Primate of Orthodox Church in America visits Convent of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in Moscow

On 3 December 2014, His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, visited the Stavropegic Convent of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in Moscow.

The delegation accompanying His Beatitude on his official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church includes Bishop Alexander of Toledo; archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America; Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of the Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations of the Orthodox Church in America; archpriest Eric Tosi, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America; archpriest Nazary Polataiko, Secretary of the Archdiocese of Canada; protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, Secretary of the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America; Ms. Melanie Ringa, Treasurer of the Orthodox Church in America; and Mr. Roman Ostash, Assistant to the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

His Beatitude Tikhon was also accompanied by Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA; Archimandrite Alexander (Pihach), rector of the Moscow Metochion of the Orthodox Church in America – the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine In-the-Fields; and Mr. Dmitry Petrovsky, a DECR staff member.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church in America was met by Hegumenness Feofania (Miskina), abbess of the convent, the clergy, and sisters of the abode. The delegation proceeded to the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, wherein the holy relics of St Matrona of Moscow are kept. Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk said a prayer before the shrine. The Magnification was sung to the Blessed Matrona.

The guests also visited the Church of the Resurrection. The hegumennes of the convent addressed the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America with words of greeting and presented him with prayer beads and an icon of St Matrona of Moscow.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon expressed his joy over the opportunity to visit the Convent of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God and to lift up prayers before the holy relics of the Blessed Matrona together with the sisters of the abode. The Primate of the Orthodox Church in America presented the convent with an icon of the Holy Hieromartyr Juvenal who had been sent to Alaska from Russia on a mission and preached the Word of God on the American continent.