« Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrates Liturgy in Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Scranton »
24-05-2026 
On Sunday, May 24, 2026—the 7th Sunday after Pascha, commemorating the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council and the feast of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, Teachers of the Slavs—Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and Canada, visited Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Scranton, PA, where he celebrated Divine Liturgy.
At the entrance to the church, the archpastor was greeted with bread and salt by representatives of the parish council and students of the Sunday School. His Grace was concelebrated by the Acting Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Abbot Nicodemus (Balyasnikov); the Head of the Chancery, Priest Mark Rashkov; Archimandrite Michael (Their; retired OCA cleric) the parish rector, Priest Oleg Cruz; and Protodeacon Stephen Howanetz (cleric of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Mayfield, PA).
During the Liturgy, prayers were offered for the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest Basil Micek (parish rector from 1985 until his repose on March 20, 2026) and his Matushka Pamela-Ann, as well as for all departed clergy and parishioners.
At the conclusion of the divine service, Bishop Matthew was welcomed by the church rector, Priest Oleg Cruz, who—on behalf of the parishioners—thanked His Eminence for his pastoral care of the parish following the passing of Archpriest Basil. In commemoration of the visit to the parish, Father Oleg presented His Grace with an icon of the church’s heavenly patrons—the preeminent Apostles Peter and Paul.
In turn, the archpastor addressed the clergy and the faithful with a sermon dedicated to the memory of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council and the Feast of the Ascension. Bishop Matthew also spoke of the feast day of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Enlighteners of the Slavs, Cyril and Methodius—saints who were held in special veneration by the parish’s founders; these founders were, for the most part, Orthodox Slavs hailing from the western regions of the Russian Empire who had faced persecution by Uniates within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The archpastor honored the memory of the ever-memorable Archpriest Basil Micek, whose many years of pastoral ministry in this holy church will forever be inscribed in the parish’s history. Bishop Matthew exhorted the newly appointed rector, Father Oleg, to reverently preserve the spiritual legacy of his departed predecessor and to continue his ministry at Sts. Peter & Paul Church with equal zeal. As a blessing for his future labors, His Eminence presented Father Oleg with a gift edition of the Priest’s Service Book. To all the parishioners, Bishop Matthew distributed small icons of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, whose feast day had been celebrated the previous day.
The divine service concluded with the chanting of the polychronion for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church—His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’—who celebrates his name day on this feast.
The fellowship between the archpastor, the clergy, and the parishioners continued over a meal at the parish center, which was also attended by clergy from neighboring parishes of the Orthodox Church in America and the Russian Church Abroad.
Mospatusa.com/Sourozh.org