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On July 21, 2022 His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presided at the celebration of the hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the 20th All-American Council in Baltimore, MD. Concelebrating with His Beatitude and the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America were the OCA Chancellor, OCA Secretary, Diocesan Chancellors, and the heads of Stavropegial Institutions.
During the Liturgy His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel offered the homily where he remarked on the Lord’s parable of the wheat and the tares. He said that we had been gathered at the All-American Council from all over the continent to recognize that North America is the field which we have been given to tend as our duty and that we must only plant the one seed we hold in common: the gospel of Jesus Christ, even if the wheat of the gospel and the tares look similar and sometimes cause us confusion.
Those at the Liturgy enjoyed a special choir performance from the Youth of the AAC who sang “Their Proclamation”, “I Give You My Peace”, and the Polyeleos during communion of the clergy and faithful.
Following the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude awarded Archpriest Peter Dubinin and Priest James Parnell with the Military Cross for their service as chaplains in the armed forces.
His Beatitude also thanked the choir directors Ms. Juliana Woodill, Mr. Zach Mandell, and the AAC Youth choir for their efforts during the Liturgy.
The fourth day of the 20th All-American Council continued later at 1:00 PM with Plenary Session IV.
