On February 8, 2010, the parishioners of St John the Baptist Cathedral and St Nicholas Cathedral (Orthodox Church in America) of Washington, DC, made a one-day pilgrimage to the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York to venerate the honorable head of the great Saint John Chrysostom. Despite the record amount of snow which fell on the nation’s capital (about a meter), 57 persons gathered to set out on the pilgrimage. On the bus heading for New York, the pilgrims prayed together, and learned about the life and works of St John, as they also became better acquainted. The pilgrims were doubly pleased at the Synodal Cathedral, for the church contained not only the honorable head of St John, but also the Hodigitria of the Russian Church Abroad, the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. The pilgrims were greeted by His Eminence Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan. Receiving the archpastors’ blessings, the clergymen of St John the Baptist Cathedral performed a moleben and akathist to St John. The Rector of St John the Baptist Cathedral, Protopriest Victor Potapov, led the service. He was joined by his assistant, Priest John Johnson and Protodeacon John Cavin. Everyone sang the service in two languages, Church Slavonic and English. The pilgrims venerated the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, the honorable head of St John Chrysostom, and the other relics of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign. Although everyone wished to remain longer and partake of the grace of the relics, they needed to return home before the onset of a second expected snowstorm.

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The next day, February 9, the members of the delegation accompanying the honorable head of St. John Chrysostom to the US - Mitred Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, Senior Priest of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Priest Georgi Kirindas of the Department of External Church Relations, and Patriarchal Protodeacon Alexander Ageikin — visited Washington. The delegation was escorted by Priest Alexander Anchoutine, rector of the Holy Protection Parish in Glen Cove, New York. Our guests arrived in the Nation’s Capital during the height of the second major snowstorm of the season. As a result of the snow, all government offices, as well as the wonderful museums in the capital, were closed for several days. Nonetheless, our guests were able to see some of the city landmarks and to visit the ROCOR cathedral.

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One should also note that on Feburary 4, the renowned Muscovite Archpriest, Fr. Dimitry Smirnov, visited Washington. While in the United States, Fr. Dimitry familiarized himself with how Christian services are conducted in the country’s prisons, and he also attended the annual White House prayer breakfast. Fr. Dimitry visited the ROCOR Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Washington and met with its rector, Archpriest Victor Potapov.