On Thursday, December 28, Hieromonk Alexander (Lisnichuk; cleric of St. Mary of Egypt Church in Roswell (Atlanta), GA), reposed in the Lord. He gave this interview earlier this year.

From June 25 to July 1, 2024, the German city of Stuttgart will host the 14th All-Diaspora Youth Conference. The previous All-Diaspora Conference, which was attended by more than 100 representatives of Orthodox youth from around the world, was held ten years ago in San Francisco, CA. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflicts suspended the tradition of holding such conferences for a while.

Last month, Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV shared the story of the cornerstone blessing for the new church that took place in May.

On Wednesday, May 24, the Leavetaking of Pascha, Deacon Vitaly Kichakov (cleric of St. John of Kronstadt Memorial Church in Utica, NY) reposed in the Lord. He was 74 years old.

On Thursday, April 6, the eve of the great feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, Matushka Galina Tkatschow reposed in the Lord after a long illness. She was the wife of Archpriest Nicholas Tkatschow, rector of the Church of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple in Syracuse, NY.

It is difficult to remember when I first saw Vladyka Laurus. He seems to have always been in our lives. He came to my grandparents’, usually for our patronal feast. I was three years old when I began to serve in my parish of St. John of Kronstadt in Utica (NY ‒ ed.), not far from Jordanville and the monastery. When we came to the monastery, I was afraid to serve in the altar there, because a small group of boys served in the parish and we all knew each other, while in the monastery, seminarians and adults served.

The priestly ordination of Fr. Joseph took place in Sri Lanka. Metropolitan Hilarion decided to heed the warning of the local authorities about the danger of Orthodox foreigners staying in the country. At that time, Priest Adrian Augustos traveled to Pakistan from Australia to serve. Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country in the world after Indonesia. Only about 4% of the people there are Christians: half of them are Catholics, the other half are Anglican.

On Tuesday, January 31, Mary Ann Oselinsky ‒ Matushka to Archpriest Dimitri Oselinsky of St. Mary of Egypt Church in Atlanta, GA ‒ reposed peacefully in the Lord. A caring wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, she was 77.

On the [Nativity] of the Mother of God, I performed the baptism of Anna and her children Catherine and Philaret in the Caura River. At sunset that day, another baptism took place in the city of Chaguanas. Before receiving baptism, Ketevan asked questions and received an explanation about the Faith that the Son of God is God. So, in the evening, when the first day of Creation and the day of Resurrection came, another soul was reborn.

On Monday, December 19, the feast of the Holy Hierarch Nicholas the Wonderworker, Priest Eugene Solodsky reposed in the Lord after a length illness. He was 85 years old.

Through the autumn colors, we drove into a spacious area in the city of Chesapeake, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, on which, with God’s help, the church of St. Joseph of Optina will be built. The plot pleased the eye both in size and location

"The Flower City." This is another name by which the city of Rochester, NY is known. The annual Lilac Festival attracts up to half a million people from around the world to Rochester’s Highland Park, with more than 500 species of lilac and other flowers and shrubs. The first Lilac Festival was held here in 1898. The most lilac-covered Highland Park itself owes its creation to the work and talent of designer Frederick Law Olmsted, the same one who designed Central Park in New York.

On Wednesday, November 2, Protodeacon Nicholas Trepatschko ‒ cleric of Holy Assumption Church in Stafford, VA ‒ reposed suddenly in the Lord. He was 57 years old.

It has long been my dream to tell people about Metropolitan Nicholas, the new First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia ‒ not as a bishop, but first and foremost as the little boy Kolya Olhovsky, who was born in America and successfully preserved the flame of the Russian Orthodox Faith in a wholly un-Orthodox environment. In his humility and modesty, the bishop himself has avoided any such project thus far, quite rightly explaining that interviews and confession are two different things.

