Surprise Visit from Metropolitan Tikhon

Holy Ghost Church had a surprise visit from His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon yesterday. Met Tikhon was on his way back from Boston where he was visiting His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon, who is in the hospital recovering from surgery. With Abp Nikon’s blessing, His Beatitude stopped in Bridgeport to attend the Divine Liturgy for the Second Sunday of Great Lent. At the end of the Liturgy he spoke briefly about his family history in New England (his ancestors go back to the 1620’s in Massachusetts) and encouraged everyone to find ways to integrate their Orthodox faith and their family backgrounds, wherever they come from. Orthodox Christianity is not just for people of “Eastern” origins! He held the Cross for parishioners to venerate and then after the Liturgy he had a tour of the church and saw its famous coronation bells and iconostasis, donated by Tsar Nicholas II in 1898. Rich Jankura led us up the into the bellower and explained the history. His Beatitude also saw the street ministry group in action preparing meatball sandwiches for the homeless. Later  Metropolitan Tikhon and Fr John visited Fr Steven Belonick (and Mat Deb) in Bridgeport Hospital. What an unexpected blessing it was to have His Beatitude visit us. May God grant him many years. Eis polla eti Despota!