On April 25, 2009, clergymen from the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and from the Moscow Patriarchate gathered at the St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City in order to concelebrate at the Liturgy of Bright Saturday. The tradition of serving together once a year on Bright Saturday started after the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion by the two parts of the Russian Orthodox Church on May 2007.

The divine services began with the meeting of the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God. The icon was brought to the church by Archimandrite Luke (Murianka), Abbott of Holy Trinity Monastery and Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary, together with Archpriest Alexander Abramov, and placed on an analoi decorated with flowers in the middle of the cathedral. The meeting of His Grace Mercury, bishop of Zaraisk, followed shortly afterwards. Bishop Mercury headed the services, in which also participated Bishops Peter of Cleveland, Theodosius of Seattle, and Jerome of Manhattan.

The services were sang antiphonically by two choirs. The first choir consisted of singers from the Patriarchal Cathedral and the Synodal Cathedral of the Russian Church Abroad. The second choir came from Holy Trinity Seminary, and it had as its members not only current students, but teachers and former seminarians as well. Many people came from different corners of the United States in order to participate in the festive services.

After the Liturgy followed the famous procession with the cross through the streets of Manhattan, around the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. This event attracted the attention of many passers-by and people who rested at the neighboring Central Park. The weather in this day was very pleasant, remaining warm and sunny through the duration of the procession.

At the end of the services Bishop Mercury greeted all those who took part in the services with kind words, which were also his parting ones. After serving in America for nine years, Bishop Mercury is returning to Russia, where he will continue his pastoral duties. He thanked all those who had gathered for their support throughout these years, as well as for their joint prayer at the services. Among many things, he thanked the Holy Trinity Seminary choir for their wonderful singing, and thanked Archimandrite Luke for participating in the services and for the gift which he gave to His Grace from Holy Trinity Monastery: a set of vestments which belonged to the ever-memorable Metropolitan Laurus. The festivities continued at the Consulate of the Russian Federation in New York, where a reception was held.

Holy Trinity Seminary and its Rector, Archimandrite Luke, would like to sincerely thank His Grace, Bishop Mercury, for the possibility of participating in the festal services, as well as the General Consul of the Russian Federation, Sergey Viktorovich Garmonin, for his hospitality.