Metropolitan Hilarion in the US

At the OCA chancery

SYOSSET, NY (OCA) - On Monday, August 30, 2010, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah welcomed His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion [Alfeyev] of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, to the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America here.

Metropolitan Hilarion, a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate, arrived in New York on Saturday, August 28, to attend a meeting of the Saint Vladimir's Seminary Board of Trustees, of which he is a member. As reported on the seminary web site, illness precluded him from concelebrating the Sunday Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Jonah at the seminary's Three Hierarchs Chapel. [Read that story here.]

Metropolitan Hilarion is visiting the OCA Chancery to contribute to the reflections within the OCA regarding its participation in the Episcopal Assembly process. [Read the related story here.]

Joining Metropolitan Jonah in welcoming Metropolitan Hilarion were His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York and New Jersey; and Archpriests John Behr, Chad Hatfield, Leonid Kishkovsky, and Alexander Rentel.

Upon his arrival at the Chancery, a Service of Prayer in honor of the Saints of North America was celebrated at Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel as the hierarchs venerated the chapel's relics and icons.

Further information will be posted as it is received.

And also...

(mospat.ru) - On 28 August 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, arrived on a short working visit to the USA with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah of All America and Canada.

That same day in the evening His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah gave dinner in honour of his high guest. Present were the chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America archpriest Alexander Garklavs and the head of the Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations of the Orthodox Church in America archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky.

The programme of Metropolitan Hilarion’s visit in New York includes his meetings with His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah, hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in America, the president of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, the head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America Archbishop Demetrius, as well as with the dean of St. Vladimir’s Theological seminary archpriest John Behr and chancellor of the seminary archpriest Chad Hatfield.