"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24).

Why does the sower cast wheat upon the ground? Does he do this so that the wheat will die and rot? No, he does this so that it will live and bear fruit. In sowing the seed, the sower does not think about the death and decay of the seed, but rather about its life and yield. Indeed, with joy does the sower sow his seed, not thinking about the death of the seed, but rather about life and fruitfulness.

The Sower is Christ the Lord and men are His wheat. He was pleased to call us wheat...

A Firm Request Concerning Last Minute Confessions on the Night of Pascha!

Please do not approach for confession just before the Paschal Matins, the last minute before the Divine Service for the Feast of the Resurrection begins at midnight. The required Repentance does correspond with the impending spirit of joy and forgiveness present within the atmosphere of the church at that time. In addition, the priest physically has little time to devote to this.

We request that everyone come for confession during Passion Week, or no later than after the Divine Liturgy on Great Saturday, at approximately 1:00 pm on May 4th. 

The Schedule of Divine Services for Holy Week, 2024

April 29th: HOLY & GREAT MONDAY
10:00 am -- Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
6:00 pm -- Great Compline & Matins

April 30th: HOLY & GREAT TUESDAY
10:00 am -- Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
6:00 pm -- Great Compline & Matins

May 1st: HOLY & GREAT WEDNESDAY
10:00 am -- Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
6:00 pm -- Great Compline & Matins

May 2nd: HOLY & GREAT THURSDAY
9:00 am -- Vesperal Liturgy
6:00 pm -- Matins with the 12 Passion Gospels 

May 3rd: HOLY & GREAT FRIDAY
8:00 am -- Royal Hours
2:00 pm -- Vespers (bringing out the Holy Winding sheet)
4:30 pm -- Matins with procession around the church

May 4th: HOLY & GREAT SATURDAY
9:00 am -- Vesperal Liturgy
11:30 pm -- Mid-night Office

May 5th: THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Midnight -- Paschal Matins
2:00 am -- Paschal Liturgy
2:00 pm -- Great Vespers

On February 6th, 2024, a longstanding parishioner of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento, Nicholas Storm, reposed in the Lord. Having been born in Yugoslavia on May 11, 1920, the newly-departed servant of God Nicholas lived a full and rich life of over 103 years.

His maternal grandfather was an archpriest in Saint Petersburg. And, his mother would recall how Saint John of Kronstadt had been in her father’s home when she was a little girl. Nicholas’ father was a white army officer who sustained wounds during one battle and eventually succumbed to them. Details of Nicholas’ immediate ancestry may be found in a biography about his mother entitled “Valentina.”

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the easat to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Mat. 2:1-2).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in our New-Born Christ Jesus, our Beloved Lord and Savior!

The wise men, as priests and seers from among the pagan worshippers of the sun and other stars, were investigators of the heavenly bodies not in order to predict the future but to trace the ways of divine Providence. And, though foreign to the Hebraic tradition, they were closer and more perceptive to the Truth than many of the sons of Israel. Following the extraordinary star, that was unlike any other of the heavenly luminaries they had ever observed – shining more brightly, moving contrary to the natural orbits, and descending and standing directly “over where the young child was” (Mat. 2:9) – the Magi forsook all previous knowledge and experience founded on the worship of stars for the adoration of the Sun of righteousness, even while they were on their way.

In juxtaposition, the arrival of the Magi to the capitol of Judaea caused an uneasy stir, as it is written: “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Mat. 2:3). King Herod, who was not Jewish, was enraged at the report of the birth of the “King of the Jews” as he was unworthy to sit on that throne. And predictably, because of their love of power and wealth, and in general, because of their moral corruption, the citizens of Jerusalem, in their folly, were unhappy and distressed at the prospects of their esteemed temporal securities being upturned by a New King.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill toward men. (Luke 2:14)

Your Graces, Reverend Fathers, Brothers and Sisters!

