On Wednesday, October 6, 2010, Archimandrite Zacchaeus, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate participated in an International Conference on the theme “The Russian North in the History of Russian-American Relations” held at Main Conference Hall of the Administration of Vologda.
During the opening ceremony, Father Zacchaeus passed on the greetings of His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH of All America and Canada and stated that in the person of Metropolitan JONAH, the relations that began between the Russian Orthodox Church and America that started over 200 years ago with the sending of monks from Valaam Monastery to Alaska for missionary work continues to this day since His Beatitude also has a strong spiritual connection with Valaam Monastery.
Later that day, Father Zacchaeus presented a paper on the role of the Orthodox Church in Russian-American Relations.
The conference was co-sponsored by the Vologda State University, the Administration of the Vologda Region, the Department of Education of the Vologda Region, the General Consulate of the USA in St Petersburg, and the Vologda Department of the All Russian Community Organization “Russian Geographical Community.”
Participating in the conference were the US Consul General to St Petersburg, Sheila S. Gwaltney; Representatives from the Russian Federal and Local Governments; Professors; Educators; and Religious Leaders.
