San Francisco, June 28, 2014
On Friday, June 27, 2014, a moleben to St John of Shanghai and San Francisco performed in the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco opened the 13th All-Diaspora Russian Orthodox Youth Conference. The cathedral contains the reliquary of the great saint of the Russian diaspora. Heading the service was His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, along with clergymen from various dioceses of the Russian Church Abroad. Hierarchs of the Church Abroad prayed at the service, who are in San Francisco for a session of the Council of Bishops of ROCOR, as well as His Grace Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhov-Zuev, President of the Synodal Department of Social Service of the Moscow Patriarchate, and His Grace Bishop Iona of Obukhovsk, Vicar of the Kievan Metropoliate, both participants of the youth conference, and a host of believers from various countries.
At the end of the singing of the akathist, Metropolitan Hilarion welcomed the young conferees. “Today, after decades of godlessness in our historic homeland, the Russian Orthodox Church is restoring its missionary work, which, with God’s help, never ceased in the Russian Church Abroad,” said His Eminence. “Moreover, the years of wandering by the refugees and forced emigres did not for a moment stop serving God and neighbor. Today, social service is very difficult, but this grace-filled podvig is open to all people of all ages in all countries. The world around us is in need of mercy, and the chance to do good is given to us constantly.”
The greeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was read by Bishop Panteleimon. The epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Onouphry, locum tenens of the Kievan Metropoliate was read by Bishop Iona, who also relayed to Vladyka Hilarion the heartfelt support and greeting from Metropolitan Onouphry, and offered him a gift of a panaghia.
