On June 29th, 2022, His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America received at Holy Virgin Cathedral His Eminence JOSEPH Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America along with a group of pilgrims, both clergy and laity, that came to honor the memory of the Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker, venerate his honorable relics and ask for his intercessions.

Vespers was held by a guest archpriest and two choirs chanted, one consisting of clergy on kliros and another of the laity from the body of the church.

At the end of vespers, Archbishop Kyrill welcomed Metropolitan Joseph to the cathedral and in his address underlined the difficult times through which we are living today and that our response as Orthodox hierarchs, clergy, and laity is to pray with fervor and to strengthen the unity we have between ourselves.

Metropolitan Joseph’s replay resonated with the very same convictions. His Eminence mentioned that we may have differences in language and culture, but we are all of one Faith and one Church. Metropolitan Joseph called upon the intercessions of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker. And, he shared his condolences for the recent loss of Metropolitan Hilarion, First-Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. He recalled Metropolitan Hilarion’s gifts and said that his leadership is very much missed today.