May 30, 2014
Resaca, GA: Metropolitan Hilarion leads patronal feast day of Glorious Ascension Monastery

On Wednesday the 28th and Thursday the 29th of May, on the great feast of the Ascension of our Lord, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, His Eminence Hilarion Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, paid an Archpastoral visit to Resaca, GA, where he led the patronal feast day of Glorious Ascension Monastery.

On the very day of the feast, Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated the festal Divine Liturgy. Co-serving with the First Hierarch were:

- Archimandrite Maximos (Weimar; monastery administrator)
- Archpriest John Townsend (rector, St. Mary of Egypt Church – Atlanta, GA)
- Hieromonk Cyprian (DuRant; cleric, St. Mary of Egypt OCA Church – Norcross, GA)
- Priest Job Watts (rector, St. Nektarios Church – Lenoir City, TN)
- Priest Alexander Lisnichuk (cleric, St. Mary of Egypt Church – Atlanta, GA)
- Priest Eugene Antonov (rector, Joy of All Who Sorrow Church – Atlanta, GA)
- Priest Michael Dunstan (rector, St. Brigid of Kildare Mission – West Point, MS)
- Priest Benedict Simpson (monastery cleric)
- Hieromonk Tikhon (Gayfudinov; cleric, Synodal Cathedral of the Sign – New York City)
- Priest Vladimir Kaydanov (cleric, St. George’s Church – Howell, NJ)
- Hierodeacon Parthenios (Miller; cleric, Holy Cross Brotherhood – East Setauket, NY)
- Deacon Anton Kouznetsov (cleric, Joy of All Who Sorrow Church – Atlanta, GA)
- Deacon Aidan Griswold (cleric, St. Nektarios Church – Lenoir City, TN)

During the 6th hour, His Eminence ordained Reader Constantine Godfrey a subdeacon. After the service, a bountiful luncheon was served in the monastery refectory, where those present were joined by clergy from neighboring parishes in various jurisdictions.

Metropolitan Hilarion thanked all of the pilgrims and parishioners for supporting the monastery the brotherhood, for establishing the holy habitation as a place of prayer and pilgrimage; and Nun Christonymphe (Teodor) for all of her labors on behalf of the monastery. In turn, monastery administrator Archimandrite Maximos expressed his thanks to His Eminence for his many years of Archpastoral support, as well as his brother-clergy, for their joint prayer and the love they had shown.

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