With the beginning of Great Lent, Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York officiated the divine services for the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy at the Synodal Cathedral in New York City.

The First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad celebrated the week’s second Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Friday, February 27, co-served by cathedral clergy.

On Saturday, February 28, the feast of the Holy Great-Martyr Theodore the Tyro, His Eminence celebrated Divine Liturgy.

On March 1, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, Metropolitan Nicholas celebrated Liturgy and served the Rite of Orthodoxy. Serving alongside the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad were: Archpriests Elias Gorsky (rector of Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack, NY), Andrei Sommer (cathedral dean), Paul Ivanov (rector of Holy Myrrhbearers Church in Brooklyn, NY), and Seraphim Chemodakov (cathedral cleric), Abbot Silouan (Justiniano; deputy abbot of St. Dionysios Monastery in St. James, NY), Hieromonk Theognost (Kogan) and Protodeacon Serge Arlievsky (cathedral clerics), Protodeacon Alexandre Sarandinaki (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell, NJ), and Deacon Leonid Volchok (cleric of Holy Myrrhbearers Church).

The Synodal choir sang touchingly under the direction of Vadim S. Gan.

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

Having attained the end of the first week of Great Lent, numerous parishioners communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Traditionally, on this feast day, particularly venerated icons are placed in the center of the church. This year, the Kursk Root Icon and an icon of the Savior – previously housed in the chambers of Metropolitan Hilarion – were placed in the center of the Synodal Cathedral.

In his sermon, His Eminence called on the faithful to strengthen their faith and preserve our faith wherever we are, to remember the ascetics of piety – the saints, our mentors – to venerate icons, and to ask for the help and blessing of the Savior, the Mother of God, and the saints.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, Metropolitan Nicholas served the Rite of Orthodoxy, during which the above-mentioned clergy were joined by Archpriests Mark Burachek (dean of the Hudson Valley) and Alexandre Antchutine (dean of New York City & Long Island) and Abbot Zosimas (Krampis; rector of St. Sergius English Mission at Synod).

In the cathedral hall, the sisterhood organized a luncheon, during which the clergy and faithful continued their interaction.