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With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth and Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of the South recently completed a visit to Russia.
Upon his arrival in Moscow on December 2, His Grace met with His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. The meeting touched upon the situation of Orthodoxy in North America and explored ongoing cooperation between the two churches. Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Deputy Chairman of the DECR, and Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, dean of St. Catherine’s Representation Church, were also present for the meeting.
His Grace’s visit coincided with the feast of the Great Martyr Catherine on December 7, the parish feast day of St. Catherine’s Representation Church.
During his time in Russia, His Grace traveled to Kazan, where he celebrated the All-Night Vigil for the Feast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos alongside His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan at the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God Church.
In his remarks, His Eminence reflected on the work of St. Tikhon in North America, noting the spiritual connection between the Russian Church and the Orthodox Church in America. His Eminence then presented His Grace with a copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
His Grace expressed his gratitude for the gift and addressed those present:
“Your Eminence, Fathers, brothers and sisters,
With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I have come here to concelebrate with Metropolitan Kirill. It is very important that we express our faith through concelebration—especially the Holy Liturgy. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada sends you his fraternal greetings on this feast day.
It is a great blessing for me as a representative of the Orthodox Church in America to have the opportunity to visit your republic. The cathedral in the capital of Tatarstan is very beautiful, as is the service. It is a great honor for me to be with you and to enjoy your hospitality.
The Vigil for the feast concluded with the veneration of the wonderworking Kazan Icon of the Theotokos treasured in the south end of the iconostasis.
On the feast day itself, Bishop Gerasim concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill, for the patronal feast at the Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the Vvedenskaya Sloboda, a small town named in honor of the feast, located one hour southwest of Kazan across the Volga River. The church was overflowing with worshippers and a well-trained choir from the Cathedral led the singing.
In his address to the faithful, His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill, noted that the feast coincided with the anniversary of the Enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon as Patriarch of All Russia, who was responsible for outstanding growth by his missionary labors in the Orthodox Church in North America. The Metropolitan personally thanked local parishioners whose labors and contributions have made this parish a jewel in this region. A festal celebration meal followed the Divine Liturgy with hymns and folk songs sung in Russian, English, and the Tatar language.
On December 6th, Bishop Gerasim led the festal All-night Vigil for St. Catherine in the beautifully adorned church overflowing with faithful. The following day the faithful greeted His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who celebrated the Divine Liturgy of the patronal feast with His Eminence Metropolitan Niphon of Philopopolis, Representative of the Patriarchate of Antioch, and Bishop Gerasim. Representatives of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and the Georgian Orthodox Church participated in the celebration together with other concelebrants.
Following the Divine Liturgy, Archpriest Daniel greeted Metropolitan Anthony, while Bishop Gerasim read the Pastoral Letter of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, to the faithful gathered in every corner of the Church and hall.
Archpriest Daniel showed Bishop Gerasim the icons prepared for the new iconostasis as well as the many beautiful shrines erected in the Church housing icons depicting the saints of North America. By the beauty of the services, the rich liturgical life, the renewal of the iconography, and the development of the Church buildings and property, the St. Catherine Representation Church functions as a common house of worship not only for Russians and Americans, but also as a place of encounter between the Orthodox Church in America and the other Autocephalous Orthodox Churches.
