Metropolitan Kirill Completes His Visit to the USA
17.11.2003 · English, Архив 2003
METROPOLITAN KIRILL COMPLETES HIS VISIT TO THE USA
On 14 November 2003 the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate gave a ceremonial reception on the occasion of the centenary of St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral and its Great Blessing. During the reception, which was attended by over four hundred participants and guests, His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, presented the group of artists, restorers and philanthropists, which worked for the revival of St.Nicholas Cathedral in New with high church awards. Ye.N.Maximov, full member of the Russian Academy of Arts, who headed the team of icon-painters, was awarded with the Order of St.Andrei Rublev, Priest Leonid Kalinin, who led the team for artistic decoration of the Cathedral, – with the medal of St.Andrei Rublev. The DECR MP Chairman read out the greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. Present at the reception were heads of the Orthodox jurisdictions represented in America, hierarchs of the non-Orthodox Churches, diplomats, businessmen, journalists and parishioners of St.Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral.
On 15 November 2003 the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad visited the Syosset residence of the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. Metropolitan Kirill had a talk with His Beatitude Herman, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. A state dinner was given in honour of the guests from the Moscow Patriarchate, after which His Beatitude Herman announced that the Orders of the Orthodox Church in America would be conferred upon hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and the clergymen serving at the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA. Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was awarded with the silver order of St.Innocent of Moscow, Illuminator of America. The silver Orders of St.Innocent were conferred upon Archbishop Pavel of Kasimov and Ryazan, who was the Administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA for nine years, and to Bishop Merkury of Zaraisk, the present Administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA. Hieromonk Iosif (Kryukov), secretary of the Asdministrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA, and Priest Alexander Abramov, a staff member of the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA, were awarded with the bronze Orders of St.Innocent.
That same day Metropolitan Kirill was a guest of the ‘Orthodox Review’ weekly radio-programme of the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA, during which he answered many questions of the listeners on live.
That same day in the evening Metropolitan Kirill celebrated Great Vespers in the Three Hierarchs Church in Garfield, New Jersey, together with his fellow archpastors and all clergymen of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA. During the Little Entrance Dean of Eastern States Archpriest Georgy Konev was awarded with the right to celebrate divine services with Palitza, and hieromonk Iosif Krykov and Priest Alexander Abramov – with pectoral crosses.
On 16 November 2003 the Great Blessing of St.Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral was conducted and the first after the blessing Divine Liturgy was celebrated. With the blessing of His holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, the Great Blessing was performed by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Metropolitan Kirill, Archbishop Pavel of Ryazan and Kasimov, Bishop Merkury of Zaraisk and Bishop Nicholas of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska concelebrated.
After the Divine service Metropolitan Kirill read out the Decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy on the awarding Bishop Merkury of Zaraisk, Administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA with the Order of St.Innocent of Moscow, 2nd class, in consideration of his missionary work and in connection with the centenary of St.Nicholas Cathedral. In his archpastoral address Metropolitan Kirill underlined: ‘This day is the feast day of our faith, our hope and our love of God and our Motherland’.
On the occasion of the Orthodox festivities in New York Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, sent greetings to Bishop Merkury, clergymen and parishioners of the Patriarchal parishes in USA.
Yu.V.Ushakov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the USA, who attended the Divine service, read out greetings from President Vladimir V.Putin of Russia on the occasion of the centenary and the Great Blessing of St.Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Church in New York. More than eight hundred worshippers gathered in the Cathedral on this day.
That same day in the evening the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA gave a state reception in the Golden Hall of the General Consulate of Russia in New York, during which Metropolitan Kirill presented Yu.V.Ushakov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia in the USA with the Order of St.Sergius of Radonezh.
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