NEW YORK: May 8, 2007
His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus Announces His Schedule for May

May 15: His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus will arrive in Moscow with clergymen, the combined ROCOR choir and pilgrims from the USA. Later that day His Eminence will meet with His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.

May 16: On the Apodosis of Pascha, His Eminence Vladyka will pray during Divine Liturgy in Danilov Monastery, then will visit Donskoy Monastery, where he will pray at the relics of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch and Confessor of All Russia; and view the holy items of the monastery and cemetery. During the solemn evening vigil, His Eminence will pray at Sretensky Monastery, and the combined choir under Peter A Fekula will attend Bolshoy Voznesensky Cathedral, where Patriarch Alexy will officiate.

May 17: On the feast day of the Ascension of the Lord, the ceremony of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion will take place in Christ the Savior Cathedral followed by the first joint divine service celebrated by the hierarchs and clergymen of the Russian Church Abroad and of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The greeting of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia will take place at 9:15 at Christ the Savior Cathedral.

The arrival of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia is scheduled to take place at 9:30. During the greeting of His Holiness, the festal prayers will be sung by the choir of the Holy Trinity-St Sergius Lavra and the choir of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Then His Holiness will read the prayer for the unity of the Church. The decrees of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate on the confirmation of the Act of Canonical Communion will be read, followed by the reading of the Act itself. The Primate of the Moscow Patriarchate and the President of the Synod of the Russian Church Abroad will then sign the Act; following this, Many Years will be sung. After the signing of the Act, His Holiness, in concelebration with Metropolitan Laurus and the other bishops will conduct Divine Liturgy. Upon the conclusion of Liturgy, His Holiness will read a prayer of gratitude, after which the Primates of the two parts of the Russian Orthodox Church will exchange greetings.

This will be followed by the opening of an exhibition on the life of the Russian Orthodox Church inside and outside of Russia in the 20 th and 21 st centuries, the Holy New Martyrs and the dialog process which led to ecclesiastical unity.

At 6 pm that evening there will be a press conference in Danilovsky Hotel given by His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany and His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand.

May 18: Part of the official delegation, headed by His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, and including the clergymen-pilgrims from different dioceses of ROCOR as well as pilgrims from the USA, will travel to Holy Trinity-St Sergius Lavra and the Orthodox Icon center "Sofrino."

May 19: His Holiness Patriarch Alexy will concelebrate with His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus, the bishops and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and of the Moscow Patriarchate at the great consecration of the Church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo Field, followed by Divine Liturgy. His Holiness and His Eminence both participated in the consecration of the foundation of this church in May of 2004, during the first official visit by Metropolitan Laurus to Russia.

May 20: On the 7 th Sunday of Pascha, His Holiness and His Eminence, the bishops and priests of the Russian Church Abroad will celebrate Divine Liturgy in Uspensky Cathedral in Moscow's Kremlin.

Participating in the Moscow part of the schedule will be the following bishops, clergymen and guests of His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus:

OFFICIAL DELEGATION

+ MARK, Archbishop of Berlin and Germany.

+ HILARION, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand.

+ KYRILL , Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America.

+ EVTIKHII, Bishop of Ishim and Siberia.

+ MICHAEL , Bishop of Geneva and Western Europe.

+ PETER, Bishop of Cleveland, Administrator of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America.

Members of the Commission on talks with the Moscow Patriarchate:

Archimandrite Luke (Murianka) , Deputy Dean of Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville.

Mitred Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff, Rector of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles, Secretary of the Commission.

Protopriest Nikolai Artemoff, Senior Priest of the Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, Secretary of the Diocese of Berlin and Germany

Members of the Pre-Council Committee for the IV All-Diaspora Council:

Protopriest Victor Potapov, Rector of St John the Baptist Cathedral, Washington DC.

Protopriest Peter Perekrestov, Senior Priest of the Cathedral of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" in San Francisco, Secretary of the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America.

Priest Serafim Gan , Rector of St Seraphim Church, Sea Cliff, NY, Personal Secretary of the First Hierarch.

Protopriest Peter Holodny, Treasurer of the Synod of Bishops.

THE FIRST HIERARCH'S ATTENDANTS:

Protodeacon Victor Lochmatov

Deacon Eugene Kallaur

Deacon Nicholas Olhovsky

Subdeacon George Shatiloff

George Selinsky

Pavel Vladimirovich Lisitsin

CLERICAL PILGRIMS
Representing various dioceses of the Russian Church Abroad:

Mitred Protopriest Alexander Fedorovsky ( Diocese of Eastern America and New York )

Mitred Protopriest George Larin (Diocese of Eastern America and New York)

Protopriest John Shaw (Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America)

Protopriest Michael Protopopov (Diocese of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand)

Protopriest Michael Goudkov (Diocese of Geneva and Western Europe)

Protopriest Alexei Kotar (Diocese of San Francisco and Western America)

Protopriest Yaroslav Belikov (Diocese of San Francisco and Western America)

Protopriest Vladimir Boikov (Diocese of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand)

Hieromonk Roman (Krassovsky) (Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville)

Hieromonk Nicholas (Perekrestov) (Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem )

Priest Victor Boldewskul (representing the Rector of Epiphany Church in Boston, Mitred Protopriest Roman Lukianov)

Priest John Whiteford (Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America)

Priest Andre Sikojeff (Diocese of Berlin and Germany)

Archdeacon Eugene Burbelo (Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign, NY)

Abbess Elizabeth (St Mary Magdalene Convent, Gethsemane)

Abbess Moisseia (Ascension of the Lord Convent, Mount of Olives)

May 21: His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus will perform all-night vigil along with Archbishop German of Kursk and Schema-Metropolitan Yuvenaly in Znamensky Cathedral in Kursk.

May 22: On the Translation of the Relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, His Eminence will participate in the Divine Liturgy in Kursk-Root Hermitage.

May 23-28: His Eminence will perform a pilgrimage to the holy sites of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which will conclude with a celebration of Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Pochaev Lavra, built and consecrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of blessed memory. His Eminence will be accompanied on his trip to Kursk and Ukraine by Fr Serafim, Protodeacon Victor, Deacon Eugene, Deacon Nicholas, Subdeacon George, Pavel Vladimirovich Lisitsin and George Selinsky.