On the evening of Wednesday, September 28, beloved wife, mother, and Yiayia, Matushka Helen Kalamaras passed away peacefully in her home after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer

Reigning Mother of God Church in Charlotte, NC is one of the youngest in ROCOR. It was founded in 2005 at the initiative of a group of parishioners from the generation of émigrés from the USSR. Beginning in 2009, there have been services in a little church building tucked away amidst greenery that illuminates the Southern landscape with gleams of sunlight from its Orthodox crosses. The setting in the church, courtyard, and parish house speaks of the unsophisticated simplicity and warmth of the owners.

On Sunday, August 28, the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos ‒ the Pascha of the Theotokos, as it this feast, beloved by the faithful around the world, if often called ‒ the downpour predicted by forecasters came early in the morning, leaving the rest of the day sunny and fresh.

Without a doubt, the praxis of silence is a divine gift that improves man’s spirituality, and even more so in the monastic path.

Preparations for the All-North American Youth Conference, to be held June 13-19 in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, UT, are nearing completion. Archpriest Andrei Sommer, vice chairman of the Synodal Youth Department, talks about what awaits the participants of this conference.

Our hearts responded with acute pain to the news that, on May 16 of this year, the day of commemoration of Venerable Theodosius, Abbot of the Kiev Caves, and the eve of the 15th anniversary of the re-establishment of liturgical communion within the Russian Orthodox Church,

On Monday, May 16, the feast of Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, following a lengthy illness, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, reposed in the Lord in a New York City hospital.

The pandemic caused by the malignant virus limited the travels not only of people, but also of the holy icons. Nevertheless, these wonderworking images, given relaxations in travel restrictions and even the slightest opportunity, departed their homebase churches and went off to comfort the faithful, to this end even crossing oceans. The guardians of these holy icons discuss where they went and how, and the particular circumstances they faced:

The tragedy taking place these days in Ukraine resonates with living pain in the heart of the Russian Orthodox Diaspora, a significant part of which also has Ukrainian roots. Archpriest Viktor Potapov, rector oof St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC, and a member of the board of directors of the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR (FFA), spoke about the support our parishes provide through the Fund, how believers are facing the current situation.

On Monday, January 3, Archpriest Stavros Rousos (retired cleric of St. Nicholas Church in Endicott, NY), reposed in the Lord after complications from the Coronavirus. He was 68 years old.

Early in the morning on Sunday, November 28, Anna M. Shohov (née Znosko), peacefully reposed in the Lord in the presence of her spiritual father and her daughter and son.

The early morning hours of November 6, 2021, the feast of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of all who Sorrow," saw the passing of Archimandrite Job (Kotenko), the oldest monastic of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY

On Demetrius Soul Saturday, November 6, Archimandrite Job (Kotenko), cleric of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY reposed in the Lord. He was 95 years old.

On the morning of Monday, September 27, the great feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Protodeacon Nicholas Lukianov (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell, NJ) reposed in the Lord. He was 57 years old.

Earlier this year, two priests of the Haitian Mission wrote to Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, vicar of the Eastern American Diocese, on the occasion of the fifth anniversaries of their respective ordinations to the holy priesthood. To give a small glimpse into the lives of our humble and hardworking pastors in the longsuffering Haitian land, His Grace has blessed for these to be published.

Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad and ruling bishop of the Dioceses of Eastern America and Australia & New Zealand, spent Pascha 2019 in Australia. And he departed with thoughts of seeing his Australia flock again soon.

On Monday evening, June 14, the eve of the tenth anniversary of the repose of Archpriest Philip Petrovsky, family and friends of the departed gathered at St. Vladimir Cemetery in Jackson, NJ, for a panihida at the his grave.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, discusses the actions of Constantinople, Church schisms, enduring persecution, and ties with Ukraine.

