Metropolitan Laurus and Seminary representatives
visit St. John Cathedral in Mayfield, PA

On Sunday, October 28, 2007, Hieromonk Theophylact, Dean of Students, and a group of seminarians accompanied His Eminence, Metropolitan Laurus, Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Mayfield, PA, to celebrate the memory of the First All-American Council, held in Mayfield in 1907. Seminarians participated in the hierarchal liturgy as part of the choir. The liturgy was sung mostly in English. Metropolitan Laurus' sermon was translated into English by Hieromonk Theophelact. After the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Laurus further reflected on the First All-American Council and its presiding bishop, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin).* During the banquet, hosted by the parish, several speeches were given - Archpries John Sorochka, rector of St. John the Baptist parish addressed the congregation, as well as Alexis Liberovsky, archivist of the OCA archives in Syossett. A. Liberovsky offered an account of the history of the Council and Orthodox missionary work in North America. The students from HTS had an opportunity to speak at length with Fr. John Sorochka and Fr. Stephan Romanchak, rector of Holy Trinity parish in California, PA.

*For a complete text, see the article at the ROCOR website. www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws