On Sunday, August 23, 2026, the 12th Sunday after Pentecost and the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the clergy and parishioners of St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York prayerfully marked the 89th anniversary of the martyrdom of the founder and first rector of the cathedral, Protopresbyter Alexander Hotovitzky (+August 19, 1936).
The Divine Liturgy was led by the rector of the cathedral, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Temporary Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and Canada. Concelebrating with the archpastor were the acting Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Hegumen Nikodim (Balyasnikov); the Dean of the Eastern States parishes, Archpriest Michael Kapcicz; and the cathedral clergy, Protodeacon Igor Panachev and Deacon John Peters. Confessions during the service were heard by Archpriest Alexander Golubov, Priest Anthony Kurakevich and Hieromonk John (Shefler).
After Holy Communion, the archpastor, clergy and faithful sang the glorification of Hieromartyr Protopresbyter Alexander before his icon.
In his sermon at the end of the service, the bishop congratulated the clergy and parishioners of the cathedral on the Lord’s Day and the continuing days of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. “The remembrance of this sacred event reminds us of the goal and essence of the Christian life — the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, of which the apostles became witnesses and partakers on Mount Tabor. The lives of the saints tell us of this: according to the word of the apostle, they put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him (cf. Col. 3:9-10). The same example is given to us by Protopresbyter Alexander Hotovitzky, whom we honor today — the founder, builder and first rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York. At every stage of his virtuous life he strove to transfigure his own soul and the lives of his flock with the uncreated Light of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The crown of his labors and of his many years of ministry in North America, Finland and Russia was a martyr’s death during the persecution of the Russian Church,” the archpastor said in particular.
The bishop also gratefully noted the labors of the clergy, volunteers and parishioners of the cathedral in preserving the legacy of Fr. Alexander in the church he built, as evidenced, among other things, by the growth in recent years of the English-speaking part of the parish, pastored by Hieromonk John (Shefler).
Bishop Matthew wished all those gathered, and all the clergy and faithful of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, the prayerful intercession of Hieromartyr Alexander Hotovitzky in their service for the good of the Russian Orthodox Church.
