On Thursday, November 13, 2008, the feast of St. John Chrysostom, His Beatitude, the Most Blessed JONAH, Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada celebrated his first Divine Liturgy as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America at the special chapel set up for the 15th All American Council in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Concelebrating with His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH were the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America; the Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America; the clergy officers of the Church; the Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate; and Diocesan Chancellors throughout the Orthodox Church in America.
Following the Primatial Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude was presented with the Primatial Panagia which is passed on to each Metropolitan of All America and Canada starting with His Eminence, Metropolitan THEOPHILUS (Pashkovsky) who served the Church from 1934-1950. Likewise, His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH presented His Eminence, Archbishop DMITRI of Dallas and the South with the Order of St. Innocent – Gold class for his work as locum tenens of the Orthodox Church in America and in honor of his recent 85th birthday.
