His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon Celebrates Holy Week and Paschal Services at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, DC
Beginning on Holy Monday, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon celebrated the services of Holy Week, Pascha, and Bright Saturday at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral, the Primatial Cathedral of the Orthodox Church in America, in Washington, DC.
Throughout the week, His Beatitude presided at the full cycle of services commemorating the saving Passion and Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America and Dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Priest David Bozeman, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America and Associate Priest of the Cathedral; and Archpriest Valery Shemchuk, Associate Priest.
On Holy Thursday, prior to the celebration of the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, His Beatitude ordained Reader John Hartman to the subdiaconate.
On Great and Holy Friday, at the conclusion of Great Vespers, His Beatitude reminded the faithful:
“Today, we have already entered into that silence, not for the sake of an outward quiet, but so as to find the stillness of heart that will enable us to behold the present mystery not as a defeat but as a victory: the victory of light over darkness, of truth over falsehood, of life over death. (…) For just as the earth cannot remain dark when the created sun begins to shine upon it, so it is that even hell and death cannot withstand the uncreated Light and Life of Christ.”
Read the full text of His Beatitude’s homily
On Holy Saturday, before the Vesperal Divine Liturgy, the Cathedral community welcomed ten new faithful into the Orthodox Church through the Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation.
The services of Holy Week and Pascha were marked by prayerful and joyous participation, with hundreds of faithful and visitors gathering at the Primatial Cathedral, especially for the celebration of the Feast of Feasts.
Reflecting on the celebration of Pascha, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon noted, “In these holy days, we are reminded that the Resurrection of Christ is not simply an event of the past, but the very life of the Church. In the midst of the trials and uncertainties of our world, we proclaim with unwavering faith that Christ is risen, and in Him, life has already triumphed.”
On Bright Saturday, in accordance with the custom of the Archdiocese of Washington, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of Paschal Matins and the Divine Liturgy concelebrated by the clergy of the Archdiocese. Faithful from across the Archdiocese were in attendance, joining in the festal celebration. The liturgical responses were sung by the Archdiocesan Choir.