Fifth Anniversary of Russian Orthodox Church Unity to be Marked in San Francisco

[May 13, 2012] On May 17, 2007, the Feast of Ascension, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, signed the Act of Canonical Communion at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. This Act put an end to the division in the Local Russian Orthodox Church. In 2012 the fifth anniversary of the restoration of Russian church unity is marked.

In connection with this anniversary on Thursday, May 17 at 7:00 pm the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco (6210 Geary Boulevard) will host an evening dedicated to this great event. Historic footage of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion will be shown and a new portrait of Metropolitan Laurus, painted in Russia specifically for the Holy Virgin Cathedral hall, will be presented. It is in this hall that in 2006 the IV All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia convened. The Council passed a resolution whereby its participants expressed their intent and desire to heal the wounds of division in the local Russian Orthodox Church and the decision to restore Russian Church unity was made.

It is anticipated that a few participants of both the IV All-Diaspora Council in San Francisco and the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion in Moscow will be present and available to answer questions and share their experiences.