Feast of St. Catherine the Great Martyr celebrated at the OCA Representation Church 2005

Concelebrating with His Holiness were His Eminence, Archbishop IOANN of Belgorod and Starookolski and Chairman of the Department of Missions of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop ALEKSANDR of Dmitrov, Archimandrite Zacchaeus, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate and Dean of St. Catherine the Great Martyr church, Archimandrite Antony, Representative of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Moscow, parish clergy and guest clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate, including the Secretary for Inter-Church Relations of the Department of External Church Relations, Archpriest Nicholas Balashov.

In attendance at the Divine Liturgy were their Excellencies, Mr. William Burns, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Russian Federation and Mr. Asaminew Bedanie, Ambassador of the Federation of Ethiopia to the Russian Federation, Mr. Sergei A. Popov, Deputy of the Russian State Duma and Chairman of the Committee on Church – State Relations of the Russian Federation, Mr. Alexander Krutov, Deputy of the Russian State Duma, Mrs. Ludmilla V. Stebelkova, Deputy of the Moscow City Duma, Representatives of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Alexander Gromov and Mr. Boris M. Lukichov, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Moscow, Mr. Daniel Russell, Director of the US Embassy for International Development, Mr. Terry Myers and other representatives of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation and the US Embassy in Moscow.

Following the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy and Moleben to St. Catherine the Great Martyr, Archimandrite Zacchaeus greeted His Holiness and read the official greetings of His Beatitude, the Most Blessed HERMAN, Archbishop of Washington and New York and Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. His Holiness, Patriarch ALEKSY responded to the greetings of Metropolitan HERMAN and also congratulated the Dean, clergy and parishioners of St. Catherine the Great Martyr Church with the celebration of the parish Patronal Feast. His Excellency, US Ambassador William Burns also offered remarks at the end of the service.

Prior to leaving the building, His Holiness, Patriarch ALEKSY was given a tour of the newly returned building by Archimandrite Zacchaeus and Director of the Grabar Art Restoration Institute, Mr. Alexei P. Vladimirov. Ambassador William Burns also participated in this tour and discussions about the building that followed.

Photogallery: The Feast of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine - 2005 (Part 2 - the Small Entrance to Holy Communion)