From May 26-28, 2021, a regular plenary session of the Inter-Conciliar Assembly of the Russian Orthodox Church took place in the Church Council Hall in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia. The Inter-Conciliar Assembly

On Thursday, May 27, Matushka Claudia Burbelo, widow of Archdeacon Eugene Burbelo (+2017) reposed peacefully in the Lord. She was 87 years old.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Archimandrite Cyprian (Pyzhov). The main iconographer of the Russian Diaspora, he was a spiritual pillar of the Russian Church Abroad. As His Grace, Bishop Luke (Murianka), current abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, tells me, Fr. Cyprian was "second leader" of the community

On Wednesday morning, March 25, 2020, several days after suffering a stroke, Scoutmaster Subdeacon Wladimir Fedoroff, cleric of St. Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY, reposed in the Lord. He was 89 years old.

On Clean Monday, March 15, the first day of Great Lent, Archpriest Viktor Tseshkovsky, cleric of the Western American Diocese and rector of Protection of the Holy Virgin Church in Hollywood, CA, died suddenly at the age of 62.

The future Father Seraphim was born in Herkimer, NY when his father, now Archpriest Nikita Chemodakov, studied at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville. Seraphim earned a Diploma in Applied Science (Microbiology) at the University of Western Sydney in Australia in 1998;

On Friday, March 5, Matushka Anna (Nancy) Crowley of St. Xenia Church in Methuen, MA reposed in the Lord after a lengthy battle with cancer.

On Tuesday, March 9, Matushka Irina Korolenko, reposed in the Lord, just a few days ahead of her 95th birthday. Matushka Ira was the wife of ever-memorable Priest Andrei Korolenko, at one time rector of Holy Trinity Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

In the early morning of Wednesday, March 3, Deacon Jonathan Yerkes reposed suddenly in the Lord. He was 48 years old.

Fr. Pimen himself can’t remember when the Old Believer Soloviev family began to use the surname Simon. Neither did his father, Eustathius. On the other hand, Fr. Pimen remembers well that he and his Matushka Maria and their children and grandchildren have attended the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Erie, PA, on the banks of the Great Lake of the same name, their entire lives.

Anna said yesterday that on the island of Tobago, her friend Elias, a member of the Thaer family who had been visited by missionaries the year before the last, was shot during the attempt to rob his store. He is already dying. Anna says that Elias is Orthodox, even wanted to become a priest, but in connection with the move from Syria this was not destined to come true.

Historically, in Catholic countries, before Lent, a carnival (in Latin, "goodbye meat") is organized. It has long lost its religious significance, but acquired an entertaining meaning for Caribbean people and their culture.

In December, the Russian Church Abroad is solemnly celebrating the 725th anniversary of the glorious appearance of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. It is one of the greatest Orthodox sacred treasures, which White Russian émigrés carried out of Russia in 1920 and which became the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora.

For 17 years, Fr. Hilarion labored at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY. For many of the monks, seminarians, and pilgrims there, he was a spiritual confessor, father, and kindly instructor. The year 1984 brought great change to his life, starting with a move to New York City. Fast-forwarding a quarter century, now-Archbishop Hilarion is returning to New York once more, now from Australia, and will be elected the sixth First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad.

I would like to offer selected memoirs from my diary from July to December 2019 and tell about the development of the missionary parish in the Caribbean, where the Lord judged me to serve. I hope it will give answers to some questions and become an inspiration to Orthodox Christians for missionary work.

Father Jonah, thank you very much for finding time to talk to us. I understand that you are right now in your parish church. I see those beautiful frescoes behind you and you just finished your, what is it? Soup kitchen work? Or a food pantry?

Thank you for asking… In respect to my deanship at Holy Trinity Seminary, it would seem appropriate to start by saying that it was really my family upbringing which put me on the path now culminating in Jordanville. I grew up in very uplifting surroundings full of life-loving and literate people who never questioned what the Church offered them as "the way forward" in the wake of some massive upheaval and devastation in their past.

