With the blessing of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, His Grace, Bishop David of Sitka and Alaska traveled to Moscow for the celebration of the patronal feast of the Orthodox Church in America’s Representation Church of the Great Martyr Catherine. Bishop David concelebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, December 6, 2015 with Archimandrite Alexander [Pihach], Dean of Saint Catherine’s, and the parish’s clergy. Accompanying Bishop David was Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, Rector of Saint Tikhon Church, Anchorage, AK.
On Monday, December 7, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion [Alfeyev] of Volokolamsk, who heads the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department of External Church Relations [DECR], presided at the festal Divine Liturgy, at which Bishop David, Father Alexander and numerous local clergy, including Archpriest Nikolai Balashev, DECR Deputy Chairman, concelebrated.
Among those present for the festal Liturgy was Christopher G. Grossman, Second Secretary, Political Section of the US Embassy in Moscow, who represented John F. Tefft, US Ambassador to Russia, who was unable to attend.
“This was the first Orthodox Church service I have ever attended, and I was amazed and impressed by the beautiful music, the solemnity of the ceremony, and the sincere piety of the priests and parishioners,” said Mr. Grossman.
