[VYholden]

The head of St. John Chrysostom is being sent to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign, in New York City, from the Church of Christ the Saviour, in Moscow, for a week, early in February. This Cathedral is located at 75 East 93rd Street in Manhattan, in the Headquarters of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and is often referred to by the faithful as "Synod."

Apparently, the Head of St John Chrysostom has not left Russia since it arrived there during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, in the early 1600s. This happy event is a gesture of gratitude on the part of the Church of Russia toward the Russian Church Abroad for our sending the holy relics of the New-Venerable Martyrs Elizabeth the Grand Duchess and the Nun Barbara to tour Russia a couple years ago.

The sacred head will not be touring America, but will remain at Synod until the final day of its stay, when it will be taken to St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Russian Patriarchal Cathedral a few blocks away.

When services are not being celebrated, the head will be available for the faithful to venerate. Priests and choirs may schedule time to sing services of supplication (molebens) before the relics.

Details may be accessed at the following link:

Official Website of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia


NEW YORK: January 26, 2010
The Schedule of the visit to New York of the Honorable Head of St John Chrysostom

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, on February 6, 2010, the honorable head of the great teacher and hierarch St John Chrysostom, which is kept at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, will be brought to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York. Here the holy relic will be displayed for veneration by the faithful until February 11, when it will be taken to St Nicholas Cathedral in New York. The delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate accompanying the relic will depart for Moscow on February 12.

Saturday, February 6
All-night vigil at 6 pm.
During “Praise the Name of the Lord,” the reliquary will be brought into the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign.
From this time on, it will be available for veneration by the faithful.

Sunday, February 7
Divine Liturgy will be performed in the hierarchal rite at 9:30 am.

Monday, February 8
All-night vigil at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign at 6:30 pm.

Tuesday, February 9, the feast day of St John Chrysostom.
Hierarchal Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign will begin at 8:30 am.

Wednesday, February 10
All-night vigil at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, February 11
Divine Liturgy will begin at 8:30 am, headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, along with the members of the Synod of Bishops. At the end of the service, the relic will be taken to St Nicholas Patriarchal Church, where it will remain until the departure of the Moscow delegation on Friday, February 12.

Clergymen of the Russian Orthodox and other Local Orthodox Churches who wish to perform a prayer service before the head of St John Chrysostom should contact the Senior Priest of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign, Protopriest Andrei Sommer, at: rev.a.sommer@synod.com or by telephone at: (646) 320-7382.

[redDoodia]

Apparently, the Head of St John Chrysostom has not left Russia since it arrived there during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, in the early 1600s. This happy event is a gesture of gratitude on the part of the Church of Russia toward the Russian Church Abroad for our sending the holy relics of the New-Venerable Martyrs Elizabeth the Grand Duchess and the Nun Barbara to tour Russia a couple years ago.

Not wanting to directly contradict you, but I thought the head of St John Chrysostom is normally enshrined in Vatopaedi monastery on Mt Athos: it has an incorrupt ear.

His body is now in Istanbul, having been given by the Vatican a few years ago by Pope John Paul II.

In Xp

Alex

[VYholden]

New York, January 14, Interfax - The holy head of St John Chrysostom, kept in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, will be brought to the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York.

The shrine will be available for veneration until February 12, then the Moscow Patriarchate delegation will take it back to Moscow, official website of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia reports.

The holy head of St John Chrysostom was brought to Russia in the 17th century from the Athos Vatopedi Monastery. It was kept in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral up to 1922. From 1930 to 1988 the reliquary with the shrine belonged to the Foundation for Guarding of Russian Silver of the 19th century.

Several reliquaries, including the one with the hierarch’s head, were handed over to members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Church in the State Armoury Chamber on the eve of celebrating the 1000-year anniversary of Russia’s baptism on May 26, 1988.

[popsicesHoupe]

Not wanting to directly contradict you, but I thought the head of St John Chrysostom is normally enshrined in Vatopaedi monastery on Mt Athos: it has an incorrupt ear.

The Interfax site's religion page notes the following about St. John's head:

The holy head of St John Chrysostom was brought to Russia in the 17th century from the Athos Vatopedi Monastery. It was kept in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral up to 1922. From 1930 to 1988 the reliquary with the shrine belonged to the Foundation for Guarding of Russian Silver of the 19th century.

Several reliquaries, including the one with the hierarch’s head, were handed over to members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Church in the State Armoury Chamber on the eve of celebrating the 1000-year anniversary of Russia’s baptism on May 26, 1988. I looked at some pages describing Vatopaedi Monastery, but among those which listed the monastery's relics, none included St. John's head in the list.

In Christ,
Michael

[wMceqj7F]

A portion of the Skull of St. John Chrysostom is still kept in the Monastery of Vatopedi. This portion includes his incorrupt ear in which St. Paul spoke to him to help in his interpretation of his epistles. For more, see here: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010...f-st-john.html.

I believe much of the confusion stems from the fact that most of the holy relics of saints treasured throughout the world are in pieces. Out of reverence, churches or monasteries say that they keep a relic (e.g. the head of St. John the Forerunner) while in reality it is only piece of it. This doesn't diminish the divine grace present, but it can lead to some being scandalized when they hear that three different places have the same supposed relic, while there's no actual inconsistency.

I haven't seen or venerated the relic of St. John Chrysostom coming to NY, but I believe it makes perfect sense for it to have been a portion sent to Russia from Vatopedi in 17th century, as mentioned.

[cheesypeetyz]

I am very happy that Orthodox in USA can get to venerate St John Chrysostom. In UK we do not get this joy often with the visits of saints on our shores. If it does happen it is kept very quiet.

[popsicesHoupe]

Thanks for the clarification, Niko. I hadn't been aware of that, but it makes sense. From the picture, it does seem like the Vatopedi relic couldn't be the whole skull (wouldn't fit in the reliquary, especially given the positioning of the ear).

A little more curious Googling found some other sites mentioning the head of St. John being on Vatopedi, and still others mentioning it being brought to Russia from Vatopedi in the 17th century, but none so far saying it was a portion of it that was brought to Russia. Easy to see how confusions get going.

In Christ,
Michael

[CHEAPPoem]

Thank God, St. Chrysostom is coming to bless this land and continent! I wanna go so badly since I adoooore St. Chrysostom!