Its history reflects virtually the entirety of Russia’s history from the times of the Tatar-Mongol yoke up to the present day. The refugees who found themselves outside their homeland called it the " Hodegetria" (Directress, though often translated as Protectress), because they placed their trust in God and His Most Pure Mother alone.

At Pentecost, our Russian Holy Theophany Church in Boston resembles a Paradise garden. Blooming hydrangeas and azaleas on either side of the stairs, the beautiful church itself in an emerald attire behind the doors, in the mysterious flickering of candles, with birch branches bowing to the Mother of God and the air filled with morning dew and joy.

On August 27, 2010 on the eve of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, one of the senior clerics of the Eastern American Diocese, Archpriest Boris Kizenko, peacefully passed away. Fr. Boris was a longtime cleric of St. Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ.

During this past Great Lent, one of the senior-most protodeacons of the Russian Church Abroad in the United States, Fr. Joseph Jarostchuk, who last year celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination, underwent a very serious trial ‒ he was diagnosed with the Coronavirus, to the extent that he already began to prepare for death.

On the feast of the Holy Great-Martyr Panteleimon, the Eastern American Diocesan Media Office is proud to offer this touching sermon from Archimandrite Seraphim (Voepel; abbot of Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV), which he delivered in 2014, after his successful battle with cancer:

Archpriest Serafim Gan (chancellor of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops and rector of St. Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY) recently gave an interview to journalists from www.pravlife.org, in which he shared his thoughts on current events in the U.S.

On Friday, July 31, Archimandrite John (Erickson) of the Monastery of St. Dionysios the Areopagite in St. James, NY, reposed in the Lord after a battle with cancer. He was 68 years old.

The churches, monasteries, chapels, schools, orphanages, brotherhoods, sisterhoods, charitable organizations, societies and other Orthodox Christian organizations dedicated to St. John of Kronstadt.

On, May 25, 2018, the leave-taking of the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, senior-most cleric of the Russian Church Abroad, Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov, reposed in the Lord. Fr. Valery’s clerical service spanned 55 years.

On Tuesday, April 28, the Day of Rejoicing ("Radonitsa"), Archpriest George Zelenin visited many graves in the cemetery at Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo" in Nanuet, NY, to serve panihidas. Here we share his reflection upon visiting Father Gleb’s gravesite.

A lifelong artist, Fr. Paul formally studied drawing, painting, printmaking, and design at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts. Subsequently, he spent a year-and-a-half studying at Holy Trinity Theological Seminary in Jordanville, NY.

Archpriest Andrei Sommer, dean of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign (New York City) of the Russian Church Abroad was a few miles away from the Twin Towers that were destroyed in a terror attack on September 11, 2001. Some 19 years later, he is in the epicenter of another tragedy ‒ the coronavirus pandemic, which hit New York City worse than other American cities.

In his exclusive interview with the RIA Novosti Russian news agency, Archpriest Serafim Gan, Chancellor of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and rector of St. Seraphim of Sarov Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY, spoke about the celebration of Pascha in ROCOR parishes

When people think of faith, they think of going to church every Sunday, saying the Our Father every day, and that’s about it. Before Syezd [St. Herman Youth Conference – ed.], that was the attitude I had toward my faith, too.

In theory, the idea of parting with your iPhone and moving to a remote hamlet to tend bees and experience spiritual fervor is an appealing one, especially in 2019.

On Monday, December 16, Matushka Slavica Milosevic, wife of Archpriest Ljubo Milosevic (rector of Holy Trinity Church in Vineland, NJ), reposed in the Lord.

On Sunday October 27, after a lengthy battle with cancer, Reader Michael McKenney (Dr. William McKenney) reposed in the Lord. He was 63 years old. Reader Michael taught business at Eastern Kentucky University, the University of Mississippi, and at Bethel University in Tennessee.

From Saturday, September 22, to Wednesday, October 3, 2018 a delegation of the Russian Church Aboard, led by His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, visited the Diocese of Kursk with the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. Delegation participants shared their impressions with journalist Nina Stavitskaya.

On Monday, September 23, Matushka Barbara Townsend, wife of Archpriest John Townsend (rector of St. Mary of Egypt Church in Roswell (Atlanta), GA), reposed in the Lord. She was 77 years old.

On Wednesday, September 11, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) commemorated victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, according to the senior priest of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City, Archpriest Andrei Sommer.

On Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th of June, Deacon Andrei Psarev, Associate Professor of Canon Law and Russian Church History at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY, participated in two sessions of the Inter-Council Assembly held in Moscow

Nicolas Schidlovsky, Ph.D., began his tenure as the new dean of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary and professor of Sacred Music on Thursday, August 15, succeeding Archpriest Alexander F.C. Webster, Ph.D., who has retired as dean and professor of Moral Theology.

On Monday, August 12, Nina M. Soloviev, longtime parishioner of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, reposed in the Lord. She was 95.

Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia has become one of the most rapidly growing monastic communities in the Russian Church Abroad. Media Office correspondents spent a week living at the monastery in order to gain a better understanding of the daily life of monks.

On Thursday, July 25, following a long and serious illness, Archpriest John Moses, cleric of Holy Myrrhbearers Church in Harrisonburg, VA, reposed in the Lord.

The below article by Ludmila Keller was published in 1987 in "Orthodox Russia" Issue #15, in anticipation of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus’, the main celebrations of which the Russian Church Abroad held at St. Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ. 

On Wednesday, June 12, Matushka Marina Girard, (wife of Archpriest Laurence Girard; +2012), reposed in the Lord after a long and serious illness.

On Thursday, June 6, the glorious feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maurice Sill ‒ known as Moe, a beloved friend and benefactor of Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV ‒ departed this life at the age of 94, only two days after his birthday.

On Saturday, June 1, after a long and serious illness, Deacon Andrei Zavalin, cleric of St. Innocent of Moscow Mission in Nashville, TN, reposed in the Lord.

The shortest flight from New York to New Zealand is 18 hours, with a layover in Los Angeles. It was there that Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan traveled after the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora – the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.

Over two and a half months ago, Subdeacon Nectarios Yangson was rushed to the emergency room several times in the span of two days with an incredibly high sugar count of 651, the root cause being a negative physical reaction to a steroid medication prescribed to him after his two-month-long bout with pneumonia.

The decision to canonize the Russian martyrs of the 20th century was made in principle by the Council of Bishops in 1971 when, in response to a multitude of appeals by parishes abroad, and clergy and faithful in the USSR, the bishops of ROCOR adopted a resolution stating, "The Council of Bishops kneels in piety before the holy struggle of the Russian New Martyrs and consents to their glorification."

September in Moscow was uncharacteristically sunny and warm. Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky) of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY – one of 34 members of a delegation from the Russian Church Abroad accompanying the Kursk Root Icon to Russia in 2009...

This fall, I got to visit the American South for the second time in my life. Last year, I was in the Greater Atlanta Area, and this time I was in the parish of St. Nektarios of Pentapolis in Lenoir City, TN.

Rector of Dormition of the Mother of God Church in Bluefield, WV, Priest Mark Tyson left the Patriarchate of Constantinople and joined the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

At the request of the editorial board, Archpriest Serafim Gan, chancellor of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops, Secretary to the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, commented on the latest decisions of Patriarch Bartholomew and assessed the actions of the Phanar.

On Tuesday, October 30, Monk Cornelius (Mattei) of the Monastery of St. Dionysios the Areopagite in St. James, NY, reposed in the Lord. He was 68 years old.

This past July, with the blessing of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad, Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, vicar of the Eastern American Diocese, visited the Holy City of Jerusalem in order to observe and lead the anniversary commemorations in honor of the Centenary of the martyric deaths of New Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara

During the spring, a great relic was brought from the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City to St. Elizabeth Convent in Minsk, Belarus: a reliquary with the right arm of the Holy Nun-Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and a piece of the relics of Nun-Martyr Barbara.

