On December  2, 2014, His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, began his official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church.

At the Sheremetyevo Airport His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon was met by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; Archimandrite Alexander (Pihach), rector of the Moscow Metochion of the Orthodox Church in America – the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine In-the-Fields; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations; and Moscow clergymen.

An official delegation accompanying His Beatitude Tikhon includes Bishop Alexander of Toledo; Archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America; Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of the Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations of the Orthodox Church in America; archpriest Eric Tosi, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America; Archpriest Nazary Polataiko, Secretary of the Archdiocese of Canada; protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, Secretary of the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America; Ms. Melanie Ringa, Treasurer of the Orthodox Church in America; Mr. Roman Ostash, Assistant to the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

During the visit, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada will meet with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The two Primates will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin.

At the Donskoy Monastery Metropolitan Tikhon will serve a thanksgiving moleben before the holy relics of St Tikhon the Patriarch of All Russia.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon will visit the Holy Trinity - St. Sergius Lavra, will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine In-the-Fields, and will venerate the Holy shrines of St Petersburg.

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On Wednesday, December 3rd, Metropolitan Tikhon and the above mentioned OCA delegation along with His Grace Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, visited the Stavropegial Convent of the Protection of the Mother of God. The delegation was greeted by the convent's abbess, Abbess Theofania and the sisters of the convent. Bishop John read aloud the prayer before St. Matrona of Moscow and then sang the magnification. Abbes Theofania gifted Metropolitan Tikhon with a prayer rope and an icon of St. Matrona of Moscow. Metropolitan Tikhon in turn thanked the Abbess and the sisters for their hospitality and presented them with an icon of Priest-Martyr Juvenaly. 

On December 10, His Beatitude Tikhon will conclude his visit to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Materials and Photographs from the DECR Official Website