On August 20, the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the feast of Hieromartyr Protopresbyter Alexander Hotovitzky, founder and first rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York, with the blessing of Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Temporary Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, the clergy of the Eastern States deanery concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral. The service was led by the dean, Priest Julian Ryabtsev
After Holy Communion, a glorification was sung and a prayer to Hieromartyr Alexander was read.
At the end of the service, Fr. Julian greeted the rectors and clergy of the Eastern deanery parishes who had gathered, as well as the parishioners and guests of the cathedral, and noted that just as the feast of Hieromartyr Alexander always falls during the days of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, so in his labors on American soil the future saint transfigured church life, becoming the builder of St. Nicholas Cathedral and of churches of other communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The dean also expressed hope that the church life of the Eastern States deanery parishes would continue in the spirit and traditions whose foundations were laid by the saints who labored on American soil, such as St. Herman of Alaska, Hieromartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, and St. Tikhon the Confessor, Patriarch of All Russia, thanks to whom the Church became a home both for immigrants from different countries and for native-born Americans, uniting many people of different nationalities and cultures.
After the Divine Liturgy there was a common meal prepared with the help of members of the Youth Department of the Patriarchal Parishes. After the meal and fraternal fellowship in an informal setting, an official meeting of the deanery was held, at which current issues of its parishes were discussed.