Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk took part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the beginning of the service of St. Raphael of Brooklyn in America

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk took part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the beginning of the service of St. Raphael of Brooklyn in America Митрополит Волоколамский Иларион принял участие в торжествах по случаю 125-летия начала служения святителя Рафаила Бруклинского в Америке print version October 21, 2019 12:11 On October 19-20, 2019 in New York, celebrations took place on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the beginning of the service of St. Raphael of Brooklyn on the North American continent and the 100th anniversary of the Cathedral of the Antioch Archdiocese of North America in Brooklyn. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and at the invitation of the head of the Antioch Archbishopric in the USA, the Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan Joseph of North America, Metropolitan Hilarion, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, took part in the festivities. On October 20, Pentecost Week 18, Metropolitan Joseph and Metropolitan Hilarion led the Divine Liturgy at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn. The bishops of the Mid-American Basil, the bishop of the Mid-Atlantic Thomas, the bishop of the New English John, the bishop of the Mid-West American Anthony and the bishop of Southeast Nikolai served the hierarchs. Among the clergymen who served together were the rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, the general vicar of the Antioch Archdiocese, Archpriest Thomas Zayn, the chancellor of St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary of the Orthodox Church in America, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, the clergy of the St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral of New York, hegumen Nikodim Nikonov (priest) Golubov. The temple was attended by Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov, clergy of the Antioch Archbishopric from different cities of the United States, numerous parishioners and guests of the parish. The service was performed in Syriac, Church Slavonic, Greek and English. After reading the Gospel, Metropolitan Hilarion delivered a sermon. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Joseph congratulated those present on the anniversary dates. Welcoming Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, he said, in particular: “We remember with love our visit to the Russian Orthodox Church this summer and our prayer fellowship with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Your Eminence. A large delegation of the clergy and laity of the Archbishopric of Antioch visited many holy places of the Russian Church, which gave spiritual education, upbringing and ordination to the future Saint Brooklyn Raphael, who became archpastor for all immigrants from Antioch to the United States. For us, Saint Raphael is a great gift of the Russian Orthodox Church not only to all ethnic Antiochs, but also to all Orthodox Christians in America. A particle of the holy relics of St. Raphael of Brooklyn is in each of more than three hundred anti-minis at all the parishes of our archbishopric. ” Metropolitan Joseph asked to convey the words of pure gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and in his person the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the leadership of Russia and the entire Russian people for the continued support of the Antiochian Orthodox Church and the entire Syrian people in the trials that have befallen them in recent years. In memory of his participation in the celebrations, Metropolitan Joseph donated to Metropolitan Hilarion a collection of the writings of St. Raphael of Brooklyn in Syriac. In response, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk noted with gratitude the history of fraternal interaction between the Antioch and Russian Churches in North America: “The spiritual mission of the Valaam monks on the North American continent, which began more than two hundred years ago, brought abundant spiritual fruit by the beginning of the 20th century, under the omophorion of the Russian Orthodox Church in The USA and Canada found a place for all Orthodox Christians of different nationalities. For spiritual feeding of the large Syrian flock, with the blessing of the Hierarchy of the Russian Church, Archimandrite Rafail (Havavini), associate and co-worker of the Archbishop of North America, was placed in the Bishop of Brooklyn. Given the peculiarity of the mission of Orthodoxy in North America among indigenous peoples and Gentiles, as well as feeling a pure responsibility for the spiritual care of an increasing number of immigrants from traditionally Orthodox countries, the future Patriarch of Moscow, St. Tikhon, made a unique proposal: to organize as part of the North American Diocese of Russia Diocese churches not on a territorial basis (“one bishop in one city”), but on an ethnic basis, thus creating for all heads of national e Archias of Corinth equal rights and opportunities. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, including in connection with the beginning of the persecution of the Russian Church in the Fatherland, this plan of St. Tikhon was not implemented. " As a gift to the head of the Archbishopric of Antioch, Metropolitan Hilarion presented a commemorative panagia cameo, skillfully executed by Russian masters. The communication of the hierarchs, clergy and believers continued at a fraternal meal in the parish hall of the cathedral.