On Wednesday the 6th and Thursday the 7th of April, the great feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan officiated All-Night Vigil and celebrate Divine Liturgy in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City.

Concelebrating with His Grace were: Abbot Zosimas (Krampis; rector of the Synodal English Mission), Priest George Temidis (rector of Nativity of the Mother of God Church at the New Kursk Root Hermitage in Mahopac, NY), Priest Živojin Jakovljević (cleric of the Serbian Church in the USA), and Hierodeacon Panteleimon (Jigalin; diocesan cleric).

The Synodal choir sang beautifully under the direction of Isaiah Trofimenko.

On one of the feast days most beloved by Orthodox Christians, despite its being a workday, parishioners and faithful from other churches in the city gathered to pray in the Synodal cathedral. Most of these communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Upon completion of Liturgy, Bishop Nicholas greeted everyone with the feast, and spoke about the particularities of its celebration on various days and the particularities of the festal liturgics.

His Grace reminded the faithful how we must live, according to the example set by the Mother of God; namely: "simply and worthily; to be nearby to lend a hand, but even better, to be in church; to engage in good reading and to receive the lessons of our spiritual preceptors. God is love, and He wants for all of us to receive marvelous salvation, marvelous unity with Christ, and the Mother of God was chosen to be that vessel, by which God Himself came to earth."

Bishop Nicholas called on them to treasure the opportunity to pray in church, "that peace might reign in the places where it is now tumultuous and where lawlessness reigns. This is all from the Lord. And much will depend on how we pray. Let us lay down a new beginning to our life, take it up with our whole heart, love the Mother of God and glorify the Most Pure Virgin."

The cathedral sisterhood organized a festal luncheon for the clergy and faithful.