The annual meeting of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad concluded with the traditional celebration of Divine Liturgy on the feast of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.

Officiating the All-Night Vigil on Monday the 9th and the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday the 10th of December was Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York. Concelebrating with the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad were: Metropolitan Mark of Berlin & Germany, Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco & Western America, Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, Bishops Theodosius of Seattle, Irenei of London & Western Europe, Luke of Syracuse, Job of Stuttgart, and Jerome (Shaw), as well as clergy of the Canadian, Eastern & Mid-American Dioceses, and visiting clergy from the Moscow, Antiochian & Romanian Patriarchates.

Masterfully singing at the divine services was the Synodal choir under the direction of conductor Vadim S. Gan.

The festal services were held under the aegis of the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora – the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.

During the celebrations, numerous believers from different states of the country prayed in the cathedral, as well as pilgrims from the Canadian Diocese, who for several years now have visited the Cathedral of the Sign together with the rector of Holy Trinity Church in Toronto, Archpriest Vladimir Malchenko. Almost all participants in the celebrations received Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

At the conclusion of Liturgy, the hierarchs and clergy served a short moleben before the Kursk Icon.

Metropolitan Mark congratulated the First Hierarch with the feast and the decennial of his episcopal consecration during which he said in part:

"You have worked hard in these past years of your archpastoral service. In a short time, you have become acquainted with all the dioceses of our Church Abroad, taking them all into your loving heart, and you spread your knowledge throughout our Church. For this, we, as members of the Synod of Bishops, thank you and wish for you to continue for many years this service entrusted to you by God."

Metropolitan Nicholas greeted everyone on the patronal feast day, thanking Metropolitan Mark for his kind words and congratulated Bishop Jerome on the anniversary of his episcopal consecration.

His Eminence especially emphasized that today humanity is going through difficult times and in these times our Hodegetria is with us, who protects us and leads us to the Kingdom of Heaven. And here the Most Holy Virgin gives us an example of humility, obedience, and love for God, which we must follow, and then we will gain a real spiritual victory.

Metropolitan Nicholas spoke about his correspondence with Metropolitan Herman of Kursk, who conveyed that the most important thing for the land of Kursk is prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos before the Kursk Root Icon.

Metropolitan Nicholas thanked his fellow archpastors and clergy for their joint prayers before God’s Altar, as well as the believers who gathered in the cathedral to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos and honor her miraculous icon.

A festal banquet was held in the cathedral hall, and a meal for pilgrims was held on the first floor of the Synodal building. On behalf of the parishes and clergy of the Eastern American Diocese, Archpriest George Temidis (secretary of the diocesan administration) read aloud a congratulatory note and presented His Eminence with a collected monetary gift.