MOSCOW: February 1, 2016
Bishop Nicholas Celebrated Divine Liturgy at Elohov Cathedral of the Epiphany in Moscow

On Sunday, January 31, 2016, the feast day of SS Athanasius and Kirill, Patriarchs of Alexandria, and SS Kirill and Maria, the parents of St Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, Deputy Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, celebrated Divine Liturgy at Epiphany Cathedral at Elohov Square, Moscow. On the evening before, Vladyka Nicholas performed all-night vigil. His Grace was joined by Protopriest Alexander Ageikin and the cathedral clergymen.

After the dismissal, Bishop Nicholas read a sermon on the day’s Epistle reading, after which he thanked the rector, brethren and parishioners for their joint prayers, and gave Epiphany Cathedral a gift of a painted copy of the miracle-working Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign” in an embroidered riza which once adorned the Kursk Icon, the main holy item of the Russian Church Abroad.

At the end of services, Protopriest Alexander hosted a luncheon in honor of Vladyka Nicholas, after which His Grace met with Protopresbyter Matfei Stadnyuk and his matushka.

His Grace was accompanied by Protodeacon Eugene Kallaur, an administrator at the Synod of Bishops in New York and cleric of St Seraphim Memorial Church for the Reestablishment of Unity Within the Russian Orthodox Church, located in Sea Cliff, NY.

Photos: Protodeacon Eugene Kallaur and Sergei Farkovetz.