The Most Reverend Agafangel's visit to the USA.
(11-23 MAY 08)

From May 13 to 15, Bishop Agafangel, along with Bishop Andronik, and Bishop Sofroniy and Fr. Vladimir Petrenko, who also came to New York, participated in a meeting of the ROCA PSEA in the rectory in Richmond Hill, NY. The following also attended: Hieromonk Arseniy (Secretary), Hegumen Georgiy and Archpriest Valeriy Alekseyev (who arrived with Bishop Agafangel), Archpriests Gregoriy Kotlaroff, Vsevolod Dutikow, Sergey Klestov, and Fr. Victor Dobroff.

The day before, on May 12, Bishop Agafangel and Archpriests Valeriy Alekseyev and Vsevolod Dutikow visited Bishop Pavel in the hospital where he is undergoing treatment. (Bishop Pavel is of the Greek Old Calendar Church of Archbishop Chrysostomos.) Bishop Pavel said the Synod of Archbishop Chrysostomos intends to meet for talks with the Synod of Metropolitan Cyprian, with whom the PSEA is in Eucharistic communion.

On Saturday, May 17, Bishop Agafangel and Archpriest Valeriy visited the Russian school at the Tolstoy Foundation, where they met with teachers and students.
As the PSEA had approved Hegumen Georgiy (Kravchenko) as a candidate for ordination as bishop, the naming of Hegumen Georgiy as Bishop of Bolgrad and Vicar of the Odessa Diocese took place on May 17 in the Church of St. Sergius (Archpriest Gregoriy Kotlaroff is the pastor) at the Tolstoy Foundation in Valley Cottage, NY, after the vigil service.

The next day, his ordination as bishop took place during the Holy Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Astoria, NY. It was officiated by the Most Reverends Agafangel, Andronik, and Sofroniy.

During the Holy Liturgy, Bishop Agafangel also ordained Reader Dimitri Amelchenko from Boston as a Sub-deacon.

At the end of the Holy Liturgy, Bishop Agafangel awarded a staff to the newly-named bishop.

On the eve of the feast day of Mid-Pentecost (Prepolovenie) Bishops Agafangel, Sofroniy, and Georgiy served the vigil along with Archpriests Igor Hrebinko, Valeriy Alekseyev, and Vsevolod Dutikow in the Holy Ascension Church in Washington, DC, (Archpriest Igor Hrebinko is the pastor). On the feast day, they all served the Holy Liturgy.

On the feast day, Bishop Agafangel tonsured Seraphim Englehardt as a Reader and later ordained him as a Sub-deacon.

During his trip, Bishop Agafangel met with many parishioners of our Church and with those who want to join our Church. He gave an interview to a reporter from the "Novoye Russkoye Slovo" http://www.nrs.com/print/220508_190501_32367.html, as well as an interview with the radio station of the "BBC."
On May 23, Bishops Agafangel and Georgiy, along with Archpriest Valeriy Alekseyev returned to the Ukraine.

Glory be to God!