On Monday, July 23, after a brief illness, Archpriest Stephanos Shagoury reposed in the Lord.

It has been my particular honor to create a magnificent shrine and reliquary for the Russian Royal Martyrs. The shrine was commissioned by an American convert to Orthodoxy as a gift to the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, a Russian Orthodox monastery in Wayne, WV.

On Monday, January 8, as part of his broader ROCOR Studies project, Deacon Andrei Psarev (assistant professor of Russian Church History and Canon Law at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY) visited St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC, where he conducted an interview with its rector, Archpriest Victor Potapov.

On Thursday, June 14, Abbot Gabriel (Kvasnikov), rector of Holy Trinity Church in Mebane, NC, reposed in theLord suddenly. He was 49 years old.

On Friday, May 25, the leave-taking of the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, senior-most cleric of the Russian Church Abroad, Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov, reposed in the Lord.

Baptized at 25 years of age in Kiev, after serving in the army, he entered a music college, from which he graduated with a major in guitar. Later on, he and his guitar headed to the Jewish Autonomous Region (Oblast’).

On Saturday, February 24, Schema-Archimandrite Averky (Shvetsov-Zagarsky), eldest cleric of the Belyov Diocese and the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery in Anastasovo, Tula Oblast, reposed in the Lord. He was 102 years old.

On Clean Thursday, February 22, after a difficult and lengthy illness, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich Galitzine reposed in the Lord. Prince Galitzine was a renowned dignitary in the life of the Church and Russian-American society, and for over 40 years served the Holy Church in his position as warden of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City.

More than a century ago, the founding fathers of Holy Dormition parish came here, to southwest Pennsylvania, leaving behind everything that was near and dear to them: their homes, families, and customs. They knew that, without hope in God’s providence, they would not survive. And out of this great faith, fidelity toward and love for God, in 1917 these people founded an Orthodox parish.

An icon of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos containing a piece of the omophorion of the Mother of God is visiting the churches and monasteries of the Eastern American Diocese. Brining the icon from Moscow is the general director of the Russian National Creative Workshop "Art-Project," LLC, and director of the International Foundation for Mutual Development & Strengthening of Spiritual Unity and the Religious & Historical Values of Russian Orthodoxy in the Homeland & Abroad "Under the Protection of the Theotokos," Eugene (Evgeny) Korolev. Mr. Korolev first visited the Diocese in December 2015, when a monument to the Reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church was dedicated at the Diocesan Center in Howell, NJ.

In 2017, St. Vladimir Church in Miami, FL celebrated its 70th anniversary. The festal divine services were held on November 11-12, led by His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan. At lunch after Divine Liturgy, parish cleric Priest Mykhailo Mykhailenko delivered a report about the church’s history:

Russian Church life in Florida was begun by Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko) in 1937 – who was himself later appointed Bishop of Florida – in a big city in the south of the state. In the mid-1940s, construction began on the first Russian church in Florida. Its founders were from the first and second waves of immigrants and included seven dwarfs – professional performers, who arrived in Miami at World War II broke out. Among them were Ivan and Pelagia Velikanov, and Vasily and Maria Filin. Their names appear on a memorial plaque at the entrance to the church.

On Wednesday, November 8, Archpriest Wsevolod Drobot, longtime cleric of the Eastern American Diocese, reposed in the Lord. Fr. Wsevolod’s clerical service lasted 57 years, and he had been rector of Nativity of the Mother of God parish in Albany, NY.

On Sunday, October 15, Matushka Martha Ermakov, of McKeesport, PA, reposed in the Lord. She was 88. She was born August 23, 1929 in Olyphant, PA (near Scranton) and was the daughter of the late John and Martha Russen Sweda. She was the wife of the late Archpriest Dimitri H. Ermakov.

