On August 25, 2026, on the eve of the feast of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk and the leave-taking of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the United States, served a moleben to the saint in St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York City.
Cathedral clergy, parishioners, and participants in the youth meetings traditionally held at the church on Tuesdays prayed at the divine service.
Following the moleben, the Archpastor addressed the congregation with a sermon dedicated to the life of the renowned hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, after whom the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', St. Tikhon (Belavin), was named at his monastic tonsure. After the construction of St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York, Saint Tikhon blessed the painting of his patron saint's image in the local tier of the iconostasis, where it remains to this day. In honour of his saint, Saint Tikhon also consecrated the monastery he founded in Pennsylvania, glorifying the name of the Zadonsk miracle worker throughout Orthodox America.
His Grace then blessed all participants of the youth gathering.
As part of a series of cultural and educational events, a screening of Pavel Fattakhudinov's documentary film "The Preserve" took place. The evening's host, sound engineer and composer Ivan Shirshov, spoke about the history of the film's creation and its characters, after which those present exchanged opinions on what they had seen.
