With the blessing of the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, and Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Temporary Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, the clergy of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA, Hegumen Nikodim (Balyasnikov) and Priest Mark Rashkov, took part in the funeral and burial services for the former Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), who reposed in the Lord on October 19 of this year.
On the evening of October 22, at St. John the Baptist Church in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where the future Metropolitan Theodosius spent his childhood and began his church service, the funeral service for the newly reposed was celebrated by an assembly of hierarchs and clergy of the Orthodox Church in America headed by His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada.
According to the wish of the departed, the burial took place in the cemetery of the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. On October 23, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon led the Divine Liturgy at this monastery, concelebrating with hierarchs and clergy of the Orthodox Church in America, as well as Bishop Irinej of Eastern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA, the Secretary of the Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Hegumen Nikodim (Balyasnikov), and the head of the chancery of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes in the USA, Priest Mark Rashkov.
After the Liturgy, the archpastors addressed those present with words of remembrance of the departed. The condolences of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk were read by Priest Mark Rashkov.
After the litiya for the departed and the reading of the prayer of absolution, the archpastors, clergy, the sisters of the monastery headed by Abbess Christophora, and the laity accompanied the coffin with the body of the newly reposed Metropolitan Theodosius on its final journey to the monastery cemetery.
