On Sunday, November 20, 2022, the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, celebrations were held at St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York marking the 120th anniversary of its great consecration by St. Tikhon (Bellavin). On the same day the whole fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church prayerfully marked the birthday of its Primate — His Holiness KIRILL, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’.
On the eve of the Sunday, the All-Night Vigil was celebrated in the cathedral. At the Polyeleos, an icon of St. Tikhon and Hieromartyr Protopresbyter Alexander Hotovitzky, specially painted for this feast by the St. Petersburg iconographer Nadezhda Nestoruk, was brought out for the veneration of the faithful, containing part of the lid of the reliquary bearing the original signature of Tikhon, Bishop of the Aleutians and North America, dated November 23, 1902.
At the invitation of Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Temporary Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Divine Liturgy on the feast was led by the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York.
Concelebrating with His Eminence was an assembly of clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA and the Russian Church Outside of Russia, as well as representatives of the Local Churches: the rector of the cathedral and Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov; the cleric of the Antiochian jurisdiction in the USA, Archimandrite Jeremiah (Davis); the Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, Archpriest Alexander Rentel; the sacristan of the ROCOR Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York, Archpriest Andrei Sommer; and the rector of Three Saints Church in Garfield, New Jersey, Archpriest George Konev. Toward the end of the service, the rector of the Cathedral of St. Sava in New York of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA, Archpriest Zivojin Jakovljevic, arrived.
Many parishioners and guests of the parish prayed at the service, as well as the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, V.A. Nebenzya, and the Deputy Permanent Representative for economic, administrative and budgetary affairs, D.S. Chumakov. The liturgical hymns were sung by the hierarchical choir under the direction of choir director Ksenia Afanasyeva.
During the service, after tonsuring him a reader and subdeacon, Metropolitan Nicholas ordained Alexis Ozerov, an altar server of Three Holy Hierarchs Church in Garfield, New Jersey, to the diaconate.
At the Litany of Fervent Supplication, special petitions of thanksgiving were proclaimed for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and for St. Nicholas Cathedral, after which Metropolitan Nicholas offered a prayer from the rite of the renewal of a church. After Holy Communion, the clergy sang the glorification of St. Tikhon the Confessor, Patriarch of All Russia, before the icon of the feast.
At the end of the service, the rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, read the greeting of His Holiness KIRILL, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’, to the participants in the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the great consecration of the church.
In a messagedevoted to the occasion, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Outside of Russia, Metropolitan Nicholas, addressed those gathered, saying in particular:
“A great event for us today is the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in this majestic Patriarchal Cathedral, by which we have worthily honored both today’s little Pascha of Christ and the significant date we celebrate — the 120th anniversary of the great consecration of this cathedral church. Its history is illumined by the grace-filled labors, ministry and tears of St. Tikhon, the renowned confessor and Patriarch of All Rus’, who to this day enjoys the fervent veneration of all the Orthodox in the United States of America; of St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn, a great friend of our people and a close helper of the future Patriarch, who as a pastor laid down his life for the life and flourishing of the Syro-Arab mission in North America; and of Protopresbyter Alexander Hotovitzky, a great missionary and new martyr, who together with the righteous Alexis Toth labored much for the return of the Carpatho-Rusyns from the Unia to Holy Orthodoxy. May their apostolic zeal be a constant example for us in that service “in a strange land” (Ps. 136:4) to which we too are called!
…Together with fervent prayers for the restoration of peace, we prayed for the health of today’s birthday celebrant — His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, who 19 years ago, as Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, consecrated this cathedral after its renovation. Commemorating him prayerfully today, we ask the Lord for heavenly help for His Holiness in his ministry.”
On behalf of Bishop Matthew and the clergy and parishioners of the cathedral, Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov addressed Metropolitan Nicholas with words of gratitude for the joy of praying together and, in memory of the service, presented him with fabric for a metropolitan’s mantle. The rector also especially greeted the ordained representatives of the Antiochian, Serbian and American Churches, recalling that in St. Tikhon’s time he united all the Orthodox of North America under his omophorion. In memory of their participation in the celebration, Archpriest Igor presented them with an icon of the holy builders of the cathedral — St. Tikhon and Hieromartyr Protopresbyter Alexander Hotovitzky.
The service concluded with Many Years to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and to the clergy, benefactors and parishioners of St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Fellowship of the clergy and parishioners continued at a fraternal meal prepared by Matushka Alla Vyzhanova and the cathedral sisterhood.
Photos: press service of the Eastern American Diocese of ROCOR