When I remember Vladyka Laurus, what I remember the most important was how he truly loved the Church, how he loved the Russian Church, and how he was always measured in all things... Vladyka taught by example or by his short words or comments ("short" meaning concise: he did not have to say too much to guide us). 

On Tuesday, August 29, 2017, the feast of the Holy Image of the Savior "Not Made by Hands," the Eastern American Diocese prayerfully marked the 40th anniversary of the repose of Archpriest Peter Motscharsky (long-time rector of Holy Trinity Church in Astoria, NY). In honor of this anniversary, the diocesan Media Office would like to offer our readers the eulogy spoken at Fr. Peter’s funeral, delivered by his son-in-law, Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov, and translated into English for the first time.

Archpriest Victor Potapov is a cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC, is well-known not only in the United States, but in Russia, as well. For over 30 years, he led spiritual broadcasts on "Voice of America" radio.

On August 21, 1987, longtime cell attendant to Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) of Eastern America & New York, Protodeacon Nikita Chakirov, reposed in the Lord. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the repose of this zealous laborer of the Eastern American Diocese, we offer our readers an article written in memory of Fr. Nikita by Matushka Irina Lukianov (Boston, MA).

On Sunday, August 13, 1967, on the eve of the Dormition Fast, the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City hosted the hierarchal consecration of the dean of students of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY - Archimandrite Laurus (Škurla) - as Bishop of Manhattan, with an assignment to the position of secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and vicar to her First Hierarch, Metropolitan Philaret of Eastern America & New York. Metropolitan Philaret led the consecration, joined by a multitude of hierarchs and clergy. 

With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Archimandrite Maximos (Weimar), abbot of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross, presently located in East Setauket, NY, announced that the Brotherhood will be leaving its current location to establish the Brotherhood of the Holy Hieromartyr Dionysios the Areopagite. Until 2010, the monastery was under the omophorion of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, and is now under the canonical authority of Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. Recently, the Brotherhood faced a difficult decision; by choosing to remain within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, a change of residence is now necessary.

When "Yura" started kindergarten, he knew only three phrases in English, which was not rare for the families of Russian émigrés, who tried to delay the assimilation of their children. Even today, you will find Americans who speak flawless Russian. Long Island was home to one of the many post-WWII Russian communities which pooled their money one penny at a time to build their own modest churches in neighborhoods with large mansions, among which are St. Seraphim and Holy Intercession Churches.

On Wednesday, April 5, after a protracted, serious illness, Archdeacon Eugene Burbelo (long-time cleric of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City) reposed in the Lord. He was ordained by Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky) in 1955.

“The Cry of the Humbled Heart: The Ascetical Significance of the Great Canon”
Speaker: Bishop Irenei (Steenberg)
Length: 58:58 Lecture presented on March 21, 2017 at the Eastern American Diocesan Lenten Retreat at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell, NJ. 

On Friday, January 27, Monk Joseph (in the world Reader Isaac Lambertsen), longtime laborer and gifted translator of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, reposed at age 67 after battling cancer. Edward Lambertsen was born on October 22, 1949. He grew up in the town of Scotch Plains, NJ, where he graduated high school in 1967. 

On Wednesday, November 9, Archimandrite Innocent (Potter; cleric of the Eastern American Diocese) reposed in the Lord. He was 67. Fr. Innocent was born in Nova Scotia in 1949. Though of Russian heritage, he began his service in 1989 in the old calendarist "Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of America," where he was tonsured a reader and ordained subdeacon, deacon, and priest by Metropolitan Paisios (Loulourgas).

On Friday, October 21, Archpriest Andrei Semyanko (former rector of Holy Presentation Church in Stratford, CT) reposed in the Lord after several years of failing health. He was 89 years old. Born in Poltava in 1927, the future Fr. Andrei was the son of Ivan and Eugenia Semyanko. He received his education at Lomonosov Gymnasium. After immigrating to America, Andrei was tonsured a reader and ordained a subdeacon by Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko; +1960)...

