NEW YORK: 6 December, 2024
The last session of the Synod of Bishops this year opens

On Friday, December 6, 2024, the feast day of the Holy Righteous Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky and St Mitrophan of Voronezh, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, presided over the beginning of the last session of the Synod of Bishops of the year. Taking part in this meeting are His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany; His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America; His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada; His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe; His Grace Bishop Theodosius of Seattle and His Grace Bishop Job of Stuttgart.

The archpastors prayed at Divine Liturgy celebrated by Archpriest Andrei Sommer, Dean of the Synodal Cathedral, in St Sergius of Radonezh Chapel in the presence of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign."

The Synod meeting opened with the singing of "O Heavenly King," after which the President of the Synod of Bishops addressed the archpastors with introductory remarks. His Eminence spoke about the repose, funeral and burial of the newly-departed Archbishop Peter (Loukianoff) of Chicago and Mid-America, who reposed in the Lord on Friday, November 8, the feast day of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. The bishops sang "Eternal Memory" to their late brother archpastor.

Then, approving the agenda proposed by the secretariat, the members of the Synod of Bishops began their work.