Department for External Church Relations
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Consecration of the largest Orthodox church on the Southeast coast of the United States takes place in Miami
On December 12, the solemn opening and consecration of a new Church of St Matrona of Moscow took place in Miami, Florida, USA. Metropolitan Hilarion of East America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, officiated at the service in concelebration of hierarchs and clergymen from various countries.
Hundreds of people were present at the consecration, the website of the parish reports.
The Church of St Matrona is the largest Orthodox church not only in Florida, but on the whole Southeast coast of the United States. According to different estimations, from one hundred to two hundred thousand Russian-speaking Americans live in Miami and the neighbouring counties. For the Orthodox settlers, church communities were always true oases in the foreign land. Here they would find real aid and spiritual support.
The Orthodox parish of St Matrona of Moscow, established in 2011, had been celebrating services in simple rented premises for four years before it managed to purchase a building of a former Methodist church. Over a million dollars was fundraised to buy and renew the building. As Interfax-Religion reports, more than tens of thousands of people made their donations.
The building was reconstructed and decorated in compliance with the Orthodox tradition. The church occupies an area of 1,585 square meters and can house seven hundred people. The parish also has a refectory, a kindergarten, a library, and a Sunday school.
Among those who took part in the opening ceremony were the city mayor and other representatives of the U.S. authorities. To mark the celebrations, the miracle-working Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Miami from New York.
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