His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon will preside at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020.
Despite the postponement of the 116th Memorial Day Pilgrimage, Metropolitan Tikhon and the monastic brotherhood will celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Memorial Day thus continuing uninterrupted a tradition that began in 1905. The Divine Liturgy will begin at 9:00 followed immediately by the Memorial Service for those who gave their lives in service to God and country. The services will be live streamed on the OCA Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
“While we cannot be together this year on Memorial Day we want to assure everyone that the entire brotherhood of the monastery is praying for you, and this weekend we are remembering especially those who departed this life while bravely serving their country,” said Archimandrite Sergius. “But we invite you to join us on Monday for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and in the afternoon for a virtual tour of the Metropolitan Museum here at Saint Tikhon’s.”
On Monday afternoon, Archpriest John Perich, curator of the Metropolitan Museum, and a member of the Department of History and Archives of the Orthodox Church in America, will offer a streamed tour of the Metropolitan Museum and speak a bit about the history of the Memorial Day Pilgrimage during challenging times. “As we continue to celebrate the anniversary of Autocephaly, this tour will provide an opportunity for faithful from around the world to visit our museum and learn about the 225 year story of Orthodoxy in America,” said Father John.
The Metropolitan Museum houses precious treasures, both spiritual and historical, illustrating the journey the Church in North America has taken from the late 18th century to the present day. Among the items in the collection are personal items of Saint Herman of Alaska, the mantiya of Saint Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow, the chalice of Saint Innocent [Veniaminov], the miter and vestments of Saint Nicholai [Velimirovic] of Zhica, and the riassa of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Leonty [Turkevich]. The museum tour will begin on the YouTube channel of the Orthodox Church in America at 1:30 EDT (12:30 CDT; 10:30 PT).
To learn more about the history of the Memorial Day Pilgrimage you can read a three part series on the monastery’s website.
