IN THE NEWS: California, NY, Moscow, Ohio
San Francisco, CA: St. Anna Icon to visit San Francisco area
The miraculous icon of Saint Anna, enshrined at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery, South Canaan, PA, will visit the west coast November 7-9, 2014. The Icon will be accompanied by the monastery’s Abbot, Archimandrite Sergius.
With the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the Icon will arrive at San Francisco’s Holy Virgin Cathedral, 6210 Geary Boulevard, at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 7. A Molieben and the Akathistos Hymn will be celebrated.
On Saturday, November 8, the Icon will be available for veneration at Saint Christina of Tyre Church, 3721 Parish Avenue, Fremont, CA, where Father Sergius will conduct a full-day retreat from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Among the topics he will address are “Big City Saints,” “Modern Miracles,” and “10-Minute Spirituality.” The Icon also will be present during the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 9, after which a Molieben in honor of Saint Anna will be celebrated by Archpriest Michael Anderson, Rector, and Father Sergius. Detailed information on the visit and retreat may be found here.
Painted at the women’s monastery on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives in 1998, the icon began streaming fragrant myrrh in May 2004 while it was enshrined at the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady, Joy of All Who Sorrow, Philadelphia, PA. Since the fall of 2012, the icon has been enshrined at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery.
Yonkers, NY: SVOTS Open Forum podcasts now available on AFR
A podcast of the Orthodox Christian Laity Open Forum held at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY on Friday, October 24, 2014, is now available on Ancient Faith Radio. Featured speakers included His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit; His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York; and Mr. Alexei Krindatch.
The Open Forum was designed by OCL and took place within the context of its annual meeting, held on the seminary campus October 23–25.
See related story here.
Moscow, Russia: 220th Anniversary of Orthodox Christianity in North America celebrated
On October 7, 2014, the 220th Anniversary of Orthodox Christianity in North America was celebrated at the Orthodox Church in America’s Representation Church of the Great Martyr Catherine, Moscow, Russia. Archimandrite Alexander [Pihach], parish Dean and OCA Representative to the Moscow Patriarchate, presided at the celebration of the Akathistos Hymn honoring the Saints of North America, which was celebrated in the English language. A reception followed, at which numerous researchers in the history of the Church in North America were present.
To mark the occasion, the parish’s bells were rung. Simultaneously, with the blessing of His Grace, Bishop David of Sitka and Alaska, bells were rung in parish churches across Alaska. Bells also were rung at the OCA Chancery, Syosset, NY and at the Valaam Monastery, from which Saint Herman and his fellow missionaries who arrived in Kodiak, AK in 1794 hailed.
Lima, OH: 21st annual Ancient Christianity Conference
In an effort to promote cultural understanding, Christian unity, and informed dialogue, OH, Saint Stephen Church hosted the 21st annual Ancient Christianity Conference October 3-5, 2014. The conference theme was “Feed My Sheep.”
Sponsored by the Brotherhood of Saint Moses the Black, a nationwide organization of African American Orthodox Christian leaders, the conference explored a variety of themes related to ancient Christianity’s kinship with historic African-American spirituality, including “The Eucharist as the Center of Everything,” “Bridging African American Culture,” and “Caring for the needy.” Among the presenters were Archpriests Moses Berry and Mark Hodges, host Pastor; Priests Jerome Sanderson, Maximos Cabey, and Nathaniel Johnson; Dr. Carla Thomas, Mother Katherine Weston, Rodney Knott, Paul Abernathy, Photios Meirthew, and Turbo Qualls. A highlight of the conference was the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, sung together by all in attendance.
Podcasts of the conference’s presentations are available on Ancient Faith Radio.