On Sunday, September 18, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, represented His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, at the celebration of Divine Liturgy and the enthronement of His Eminence Nicholas Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, newly elected First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
At the banquet following Liturgy, Fr. Alexander read a letter of greeting from Metropolitan Tikhon to Metropolitan Nicholas, and presented His Eminence a gift from His Beatitude. In his congratulatory letter, Metropolitan Tikhon writes:
To His Eminence
NICHOLAS
Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad
Your Eminence,
Dear Brother and Concelebrant in the Lord’s Holy Mysteries,
With joy I congratulate you on your election as the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
To undertake such a high ministry in the Church is always a weighty matter, and it is perhaps weightier during these times of trouble throughout the world. I assure Your Eminence of my prayers that the Lord might stand with you and lend you strength, illumination, comfort, and guidance as you accept this task from His hand.
The Orthodox Church in America and I as her Primate aspire to a good, God-pleasing relationship in Christ with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, so that we Orthodox Christians may be of "the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind" unto the joy of the whole Church of Christ (Philippians 2:2). As such, I look forward to working together with Your Eminence to foster cooperation and fraternal good relations between the Orthodox Church in America and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia during the years to come.
Once again I offer you my heartfelt congratulations and assure you of my fraternal prayers.
Your Brother in Christ,
+TIKHON
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America & Canada
