Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk visits OCA Chancery
His Grace, Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, visited the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America here on Monday, April 4, 2016.
The visit was Bishop John’s first since his consecration to the episcopacy in Russia in 2014.
Accompanied by Deacon Mark Rashkov, Bishop John was welcomed by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon; Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky, OCA Director of External Affairs; and Archpriests John Jillions and Eric G. Tosi, Chancellor and Secretary respectively.
Metropolitan Tikhon and Bishop John prayed together in the Chancery’s Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel, where they also venerated the relics of the Saints of North America. During a lenten luncheon, they engaged in discussions on a variety of topics, including the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA, the June 2016 Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church, and issues related to the Church’s ministry in the US. Metropolitan Tikhon especially thanked Bishop John for his assistance when he accompanied him and the OCA delegation on their official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church in December 2014.
Metropolitan Tikhon presented relics of Saint Herman of Alaska, which will be placed in Saint Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral, New York, NY, to Bishop John prior to his departure.