Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia holds its concluding session in 2015

The meeting of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia took place at the Synodal residence of its First Hierarch in New York on 8-9 December 2015.

Opening the session, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York greeted Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany with the 35^th anniversary of his episcopal consecration. In his report, Archbishop Mark told the participants in the meeting about the work of the 5^th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference, held in October. The conference was convened in compliance with the decision of the Synaxis of the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches to prepare documents for the forthcoming Pan-Orthodox Council. In his report, Archbishop Mark also dwelt on the activities of the ROCOR’s Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada presented a financial report and informed those present of the work of the Calendar Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, deputy secretary of the Synod of Bishops, spoke about the visits of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sigh” to Australia, Western Europe, and the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Kursk, Yekaterinburg, and Ufa metropolias, and proposed a schedule for its visits for next year.

His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America put forward a proposition to organize celebrations in San Francisco and Seattle next year to mark the 50^th anniversary of the demise of St John of Shanghai.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the archpastors celebrated the patronal feast of the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign.” During the celebrations, a special prayer for the repose of the souls of Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky, +1965) and Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky, +1985) was said.

On December 10, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York officiated at the Divine Liturgy in concelebration with hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA. After the service, Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany was awarded the Order of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign,” 1^st class.

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Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia holds its concluding session in 2015

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons