San Diego, November 2, 2023
Photo: synod.com
A new monument to the greatly beloved St. John of Kronstadt was recently installed and blessed at a California church.
His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 29, at the church named in honor of St. John in San Diego, reports the official ROCOR site.
The Archbishop’s visit came just days before the actual feast of St. John, celebrated yesterday.
Photo: synod.com
Following the Liturgy, a monument to the wonderworker was unveiled and blessed.
This is the second bronze sculpture of St. John made by the Artproekt Russian National Artistic Studio to be installed in the U.S. The first was unveiled at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, D.C., in September 2019.
Although the Russian Embassy in D.C. had facilitated the monument’s shipment to the States, Russian diplomats were not permitted to make the trip to attend the unveiling, according to an Embassy statement:
Russian diplomats wanted to take part in today’s remarkable event that contributes to the preservation of our culture, the Russian language, traditional values as well as to strengthening of the unity of our diaspora. Moreover, in these difficult times opportunities are rare, when we can share such joyful moments with our compatriots. However, the State Department refused to approve the trip.
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