On April 18, 2025, on Friday afternoon of Holy Week, the traditional Vespers of Good Friday with the removal of the Shroud of Our Lord Jesus Christ was celebrated at St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York.
During the service dedicated to the preparation of the Body of the Crucified Savior for burial, the clergy take the Shroud from the altar - an embroidered cloth symbolizing the burial shroud of Christ, with an image of His Most Pure Body - and place it on a special tomb in the center of the church.
Then, at the service of small compline, the canon of the Lenten Triodion "On the crucifixion of the Lord and the lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos" is read. At the end of the service, all those praying in the church reverently kiss the Shroud.
The service was led by the rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov. He was assisted by the acting chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Hegumen Nikodim (Balyasnikov), as well as the clergy of the cathedral, Hieromonk John (Scheffler) and Protodeacon Igor Panachev.