It is with the Incarnation of the Word that man can realize God’s infinite and boundless love for His creation.  Out of love for us did the Son of God humble Himself to become man, in order to heal the relationship between God and man.  Before the humble birth of Christ, in the Bethlehem cave, St. Gregory the Dialogist writes in his Dialogues, “With sin we were so distant from God that the angels, God’s citizens, eliminated us from their company.”  The rift created by the Fall between God and man was so great that it reverberated to every aspect of Creation and tore asunder the bond of love that tied the Heavens to the earth.  “It was not until the King of the Heavens took upon our flesh’, St. Gregory further writes, ‘that the Angels restored peace with us (humanity)… and once again considered us their companions.”  It is for that reason that the angelic choir appeared to the shepherds singing, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14). 

Eminent Brother-Archpastors, Reverend Fathers, Beloved in the Lord, Brothers and Sisters:

It is with feelings of humble gratitude, love, and joy in the Lord that I greet everyone on this great and most joyous celebration of the Nativity of Christ—the arrival on earth of the incarnate Son of God born to the Most-Blessed Virgin Mary. May the saving grace of God, appearing now in a humble Bethlehem cave and shining upon the waters of the Jordan River, be poured forth upon us all, visiting our homes, parishes, and monasteries with unearthly light and peace!

We pray also that the Holy Land, which quenched the Savior’s thirst with its waters and fed with its bread Him Who is for us even Himself our food and drink, be sated with the peace heralded by the angelic choir over the city of Bethlehem! May the Lord strengthen the clergymen and monastics of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, who are enduring difficult times as they preserve and protect our holy sites. Their courageous podvig, in the words of St John the Wonderworker, who was glorified 30 years ago, “evokes a feeling of tenderness and is worthy of reverence,” and it is our holy duty to send them our support in these sacred days.

Christmas Message
from Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Rus’
to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics
and All Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church
Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons,
God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters,

The unutterable love of God has gathered us today so that in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3) we may celebrate one of the most solemn and at the same time mysterious feasts of the Church – the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Glorifying our Saviour’s coming into the world, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you, my beloved, on the joyful event, which opened a new era in the relationship between God and humanity.

On May 29, 2023, members of the Western American Diocese, both clergy and laity, undertook the annual pilgrimage to Fort Ross. Today it is a wonderful park under the auspices of the State of California, yet two hundred years ago, life there was in full swing with several hundred people from soldiers, to artisans, to farmers, to indigenous people both from Alaska and locals (Kashaya-Pomo Indians). The park also preserves an Orthodox cemetery. In the 1990s, archaeologists carried out excavations and identified the graves of the departed who labored at the fort in bygone years.

Now for about a hundred years (circa 1922 or 1923), Russian Orthodox Christians have been coming to Fort Ross annually, remembering their roots and praying at this holy place consecrated by the presence of Saints such as Holy Hierarch Innocent of Moscow, Holy Martyr Peter the Aleut, Hieromartyr Tikhon Patriarch of Moscow and Holy Hierarch John of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker.

His Eminence Kyrill Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America was informed by his doctor today that the former’s operation was a huge success.

It is requested that the clergy and faithful of the Western American Diocese, please, continue their prayers for His Eminence’s full and speedy recovery.

His Eminence Kyrill Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America advises the clergy and faithful of the following:
 

"Your Eminences, Your Graces, Reverend Fathers, and Friends,

This coming Thursday 22 June I will be undergoing an operation (at 11 am).
I have stones on my left kidney that are 2.5 cm in size.
I will be out of commission for about 2 -3 weeks but reachable via e-mail.

I ask for your prayers.

+Archbishop Kyrill"

On the Sunday of All Saints of Russia, June 18, 2023, Holy Ascension Church was presented with a new icon of Holy Righteous Alexei of Moscow along with a particle of his honorable relics. 

Teachers, students, parents, and relatives of the Cossack Cadet School in honor of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God heard the last "call" for the 2022-2023 academic year on May 27 this year.

