the Mother of God Church at the New Kursk Root Hermitage in Mahopac, NY) and Eugene Utnyukhin (parish cleric).

Virtually all those in attendance received Christ’s Holy Mysteries. Upon completion of Liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion read aloud to the gathered faithful from the Teaching of Venerable Theodore the Studite, "That this Pascha is a type of the future and eternal Pascha; and about endurance and courage."

After the service, Fr. Dionisy greeted the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, thanking him for his visit and shared prayer. A lenten luncheon was then served in the parish hall.