In October 2025, the House of the Russian Abroad (HRA) celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding. I, as the HRA representative in the United States, also took part in this event. To mark the difficult journey leading to this milestone, the House’s film studio Russian Path produced a film entitled In the Name of...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — January 28, 2026, marked the 40th day since the passing of the world’s oldest Russian scout, Lidiya Petrovna Gerich, known by her forest name “Sinitsa” (The Titmouse). On that evening, at 7:30 PM, a panikhida (memorial service) was held at the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Members of the...
The most important communications link between the United States and Russia, free voice calls via messaging apps, has begun to fail. Following measures announced in Russia in August, voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram have become unreliable. Text messaging and file sharing generally continue to function, but voice calls often fail to connect or drop...
Hundreds of pilgrims flocked to Fort Ross in October to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and honor the Orthodox legacy in America. Attending the service at the oldest Orthodox parish in the continental US makes you contemplate and imagine the struggles that Russian missionaries and settlers faced in establishing an Orthodox presence in the New World. ...
On September 18, the Sikorsky Aircraft company announced the sad news of the passing of one of Igor Sikorsky’s sons, Sergei Sikorsky. He lived to be exactly one hundred years old and made a significant contribution to the development of the American helicopter manufacturing industry. Because of his aeronautical achievements, name deserves to be remembered...
On October 4, 2025, Fort Ross welcomed around a thousand Orthodox pilgrims from across the country. They gathered for a Divine Liturgy marking one hundred years since services were renewed in the chapel of what is recognized as the first Orthodox parish on the North American mainland. The liturgy was concelebrated by three Metropolitans together...
This September marks twenty-five years since the blessed repose of the beloved archpastor, Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of Western America and San Francisco. For more than three decades, from 1968 until his passing on September 23, 2000, Vladyka Anthony ministered to his flock with a gentle spirit, deep humility, and unwavering devotion. His memory is sacredly...
The recent article “St. John’s Orthodox Academy Must Stand For the Sake of Our Children, Our Church, and Our Future” struck a chord far beyond its initial readership. Alumni, parents, and members of the community from across the decades have reached out in a show of overwhelming support, reaffirming the Academy’s vital role in shaping...
The days when thousands of visitors flocked to Sonoma’s coast to witness historical reenactments at Fort Ross State Historic Park are now gone. The traditional Fort Ross Festival—which for decades celebrated the 19th-century Russian-American Company’s presence in California—has been replaced by the so-called Ocean and Art Festival. Gone are the performances by Russian artists, frontier...
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 The possible closure of Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy would mark a profound failure and a lasting shame for the Orthodox community. I can find no rational justification for...