The program began with a Thanksgiving Moleben in the church. And after that, everyone gathered in the church hall where the teachers congratulated the children on the occasion of the end of the school year. And the pupils showed their knowledge by reading poems in Russian and prayers in Church Slavonic.

On Bright Saturday, April 22, 2023, infant Xenia (Darina) Adamenko was Baptised at Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento. Congratulations to Xenia's sponsors, parents, brothers, sister, grandparents and all of her family.

On Bright Monday, April 17, 2023, the clergy and faithful, and of course, the children of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento, partook of the joy of the Resurrection of Christ by participating in the Divine Liturgy, procession, and an Easter Egg Hunt, which followed a meal in the church hall. 

See the albums below for details:

Christ is Risen!

 In the canon of Paschal Matins, it is exclaimed that our Lord Jesus appeared to the Holy Myrrh-bearing women and to His disciples. “The godly-wise women followed after Thee in haste; but Him Whom they sought with tears as dead, they worshipped joyfully as the living God, and they brought unto Thy disciples, O Christ, the good tidings of the mystical Pascha” (Ode VII).

Our Resurrected Lord manifested Himself many times during the forty days before His Divine Ascension and Session at the right hand of the Father, in this way preparing them for the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. And, indeed He continues to reveal Himself in glory to new disciples from generation to generation, even as He appeared to the Holy Apostle Paul well after Pentecost. “Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time” (I Cor. 15: 8).

But if God desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim 2:4) and loves even His enemies, why did He limit the vision of His radiant Resurrection to those who were close to Him and not all people? Would not the power and glory of His Resurrected presence be of assistance to those who mocked Him and crucified Him, so that they too could see and believe, and therefore be saved?

Reverend Fathers, Venerable Monastics, and Pious Faithful of the Western American Diocese:

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

The days that our Savior Jesus Christ brings to us in this life are often filled with joy, but they are sometimes filled with sorrows. We are experiencing such sorrowful days today, of the sort which many of us thought, and hoped, we would not experience again in this lifetime. Memories of the revolution and the grave injustices that for so many decades followed it are renewed in our minds with unwelcome freshness. We recall anew the sufferings of our ancestors. We are drawn again to the testimony of the New Martyrs and all that they suffered in the previous generation for the sake of Christ. And driven by such memories, and by the Lord’s commandment, we pray for those who are suffering, everywhere, especially our closest brethren in the Holy Orthodox Faith, and for their salvation.

With a sense of Paschal joy and special spiritual closeness, despite the distance separating us, I greet you, Eminent Brother Archpastors, honorable fathers, dear brothers and sisters scattered throughout the world, on this great and light-bearing day of the Pascha of Christ!

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Paschal Message from Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Russia to Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics and All Faithful Children
of the Russian Orthodox Church

Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters,

I address all of you, Orthodox Christians living in many countries of the world, who are now in churches or praying in your homes, to extend greetings to you on the great feast of Holy Pascha with my heart full of spiritual joy, and to proclaim victoriously in accord with the ancient tradition:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

On Holy and Great Saturday, April 15th, 2023, 6 people were received into the fold of the Orthodox Church. 

See the following photo album of that event.

The clergy and faithful of Holy Ascension Church celebrated the Great Feast of Palm Sunday.

Here is the photo album of the Feast:

On Lazarus Saturday, April 8th, 2023, Vladimir Taran received Holy Baptism. 

A photo album may be seen below:

A leaflet on the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian was prepared by Andre Kusubov, a parishioner of the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco.

At the beginning of Great Lent, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev & All Ukraine, called upon and blessed the faithful to fulfill a special rule of prayer for peace. The rule is as follows: throughout the fast read the 45th and 90th Psalms, do 12 full prostrations, and read the Lord’s Prayer daily, for peace in the Ukrainian Land. With the blessing of Archbishop Kyrill we are posting the TEXT of this “Rule for Peace” for the members of the Western American Diocese and website visitors.

