ROCOR New York Diocese Establishes Glorification Committee for Metropolitan Philaret, Brother Jose

A meeting of the diocesan council of the Diocese of New York and Eastern America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has established a glorification committee to collect information about the lives and miracles of Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky), the third First Hierarch of the ROCOR, and Brother Jose Munoz-Cortes, the Chilean Orthodox caretaker of the myrrh-streaming Montreal Icon of the Mother of God who was brutally murdered in 1997. Both men are buried at the ROCOR's Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York. More here.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Visits Holy Land

Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow has undertaken a visit to the Holy Land, meeting with Patriarch Theophilus III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem as well as with representatives of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Missions in Jerusalem of both the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). More here and here.

Conference of Russian Orthodox Hierarchs Abroad Held in London

A conference of Russian Orthodox hierarchs serving outside the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate involving diocesan and auxiliary hierarchs of both dioceses directly under the Patriarchate and under the autonomous Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) as well as Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has been held in London, England. Hierarchs representing dioceses in North America, Oceania, and Western Europe were present for the conference.

In addition to concelebrating together the gathered hierarchs discussed issues relating to joint pastoral work between the various dioceses (previously separated by the split between the Russian Orthodox Church in the USSR and the ROCOR), 'internal missionary work' relating to the Belorussian/Russian/Ukrainian Diasporas, 'external' missionary work amongst the non-Orthodox peoples of the West, differences in liturgical practice, and variations in how converts are received into the Russian Orthodox Church outside the former USSR.

A summary of the conference, which also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the organization of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox diocese in the United Kingdom, can be found here.

Jordanville Women's Skete Marks 25th Anniversary

Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal has led celebrations in Jordanville marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of the women's Skete of St. Elizabeth. During the celebrations the sisterhood's superior, Nun Elisabeth (Czwikla), was elevated to the rank of abbess. More here.

ROCOR to Allow Investigation of Romanov Relics from Brussels

The Synod Abroad of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has approved the investigation of Romanov relics previously interred in the Memorial Church of St. Job in Brussels, noting only that it expects a "pious attitude" on the part of those investigating the relics as efforts to conclusively identify the purportedly Romanov remains interred in St. Petersburg's Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul continue. The Synod Abroad's full statement can be found here.

Photo of the Day: Festal Services in Haiti

The festal services at the Church of St. Augustine in Jacmel, Haiti, on the eve of St. Augustine's day.

ROCOR Metropolitan to Undergo Surgery

Please remember Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in your prayers as he undergoes knee surgery in Australia this coming Monday.

Update (28/2/2012): Metropolitan Hilarion's doctors successfully performed the knee replacement surgery and are pleased with the results of the operation. More here.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch, ROCOR Metropolitan Meet in Moscow

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow and Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of New York of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad have met during the latter's recent visit to Moscow to discuss the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church and the upcoming fifth anniversary of the reconciliation of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Synod Abroad. More here.

St. Alexander of Munich to be Glorified

It has been decided that the formal glorification of the Holy New Martyr Alexander (Schmorell) of Munich will take place with the participation of hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in the latter's diocesan cathedral in Munich this coming February. St. Alexander was a faithful member of the ROCOR who helped found an anti-Hitler resistance group during World War II, for which he was martyred. More on the upcoming glorification can be found here.

ROCOR Archbishop Visits Mexico

Archbishop Kyrill (Dmitrieff) of San Francisco of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has made a pastoral visit to Mexico, during his stay in the country leading celebrations in honor of the founding of Mexico City's Skete of the Holy Trinity and meeting with Metropolitan Athenagoras (Aneste) of the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church in Mexico and Bishop Alejo (Pacheco y Vera) of the Orthodox Church in Mexico. More here.

Historic Concelebration in Paris

A historic concelebration has taken place between the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of New York, and the head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe, Archbishop Gabriel (de Vylder) of Comana. The concelebration, which took place in Paris' Cathedral of St. Alexander of the Neva, was the first between a first hierarch of the ROCOR and a head of the Exarchate since the latter broke away from the ROCOR in 1927 to join the Moscow Patriarchate (and later the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church). More here.

ROCOR Metropolitan Marks Nameday in NSW

As part of his ongoing pastoral visit to Australia Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has marked his nameday at the diocesan Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Strathfield, New South Wales. Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal of the ROCOR and Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic) of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand together with local Russian and Serbian Orthodox clergy participated in the festal services at Sts. Peter and Paul, which were led by Metropolitan Hilarion. More (in Serbian) here.

Russian Orthodox Dioceses in Germany Hold Joint Pastoral Conference

The German dioceses of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia have held a joint pastoral conference in Berlin under the leadership of Archbishops Mark (Arndt) and Feofan () of Berlin and Bishop Agapit of Stuttgart. The conference, which was timed to coincide with the national celebration of the reunion of East and West Germany, discussed pastoral issues in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in Germany as well as German-language translations of the services being prepared for use in the churches. (The translations are being prepared with the participation of representatives of the other Local Orthodox Churches present in Germany.) More on the conference can be found here.