On Wednesday, September 28, Archpriest Gregory Williams reposed suddenly in the Lord at age 75. His passing saw an immediately outpouring of testimonies bearing witness to his love for all those around him. Born in April 23, 1941, Fr. Gregory was the son of William and Mabel Lee Williams. In 1980, he was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood by Bishop Gregory Grabbe.

On Wednesday, August 24, Protodeacon Thomas Branch, cleric of St. Vladimir Church in Miami, FL, reposed in the Lord. He was 66 years old. Born in Ft. Worth, TX, Fr. Thomas adopted Orthodoxy as an adult. In 1972, he married Catherine Kaschak. In 1990, he was ordained a subdeacon by Metropolitan Philip (Saliba), head of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. He completed seminary courses in that jurisdiction in 1993.

On Thursday, June 23, Deacon Herman Ricketts reposed suddenly in the Lord at his home in Johnstown, PA. He was 54. Originally from the East Coast, Fr. Herman moved to California and was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco & Western America on December 4, 2010... 

On Monday, June 13, Archpriest Theodore Shevzov (cleric of St. Nicholas Church in Stratford, CT) reposed in the Lord after several years of failing health. He turned 87 years old on June 8. Born in Yugoslavia in 1929, Fr. Theodore was the son of Ivan I. Shevzov and Vera M. Pavlovskaya.

On Friday, February 6, Archimandrite Athanasy (Mastalski), longtime rector of Joy of All Who Sorrow Church in Philadelphia, PA, reposed in the Lord. He was 69 years old. Fr. Athanasy was born on June 24, 1946 in Philadelphia. In 1975, he was ordained a deacon, and in the following year a priest, by Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky).

On Thursday, January 14, Archimandrite Martin (Hohlfeld), cleric of the Eastern American Diocese, reposed in the Lord. He was 75 years old. Fr. Martin was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1941. He converted to Holy Orthodoxy and, in 2010, was tonsured a reader and ordained subdeacon, deacon, and priest by Bishop Jerome of Manhattan.

On Tuesday, January 12, Matushka Hannah Romeo, wife of Priest Demetrio Romeo (rector of St. Luke the Blessed Surgeon Church in Coconut Creek, FL), reposed in the Lord after a long battle with cancer. She was 48. Born Cari Shereck, Matushka and Fr. Demetrio accepted Holy Orthodoxy together as adults.

On Tuesday, November 17, Priest Gregoire Legouté, cleric of the Haitian Mission of the Eastern American Diocese, reposed in the Lord. He was 53 years old. He is survived by his Matushka Rose, and their two daughters, Anastasia and Chrissy. Memory eternal to the newly reposed Priest Gregoire!

At 11:50 PM on Sunday, August 9, on the feast of the Holy Great-Martyr & Healer Panteleimon, patron of Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV, Schemamonk John (Dezorzi) peacefully reposed in the Lord. The Canon for the Departure of the Soul was read when he reposed. Fr. John was a member of the brotherhood of Holy Cross Monastery from 1998 until 2006...

On Monday, June 8, Matushka Nadezhda Drobot, wife of Archpriest Wsewolod Drobot (former rector of Nativity of the Mother of God Church in Albany, NY) and mother of Protodeacon Nicholas Drobot (cleric of Holy New Martyrs of Russia Church in Norwich, CT), reposed in the Lord.

On Sunday, March 23, Abbot David (Pierce; rector of Holy Dormition (Holyrood) Skete in Jacksonville, FL), cleric of the Eastern American Diocese, reposed in the Lord. He was 54 years old. Fr. David was born in Alabama in 1959. In 1996, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and the following year a hieromonk.

On Wednesday, January 8, the feast of the Synaxis of the Mother of God, Abbess Irene (Alexeev), rectress of Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo" reposed in the Lord. She was 91 years old. Mother Irene served as convent rectress for over 20 years, beginning in 1992...