On January 6/19th, 2023, the clergy and faithful of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento "went out to the Jordan" in a procession for the Rite of the "Greater Blessing of the Waters" in the churchyard.

A photo report may be found below.

On January 14th, 2023, the Cossack Cadet School in honor of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God held its annual Nativity program (Yolka), organized by the teachers and parents of our school. 

After the program, Father Frost and "Snegorichka" visited with the children giving gifts to all of them token presents, and a festal meal followed. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Divine Services of the Holy Church testify that “Bethlehem has opened Eden: come let us see! We have found joy in a secret place: come, let us seize Paradise hidden in the cave! There the unwatered Root has appeared, blossoming with forgiveness. There is found the undug Well, from which David longed to drink of old. There the Virgin has borne a child, quenching Adam's and David's thirst. Let us hurry to this place, where the Eternal God was born as a little child!”

Adam of old, before his fall and expulsion from Paradise, knew no sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing. He was being sweetened not only by the delights of that wonderful, holy place, but moreover he delighted in sweet conversation with God, he shared a union with the “Gentle Light of the Holy Glory.” Having lost this light and existing as a fallen man in a fallen world, he had a deep yearning to return to that former beauty. The Divine Services call it a thirst. And this thirst was quenched by the “Eternal God [Who] was born as a little Child.”

If Adam had brought upon himself fallen nature, David who had come many generations later had inherited it. Within the depths of his soul David had the same yearning, longing, thirst that so needed quenching as our forefather Adam did. David stretched himself beyond human limits and heights of repentance and knowledge of God that few could ever hope to equal. Yet, the yearning of this prophet of God could not be satisfied by anything earthly or even heavenly as he thirsted for the Creator Himself. And God the Word without beginning and outside of time, entered into this created world through the Ever-Virgin. The Son of God born in a cave of the earth is that unwatered Root that blossomed forth forgiveness, the undug Well that quenches the deepest of thirsts...

to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons,
Monastics and All the Faithful Children
of the Russian Orthodox Church

Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable
presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks
and nuns, dear brothers and sisters,

Today, as the Heavenly and earthly Church in conciliar unity glorifies God Incarnate, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you on the great and radiant feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Eminent Fellow Archpastors, Honorable Fathers, Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Greetings with the Nativity of Christ!

In these days of great joy, the thoughts of the archpastors, pastors, monastics, parishioners, and faithful of the churches and monasteries of our dioceses, scattered like God’s wheat over the vast earth, meet in the meek Bethlehem cave, in the semi-darkness in which was lit the unquenchable Light of the world — our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God! Spiritually gathering with all of you in the modest cave near Bethlehem, and kneeling down before the poor manger of the Divine Infant and His Most Pure Mother, I join my prayers to yours and implore God the Word incarnate to grant His Church grace-filled mercies and blessed success in Her ministry, and to all Orthodox peoples speedy deliverance from fratricidal war, restoration of justice and peace, that peace of which the angelic choir sang over the city of David on that holy night of the Nativity!

As the Biblical book, “The Wisdom of Sirach” narrates:

Nativity Epistle of His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America may be read HERE.

On Sunday, December 4th, 2022, the clergy and faithful of Holy Ascension Church celebrated the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. It is a day when parents make a special effort to bring their children to church and to receive Holy Communion, while emulating the Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God Joakim and Anna, who gave their Holy Daughter to the Temple for Her spiritual and Divine upbringing.. The teachers and pupils of the parish church school did the same. Afterward, the Sisterhood prepared a wonderful dinner in the church hall. 

On Saturday, November 26, 2022, the clergy and parishioners of Holy Ascension Church made their annual pilgrimage to Saint Herman of Alaska the Wonderworker in Platina, CA. The pilgrims participated in the Divine Liturgy, after which all were fortified by the meal that followed in the refectory. Several people had never visited the monastery before and took advantage of the opportunity to venerate the blessed Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose's) grave, take an excursion of the monastery and learn of its history as well as visit the bookstore. Later, the pilgrims visited the Skete of Blessed Xenia in Wildwood, CA.

On Saturday, November 5, 2022, the "Iveron-Hawaiian" Icon of the Mother of God visited Holy Ascension Church for a second time this year, being present at the All-night Vigil. Many clergy at faithful came that evening to receive a blessing from the Most-Pure Mother of God. Photo gallery below.

On Sunday, September 25, 2022, Oleksii and Anna were crowned in matrimony at Holy Ascension Church. Many Years! A photo gallery has been placed below.

On Tuesday, 13 September, 2022, the members of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany, celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York City. At the end of divine services, the archpastors performed a moleben for the opening of the Council, invoking the Holy Spirit to help in their work.

Attending the Council of Bishops were Metropolitan Mark; His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of Western America and New York; His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada; His Eminence Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America; His Grace Bishop John of Caracas and South America; His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe; His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan; His Grace Bishop Theodosius of Seattle; His Grace Bishop Luke of Syracuse; His Grace Bishop Alexander of Vevey and His Grace Bishop Job of Stuttgart. His Grace Bishop George of Canberra participated electronically.

To the Pastors, Monastics and the Pious Children of the Church Abroad

Beloved brethren and sisters!

We, the Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, having assembled together in Sacred Council on the eve of the Ecclesiastical New Year in the Synodal Residence in the God-protected city of New York, in the presence of our Hodegetria and guide, the wonderworking Kursk-root icon of the Mother of God, greet you with the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, which He spoke unto His disciples after His Resurrection: ‘Be of good cheer: I have overcome the world!’ (John 16.33).

We are of good cheer, because we are witnesses to the Lord’s great mercy unto His children and the continuity of His headship of the Church. Having seen fit to call unto Himself our pious and humble First Hierarch, the blessedly-reposed and much-beloved Metropolitan Hilarion, He has not left us bereft of order and care. We began our Council with the election of Metropolitan Hilarion’s successor, the seventh Primate of the Russian Church Abroad, following the order of election approved and sanctified by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. By the Will of God, His Grace Nicholas, Bishop of Manhattan, was elected to bear this yoke of service - he who for many years has borne the obedience lain upon him by our Synod of accompanying the miraculous Kursk-root icon in its travels throughout the Russian Orthodox Diaspora, and over the last one and a half decades, all across Russia.

On Tuesday, 13 September 2022, the member hierarchs of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany, celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York City. Afterward, the bishops performed a moleben for the opening of a Council of Bishops, invoking the aid of the Holy Spirit for their work.

After a luncheon in the main hall of the Synodal residence, the Council began. Vladyka Mark delivered the keynote address, after which His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America was elected Vice President, and elected as Council Secretaries were His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, His Grace Bishop Theodosius of Seattle, and His Grace Bishop Job of Stuttgart. Appointed as members of the election Counting Committee were His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe and His Grace Bishop Luke of Syracuse.

The hierarchs then proceeded to the Synodal Cathedral for the election of a new First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

On Tuesday, 13 September, 2022, the election of the new Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia by its Council of Bishops took place. In accordance with the Act of Canonical Communion, signed on 17 May, 2007, the Council will send the Act of the election, drafted by the counting committee to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with a request to bless the electee to assume the duties of the First Hierarch entrusted to him by his brethren archpastors, and for confirmation of the election by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The rite of enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, newly-elected First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, will take place on Sunday, 18 September.

The schedule of divine services associated with the enthronement is as follows:

On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 19th, 2022, Priest Aurelius Zmeu and Priest Elias Drake (Wu) concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Father Rector Archpriest Paul Volmensky. Below are photographs of the "Blessing of the First Fruits." 

On Sunday, August 14, many of the parishioners of the Holy Ascension Church went to the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, where the rector, Archpriest Pavel Volmensky, served a memorial service for Alexei Kirillov. The latter reposed in the Lord unexpectedly in a motorcycle accident a year ago.

