NEW YORK: 17 May, 2024
St Seraphim Memorial Church marks the 17th anniversary of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion with Divine Liturgy

On Friday, 17 May, 2024, the anniversary of the reestablishment of the fraternal communion within the Russian Orthodox Church, Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY. Serving was its Rector, Archpriest Serafim Gan and the parish clergy. At the end of the service, a memorial litiya was performed for His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and Metropolitan Laurus, both of blessed memory.

In his sermon before the veneration of the cross, Fr Serafim noted that the late Patriarch and Metropolitan opened their hearts with love, patience and prayer and found a path to reconciliation and the overcoming of division within the Church. This was a great podvig. And now, when the unity of the Holy Orthodox Church is subjected to serious perils, we are called upon to follow the example of the late archpastors, who, in accordance with the teachings of Holy Abbot Dorofei, strove in their lives towards God, to grow closer to each other. This is what the contemporary world needs, among Orthodox Christians who live by the Gospel, pray to God and rely on Him. Only in this way, Fr Serafim noted, can we make our own contribution to “the unity of all.”