NEW YORK: 28 October, 2025
Services of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Liturgical Music Conference

On Saturday, October 11, and Sunday, October 12, 2025, under the magnificent music of two choirs during all-night vigil and Divine Liturgy on the feast of the Translation of the Relics of St John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker, the 32nd Liturgical Music Conference of the North American parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia concluded. The services were held in St Vladimir Memorial Church of the 1000th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' in Jackson, NJ, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

The services were held under the aegis of the Hodegetria of the Russian diaspora – the miraculous Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign.”

Over three days of the event, participants attended lectures, took part in master classes on singing techniques and performance skills, and rehearsed. The first lecture via Zoom was delivered by Doctor of Art Studies from Russia, Antonina Viktorovna Lebedeva-Yemelina. The presentation was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the death of the renowned church composer Dmitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky, which is being commemorated this year.

Other lectures were dedicated to the early, unknown works of Boris Mikhailovich Ledkovsky, written in 1945 in Berlin; to the work of long-time choirmaster Yevgeny Ivanovich Yevets, who conducted choirs in churches in Paris and Morocco; to the art of “kryukovoi” chant, and others. A round table on the difficulties and joys of attracting young people to singing was organized and conducted by Protodeacon Sergiy Arlievsky, and choirmasters Larissa Dukhovskaya and Grigory Pavlovich Ivanov. In the current congress, 105 people from the USA, Canada, France, England, and Kazakhstan participated, lending a truly international flavor to the conference. Of all participants, 49 percent were under 30 years old, and 33 percent under 25.

"We have wonderful youth!" said one of the organizers of the congress, Elizabeth Ledkovsky. "Even if we look at the choir of the Memorial Church where we performed the festive hymns to St John, we immediately notice that the young choristers from the parish choir sing beautifully and know the order of services. What the participants of the first congresses hoped for 30 years ago – to attract young people and raise the level of singing – has become a reality today, and we are very proud of it."

The Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos

On Tuesday, October 14, on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God, Metropolitan Nicholas made an archpastoral visit to Holy Virgin Protection Church in Glen Cove, NY, where he presided over the services on the occasion of the parish's feast day. Concelebrating with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia were the Rector of the church, Archpriest Alexandre Anchoutine, the clergy of the First Deanery, and distinguished guests in holy orders.

St Dionysius Monastery (Long Island, New York)

On Wednesday, October 16, the Monastery of the Holy Martyr Dionysius the Areopagite in St James, NY, celebrated its patronal feast. On this occasion, His Eminence presided over Divine Liturgy there and congratulated the monastic community and faithful pilgrims on the feast.

Week 19 after Pentecost

On Sunday, October 19, the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, on the day when the Holy Church commemorates the memory of the Holy Apostle Thomas, Metropolitan Nicholas presided over Divine Liturgy at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York City. Concelebrating with the First Hierarch of the were the Cathedral Dean, Archpriest Andrei Sommer, and the cathedral clergy. During Liturgy, the Synodal Choir sang under the direction of Vadim Gan.

At the end of the service, the hierarch addressed the faithful with a sermon on the Gospel reading about the Resurrection of the widow's son by the Savior, Who thus shared in the ordinary sorrows of life. This is what true and reverent Christians do, living their lives with the fear of God. “Where there is a cross, there is also the Lord. Christ comes to us, and this Light illuminates us, as He did the Gospel widow. We assume that she was a pious person, and the Lord had mercy on her. That is, in church life there is always hope for us all. We must not be despondent, sorrowful, or complain, or go against God… We should intensify our prayers and thank God for everything. And the Lord will continue to come to us.

“Today we also remember Apostle Thomas, who was one of the first disciples of the Savior. Like the other apostles, he left everything and followed Him, listening to the teachings of the Savior and witnessing the miracles He performed. After the Lord's Ascension, he preached in India and other places, enlightening people and giving his life for Christ. After the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, when the Apostles were gathered, their Divine Teacher appeared to them. Apostle Thomas was not there. The Apostles later told him that they had seen their Teacher, Jesus, that He had risen from the dead.

“Apostle Thomas did not believe immediately, exclaiming, 'Unless I see with my own eyes and put my hand into His wounds and ribs, I will not believe.' A week later, Jesus Christ came to him, and Thomas exclaimed: 'My Lord and my God!'

“We must also exclaim: 'The Lord is my God! Thank You for everything! I want to continue to work and live completely for You, and You will help me, just as You resurrected the dead young man.”

Atlanta, GA

On Wednesday and Thursday, October 22-23, Metropolitan Nicholas paid a pastoral visit to the Church of St Mary of Egypt in Atlanta, GA, where he led the services in honor of the Feast of the Assembly of the Optina Elders.

On Wednesday morning, the First Hierarch officiated at Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by the Rector of the parish, Archimandrite John (Townsend), the parish clergy, and guests in holy orders. Before the beginning of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Nicholas tonsured brothers Jonah and Seraphim Evans as readers, and then ordained Reader Jonah as a subdeacon. After the Eucharistic canon, Subdeacon Jonah was ordained to the rank of deacon. The newly ordained Deacon Jonah will serve at the parish of the Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria in Dallas, GA.

In his sermon, the Primate touched upon the Gospel story about the Apostles and the Lord on the boat: “This happens so often in our lives: Christ is with us, so close, yet we bring upon ourselves the storm of Satanic winds. And when we are in despair, we cry out to the Lord for help, for salvation. And we will always hear the same question that was heard today: ‘Why are you afraid? I am with you.’ We must always remember that the Lord is with us if we live as Orthodox Christians. Pray about this and remember that the Lord is with us, and we must be with Him. This is a key element of our life.”

The next morning, Metropolitan Nicholas once again celebrated the Liturgy on the feast of the Optina Elders. Before the beginning of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Nicholas ordained reader Viktor Ovchinnikov as a subdeacon. After the Great Entrance, Fr Jonah Evans was ordained to the priesthood. In his sermon, the Primate spoke about the Heavenly patrons of the skete of the Holy Optina Elders, which abides at the Church of Venerable Mary:

"They set an example of prayer, fasting, and ultimately, love for God even in the difficult revolutionary times in Russia. We are far from the Optina Hermitage, but their example is alive and tangible, and we must strive to adopt these qualities, which we often hear about in the Gospel: love, humility, patience, forgiveness, kindness – and truly cultivate them in our lives."

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