From 29 April - 5 May 2026 in the Convent of the Venerable New-Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth in Buchendorf, Germany, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia met, convening in connection with the celebration of the centenary of the German Diocese. The proceedings of the Council, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, were participated in by His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany, Their Eminences Archbishops Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America and Gabriel of Montreal and Canada, Their Graces the Bishops John of Caracas and South America, Irenei of London and Western Europe, Theodosy of Manhattan, Luke of Syracuse, James of Sonora, Job of Stuttgart, Spyridon of Toronto, Michael of Boston, and Peter of Seattle.

At the session of the Council of Bishops on Thursday, 30 April, having discussed various liturgical and calendrical questions, it was resolved: 1) To entrust Bishop Peter of Seattle and Archpriest Seraphim Gan to review the text of the prayers “Save, O God, Thy people…” and “O Master, Most Merciful…”, proposed by Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), to introduce amendments to the same, and to present them for consideration by the Synod of Bishops; 2) To propose to the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church that the commemoration of the translation of the relics of the Holy New-Martyrs of Alapaevsk to Jerusalem (17 / 30 January) be included in the general Church calendar.

Paschal Epistle of the Ruling Hierarch
of the Western American Diocese

Beloved Clergy, Monastics and Faithful!

CHRIST IS RISEN!

In the early hours of this Paschal morning we greet one another with the proclamation that neither death, nor time, nor the powers of darkness have ever been able to silence: Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! The Apostle Paul declares with absolute certainty: "If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (I Cor. 15:14) — but He is risen, and therefore our Faith is not in vain and nothing is without hope. As the Holy Hierarch Philaret of Moscow declared on this very feast: "Christ is risen! In saying this, what more can I say? All has been said!" (April 18, 1826).

Today we look out upon a world suffering beneath the weight of its own unbelief. The Middle East bleeds from a war that has brought devastation to countless innocent souls; the economies of nations tremble; and a spirit of confusion has settled over our age, as though no firm ground could be found anywhere. Yet the Lord Himself said: "In the world ye shall have tribulation — but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). It is precisely into this darkness that the light of the Resurrection blazes, not dimly, but as "the eternal lightning of the eternal light illuminating all things" (St Philaret of Moscow).

Saint Philaret declared that the Holy and Glorious Feast of Feasts — Pascha — "creates hope, ignites love, inspires prayer, calls down grace, illumines wisdom, destroys all calamities and even death itself, gives vitality to life, makes bliss not a dream but a reality, glory not a phantom" (St Philaret of Moscow). Saint John the Theologian wrote simply: "The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:5). No war, no human fabrication, no human despair has ever comprehended the Light of Christ — and nothing grounded in the cares of this world ever shall. The tomb remains empty,

Venerable Brother Archpastors, Venerable Fathers, Dear Brothers and Sisters scattered throughout the world, I greet you all with Christ's love with the Paschal kiss: “CHRIST IS RISEN!"

“I wish you all that is bright in these days," writes St Theophan the Recluse, "and in all the days to come. The Lord is always sweetness, and joy, and peace! Strive always to be with the Lord, and you will always celebrate the Bright Pascha."

“Your Resurrection, O Christ Savior, the angels proclaim in the heavens” – we sing on this night, with trepidation asking that the Lord grant us to glorify Him with a pure heart. Alas, the peoples of this age do not heed this call, struggling in a deadly battle for earthly goods, they do not heed the call of the Divine to arrange life on the foundations of Christ’s teachings and the Holy Gospel. The current conflicts, when people seek temporary goods through enmity, divisions, and cruelty, are distressing, but they shouldn’t frighten us today, nor should the conversations about various prophecies concerning the end of the world.

For the Lord says: “You will also hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for it is necessary for all this to happen, but the end is not yet...” (Matthew 24:6-7). Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), who passed away 90 years ago in the cradle of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad – in Sremski Karlovci, Yugoslavia, said that the confidence of the ancient Christians in God's mercy and the ultimate victory of Perfect Good over evil, of Life over death, was so strong that “they seemed not to take their eyes off contemplating His future victory, and therefore imagined this very future as something bright and joyful, when Christ the Savior will wipe away the tears from every human face.”

to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monks,
Nuns and All the Faithful Children
of the Russian Orthodox Church

Beloved in the Lord Your Graces the archpastors,
all-honourable presbyters and deacons,
God-loving monks and nuns,
dear brothers and sisters,

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Moscow. On Sunday, March 15, 2026, the Sunday of the Cross, the Russian premiere of a new film about St. John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco – “The Aroma of Holiness,” took place at the Sobornaya Palata Hall of the St. Tikhon Orthodox University (PSTGU). Registration for the film closed a few days after the screening was announced, as all 500 seats were filled – a complete sell-out – which testifies to the love and veneration of St. John in Russia.

The film’s director, Archpriest Peter Perekrestov, Dean of Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco, spent over 10 years gathering material for this film – form public sources and private archives. The film is special due to the amount of footage featuring the St. John himself. The film “The Aroma of Holiness” contains neither personal recollections from people who knew St. John nor private reflections on the significance of his life and work. Instead, the movie contains only St. John’s words and teachings, rare photographs of Vladika, as well as video footage of the holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II and his family, St. Patriarch Tikhon, the holy martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and over 14 minutes of Vladika John himself. In 2024–2026, the film was. shown in Poland, Switzerland, France, and at numerous parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in the United States and Canada: Washington D.C., Montreal, and Los Angeles, as well as Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, and St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Scarsdale, New York.