Western Rites Conference Takes Place in Upstate New York

The 2011 Western Rites Conference of the Western Rites Vicariate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has successfully taken place in upstate New York with the participation of Bishop Jerome (Shaw) of Manhattan and clergy and faithful of the Western Rites Vicariates of both the ROCOR and the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.

The Conference discussed pastoral issues in the life of the Western Rites parishes and included the daily celebration of the divine services, including a pontifical Mass in Latin celebrated by Bishop Jerome. More on the Conference's proceedings can be found here.

ROCOR Metropolitan Visits Holy Land

Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, during his time there meeting with Patriarch Theophilos III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem and concelebrating the services with the heads and clergy of both the patriarchal and synodal Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Missions in Jerusalem. More here and here.

OCA, ROCOR Bishops Concelebrate at Historic South Canaan Monastery

As part of the recent new style feast day celebrations at St. Tikhon of Zadonsk's Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, Bishops Tikhon (Mollard) of Philadelphia of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) and George (Schaefer) of Mayfield of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) concelebrated the Divine Liturgy in the presence of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. The concelebration was the first between hierarchs of the ROCOR and what now is the OCA at the historic South Canaan Monastery in nearly 70 years. More here.

South American ROCOR Bishop Visits Venezuela Parishes

Bishop John (Berzins) of Caracas, administrator of the Eparchy of Buenos Aires of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), has made his first pastoral visit to his cathedra and the other Venezuelan parishes of the ROCOR. More (in Russian) here.

The country's parishes were largely established by the wave of imperial Russian and Soviet emigres and refugees leaving Europe after World War II. Although many later moved on to the United States and other countries, as was the case with my godmother's family, many also settled permanently in Venezuela and have been joined in recent years by a second wave of Russian Orthodox emigres from Belarus.

Metropolitan Anthony of Kiev

Joyous feast! Today marks the 75th anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev, a onetime contender for the patriarchal cathedra of the Russian Orthodox Church and the founding first hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) after the triumph of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War.

The future Metropolitan Anthony was born in March 1863 to members of the eastern Ukrainian nobility from the area of Kharkov as Aleksey, so named after St. Alexis of Rome. As a child Aleksey desired to live the monastic life and became closely involved in the divine services, even meeting, while serving in the sanctuary, the future missionary St. Nicholas (Kasatkin) of Tokyo in St. Petersburg. While still a child the future metropolitan even composed a Slavonic-language service to Sts. Cyril and Methodius that was later approved for use by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

After finishing his primary education Aleksey entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and at the age of twenty-two, having finished his theological studies, was tonsured a monk with the name Anthony and ordained first to the deaconate and then to the priesthood. Fr. Anthony served as an inspector at his alma mater, but was exiled to the Kholm Theological Seminary in the western reaches of the Russian Empire when he refused to denounce the seminarians under his care to the authorities.

Fr. Anthony remained in Kholm for a year before being recalled to St. Petersburg to teach at the Academy. During his time as a professor Fr. Anthony strongly defended the movement calling for the restoration of the Russian Orthodox Church's patriarchate and attracted many of the seminarians, among them the future Patriarch St. Tikhon (Bellavin), to the monastic life through his example. At the age of twenty-seven Fr. Anthony was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed rector of the Academy, becoming its youngest rector ever and a year later being transferred to serve as rector of the Moscow Theological Academy.

Due to the dislike of the newly enthroned Metropolitan of Moscow Fr. Anthony was transferred from the former imperial capital to Kazan, where he taught at the Kazan Theological Academy before being elected to the episcopate at the age of thirty-four as Bishop of Christopol' and auxiliary of the Eparchy of Kazan. Within three years Bishop Anthony was elected ruling Bishop of Ufa, where he soon doubled the number of parishes in his diocese and ordained many non-Russians to the priesthood to minister to the area's native pagans and Muslims.

In 1902 Bishop Anthony was transferred to the Eparchy of Zhytomyr in Volhynia in the western reaches of the Russian Empire. During his twelve years in Volhynia Bishop Anthony did much to uproot the corruption that had been prevalent in the diocesan administration and amongst the Eparchy's clergy while also renewing the spiritual life of his flock and strengthening its witness to the area's many Ukrainian Catholics, Roman Catholics, and Jews. Despite the political tensions of the times Bishop Anthony, who was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1906, protected Volhynia's Jews from pogroms by ultranationalists while also defending the institution of the monarchy during the revolutionary fervor of 1905. Archbishop Anthony also oversaw the renewal of the Pochaev Lavra, which built its great Cathedral of the Trinity during Archbishop Anthony's episcopate.

Archbishop Anthony remained unpopular in government circles for his support of the patriarchate and prevention of pogroms in Volhynia, but remained in Zhytomyr until Austria-Hungary discovered his involvement in missionary work amongst the Ruthenians living in northeastern Hungary as exarch of Ecumenical Patriarch Joachim III, at which point Vienna had pressure applied to have the archbishop transferred to the Eparchy of Kharkov in 1914.

