On Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th of April, the feast of Venerable Mary of Egypt, His Grace Nicholas, Bishop of Manhattan, paid an archpastoral visit to St. Mary of Egypt Church in Roswell (Atlanta), GA, and led the divine services for its patronal feast day. Visiting the parish at the same time as His Grace was the myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God "Softener of Evil Hearts."

Co-serving with the vicar of the Eastern American Diocese were: Archpriest John Townsend (parish rector), Archpriest Dimitri Oselinsky (retired; attached to St. Mary of Egypt Church), Hieromonk Alexander (Lisnichuk), Priest Daniel Iliev and Mikhail Beliakov (parish clerics), Joseph Gagliano (rector of St. Lawrence Mission in Pelham, AL), Elias Crowder (rector of St. Martin of Tours Mission in Montgomery, AL), and Isaac Atalla (rector of Christ the Savior Mission in Chattanooga, TN), Archdeacon Sergius (Wilson; cleric of Holy Cross Monastery, Wayne, WV), and Deacon Jude Rountree (parish cleric).

During Divine Liturgy, His Grace tonsured three readers: Reader Mikah Marvin was assigned to St. Mary of Egypt Church, Reader Stefan Sellers will be serving together with Fr. Elias Crowder at the St. Martin of Tours Mission, and Reader Stephen Crawford will be assigned to Fr. Isaac Atalla’s Christ the Savior Mission.

After the readers’ tonsures, Reader Peter Epstein from St. Mary’s parish was elevated to the rank of subdeacon.

At the Little Entrance, Fr. Dimitri was awarded the right to wear the miter, and Fr. Alexander was awarded the gold cross.

After Liturgy the traditional luncheon was held in the parish hall, where parishioners had the chance to get to know the visiting clergy and other guests closer.

Bishop Nicholas, Fr. Alexander, and Sergei Fomin, guardian of the wonderworking icon, went to Emory Children’s Hospital to visit Kamila, a five-year-old child, who had recently undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor.