On Wednesday, April 13, the sixth Wednesday of Great Lent, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presided at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at Saint Sergius Chapel at the Chancery. During the Liturgy, His Beatitude awarded the Gold Cross to Priest Alessandro Margheritino, offering his thanks especially for his service as Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America.
At the end of Liturgy, Metropolitan Tikhon offered words of encouragement to those in attendance reminding us to constantly put our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ as the center of our lives, while seeing our relationships, activities, work, and everything we do always through the lens of Christ.
Among those in attendance was Dr. Harrison Russin, Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, who offered a Lenten retreat to the Chancery staff and guests in attendance. Dr. Russin’s presentation entitled “Music theology, Orthodox music, and the hymnography of Holy Week” provided a timely and insightful preparation as we draw closer to Holy Week. His Beatitude thanked Dr. Russin for encouraging on our part greater focus on the unique role of music in our worship while inviting us to place ourselves within the hymns of our liturgical tradition.