When World War I began Archbishop Anthony became involved in caring for the wounded in local hospitals, visiting soldiers regardless of their nationality thanks to his command of the German language. He also took refugees from Serbia, among them the future Patriarch Barnabas, into his diocese, forging ties that would later be of vital importance to the survival of the ROCOR. Following the March Revolution in 1917 Archbishop Anthony was expelled from his diocese by the revolutionaries and retired to the Valaam Monastery for several months before being called back to Kharkov by his flock.

In late 1917 Archbishop Anthony arrived in Moscow to take part in the All-Russian Council then being held. When the patriarchate was restored and elections held Archbishop Anthony was the leading candidate of those proposed, receiving over a third of the votes in the first round of voting. When a lot of the top three was used to chose the next patriarch the archbishop's former pupil, St. Tikhon (Bellavin), was chosen by God to be the first restored Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

Following the election Archbishop Anthony was elevated to the rank of metropolitan and, in 1918, transferred to the Eparchy of Kiev to replace the martyred Metropolitan St. Vladimir of Kiev. In Kiev he was imprisoned first by Ukrainian nationalists and then by the invading Poles before being liberated by the Whites in 1919. When the Soviets began occupying central Ukraine Metropolitan Anthony wanted to remain in his diocese, but was persuaded to board an evacuation ship to serve a thanksgiving for the capture of the Hagia Sophia by the Greeks (which had not taken place), with the ship weighing anchor as soon as the metropolitan was aboard.

In the huge Diaspora that formed following the end of the Russian Civil War Metropolitan Anthony initially thought that the refugees should submit to the Local Orthodox Churches on whose canonical territories they found themselves. Taking the precedent of the exiled Cypriot Orthodox Church, however, Metropolitan Anthony was persuaded in late 1920 to participate in Constantinople in the organization of a 'higher church authority,' with both the Church of Constantinople and Patriarch St. Tikhon approving the move that December.

In 1921 the headquarters of the 'higher church authority' were established in the former seat of the Orthodox Church of Austria-Hungary in Smreski Karlovci, Yugoslavia, and at the end of that year the first All-Diaspora Council took place there. In 1922 the authority was reorganized on the instruction of Patriarch St. Tikhon as the ROCOR with its own permanent local synod to direct its internal life until the Russian Orthodox Church in the USSR would be free again.

Metropolitan Anthony was recognized as the First Hierarch of the ROCOR and courageously led it throughout its early years, seeking to prevent the schisms of Metropolitans Eulogius of Paris and Platon of New York and also highlighting the war crimes committed by the Soviets both within the USSR and in northern China. In 1934 the aging Metropolitan Anthony together with St. Nicholas (Velimirovich) of Zhicha consecrated his spiritual son in monasticism, Archimandrite St. John (Maximovich), to the episcopacy as Bishop of Shanghai.

Two years after the consecration of St. John Metropolitan Anthony, then wheelchair-bound, reposed peacefully on this day in 1936 in Serbia. Three days later Patriarch Barnabas of the Serbian Orthodox Church together with six other hierarchs served Metropolitan Anthony's funeral in Belgrade's Cathedral of St. Michael, after which the metropolitan was buried in the city's new cemetery beneath the Chapel of the Icon of the Mother of God 'the Gatekeeper.'

More on Metropolitan Anthony's life and labors can be found here. May his memory be eternal!

St. Herman of Alaska

Joyous feast! С праздником! Today is one of the few fixed feast days that share the same day on both the Julian and Gregorian calendars as we commemorate the simultaneous glorification of St. Herman of Alaska by the American Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which took place on this day 41 years ago. A full account of St. Herman's life can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!

Today is a special day for me as it's the day I became a catechumen in 2002. I coincidentally noticed St. Herman's icon in the local parish bookstore and bought it shortly before I was made a catechumen and have felt a connection with him since, though unfortunately not strong enough of one for me to have been baptized as Herman or Germanus. (I get enough weird looks from my family as it is ;-).) St. Herman is truly the father of every Orthodox Christian in North America - I hope his blessings are with you in a special way today!

"O Blessed Father Herman of Alaska, North Star of Christ's Holy Church! The light of your holy life and great deeds guides those who follow the Orthodox Way! Together we lift high the holy cross you planted firmly in the Americas! Let all behold and glorify Jesus Christ, singing His Holy Resurrection!

ROCOR Bishop Visits Platina Monastery

Bishop George (Schaefer) of Mayfield, auxiliary of the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), has visited the Monastery of St. Herman of Alaska in Platina, California, in what may be the first such hierarchical visit since the Platina Monastery's schism from the ROCOR in the 1980s. During his visit to the Monastery Bishop George was given a tour of the property, including the former cell and the grave of Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) of Platina. Bishop George also visited Hieromonk Herman (Podmoshensky), the ailing former abbot of the Platina Monastery who led it into schism following St. Seraphim's death. More here.

Pictured are Archimandrite Gerasim (Eliel), former abbot of the Monastery, Bishop George, and Hieromonk Hilarion, current abbot at Platina.