On December 12/25, the St Herman of Alaska Church in Sunnyvale, CA celebrated their parish feast day. This was an especially joyful event for the members of the parish as both our ruling hierarch, His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America and our new diocesan vicar, His Grace JAMES Bishop of Sonora presided together at the Divine Services.

The parish’s joy was multiplied as long time parishioner...

The XIII Annual Saint Herman’s West Youth Conference was held at Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles, CA, from December 26th to 30th, 2019.

Under the grace-filled protection of Most Holy Theotokos through Her miraculous myrrh-streaming “Hawaiian-Iveron” Icon and in the spiritual care of His Grace James Bishop of Sonora and diocesan clergy, approximately 50 youth and counselors, gathered together from the far reaches of the Western American Diocese – Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington -- being joined by more centrally located participants from the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento and Los Angeles itself. Among the attendees participants even came from Vancouver, BC and Russia.

On November 17, 2019, the parish choir of the Church of All Russian Saints in Burlingame presented a concert of Sacred works by contemporary composers.  The concert was dedicated to the memory of...

On November 20, 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated Divine Liturgy at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. This day also marked His Holiness' 73rd birthday.

This year is also the 50th anniversary of the monastic tonsure of Patriarch Kirill. On April 3, 1969, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) tonsured Vladimir Gundyaev, then a seminary student, and was given the name Kirill. On April 7, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on June 1, a hieromonk.

Among the many hierarchs and clergymen also serving on this day were His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany and Vicar Bishop Theodosius of Seattle of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

In June of this year the parish of St Seraphim began a building project to raise the roof of its church.  This project was expected to take 8-10 weeks. However, after removing the old roof, we found that the walls needed to be replaced as well. This situation resulted in the reconstruction of nearly the entire building.  Finally 5 months later, as we near the completion of our construction, we were able to bless the cross and raise it to the top of the new roof...

On November 6, 2019, Bishops, clergy and faithful of various Orthodox jurisdictions gathered in San Francisco, California, to celebrate the Patronal Feast of the Diocesan Cathedral of the Western American Diocese in honor of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”

The solemnity of the Feast was especially auspicious as on this day a new auxiliary bishop of Western American Diocese was consecrated – His Grace Bishop James (Corazza) of Sonora.

On November 5th, 2019, the eve of the Patronal Feast of Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco (Western American Diocese), the Rite of Nomination was performed for Archimandrite James, Bishop-elect of Sonora. 

Bishop James' Nomination Speech is below.

What is Holy Rus’? Is it some historical/geographical concept that belongs to past eras or an ideal we are expected to strive for? Does Holy Rus’ exist today? We asked some Russian priests these questions, and what meaning the concept of Holy Rus’ has for them personally.

On Monday November 4th, 2019, the Rector and community of the Church of the Mother of God of Kazan in San Francisco celebrated their Patronal Feast. It was marked by many preparations as the parish was also observing the 70th Anniversary from its foundation.

Presiding at the Divine Liturgy was Archimandrite James Bishop-elect of Sonora. Concelebrating with him were...

On Friday and Saturday, October 25 & 26, 2019, St. Martin the Merciful Church in Corvallis, Oregon celebrated its parish feast day.  His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America presided.

Over the last month, that parishioners of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Santa Rosa, CA, have been working on the installation of a new, carved iconostasis. Preparation of the new iconostasis, designed by Robert Latsko, a contracted architect of CJK Sacred Space in Novato, CA, was completed by the artisans of the George Loykakis studio in Crete. The initial design idea was taken from the Church of Christ the Savior “On-the-Blood” located in St Petersburg and then, under the direction of the rector, Archpriest Alexander Krassovsky, was adapted to the church building in Santa Rosa.

The first liturgy celebrated in the “new” altar was presided over by the Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastic Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky) who, together with Fr Alexander, carried out the main cross of the new iconostasis into the middle of the church, where it was blessed and given to the people present to reverence, prior to having it installed on the highest point of the iconostasis.

COMMENTARY OF THE SECRETARIAT OF THE SYNODAL BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION
on the invalidity of episcopal ordinations of Ukrainian schismatics and non-canonicity of the ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine’

The unilateral actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine, which concluded with the signing of the so-called ‘tomos of autocephaly’ in January 2019 in defiance of the will of the episcopate, clergy, monastics and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, have provoked a bitter debate among churches...