Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, has sent greetings to His Beatitude Tikhon, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, with the sixth anniversary of his primatial ministry. The text is given below.
Your Beatitude,
I cordially congratulate you upon the sixth anniversary of your elevation to the throne of their Beatitudes Archbishops of Washington, Metropolitans of All America and Canada.
By divine providence, you have been elected to continue the missionary work of Ss Innocent and Tikhon, the Ven. Herman of Alaska and other saints who shone forth in the American continent.
Carrying out the ministry of the overseer of the Church of Christ ‘in all godliness and honesty’ (1 Tim 2:2), you take care of the spiritual needs of your children in America and tirelessly work so that the vast lands of the North American continent so that ‘the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified’ (2 Thes 3:1).
I prayerfully wish you peace, sound health and all-powerful help of God for many good years of successful primatial ministry.
With respectful love in the Lord,
+ Hilarion
Metropolitan of Volokolamsk
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow Patriarchate
(Source: mospat.ru)