In preparation for the anniversary, a monument was erected on the grave of the deceased. The design and cost of the monument were accomplished with the assistance and approval of Alexei's widow, Natalia Kirillova, who lives in Russia. See the photo gallery below.

In July of 2022, four people received Baptism: Roman, Ekaterina, Sofia (infants), and Sofia's father, Andrei Lyubimov. Soon after this Baptism Andrei and his wife Natalia were married in the church. See the photo gallery of the Baptisms below.

On the Feast of the Holy, All-praised and Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul the "Iveron-Hawaiian" Icon of the Mother of God visited Holy Ascension Church. See the photo gallery from that day. 

On Friday, June 24th, 2022, the monastic communities and parishes of the Western American Diocese served a panykhida for newly-departed Metropolitan Hilarion who governed the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia from 2008-2022. Memory Eternal to our beloved Frist-Hierarch.

On the great feast of Pentecost, June 12, 2022, Father Rector Archpriest Paul Volmensky introduced to the parishioners a new member of the clergy, Priest Maxim Filippov. Father Maxim will serve at the Holy Ascension Church as a non-salaried member of the clergy. He has come to Sacramento with his wife Matushka Anastasia and their three young children, Dimitri, Olga and Alexander. Besides his education as a priest, Father Maksim has training in computer programming and intends to support his family in this manner.

The Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the patronal feast of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church, was marked on June 2, 2022, with His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill presiding over the festivities.

Concelebrating with His Eminence were the Father Rector, Archpriest Paul Volmensky, Archpriest Michael Boyle, Priest Philip Plowman, and Priest Elijah Drake (Wu). Archdeacon Peter (Karakozoff), Deacon Paul Kozachenko, Deacon Nicholas Stoltz, and Deacon Seraphim Torruella also concelebrated.

Our church school, the Cossack Cadet School in honor of the “Don” Icon of the Mother of God, held its final day for the academic year 2021-2022 on Saturday, June 4, 2022. 

The event began with Thanksgiving Molebin and a group photograph in the church and then the teachers and pupils of the school along with their parents went to the church hall for the program and a final meal.

On Memorial Day, May 30th, 2022, clergy and faithful of the Western American Diocese took the annual trek to Fort Ross Historic Park to participate in the Divine Liturgy, procession to the cemetery and a litya for those departed who are buried at Fort Ross, who lived, labored and reposed at there about 200 years ago.

His Grace Theodosy Bishop of Seattle presided over the festivities. Concelebrating with him were Archpriests Peter Perekrestov, George Kurtow, Paul Volmensky, Alexander Krassovsky, Priest George Kaplanov and Deacons Nicholas Stoltz, Paul Kozachenko and Alex Baranoff. The choir was conducted by Konstantine Pavlov and its members consisted of the pilgrims of the diocese.

His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill greeted the pilgrims on their way back from the fort at the agape meal offered at the Kazan Church in Guerneville, CA.

On Saturday, May 21, 2022, the Day of Commemoration of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, His Grace James, Bishop of Sonora, presided over the Divine Liturgy at Holy Ascension Church. Concelebrating with him were Archpriest Paul Volmensky (Rector), Priest Aurelius Zmeu, Priest Elijah Drake (Wu), Deacon Nicholas Stoltz and Deacon Seraphim Torruella.

After the Divine Liturgy clergy and faithful drove out to the Russian Orthodox Cemetery where Bishop James performed a panykhida over the grave of his spiritual father, Archimandrite Anastassy (Newcobmbe) who reposed on May 21, 2004.

On Sunday May 8th, 2022, Ivan and Natalia Ivanov were wedded in the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony...

On Monday, 23 May, 2022, a meeting of the Synod of Bishops of the Russia Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was held, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany. Participating in the meeting were His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops; His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada; His Eminence Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America; His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe and His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, Deputy Secretary of the Synod of Bishops.

A series of decisions were taken during the meeting:

On Saturday, May 21, the feast of the Holy Apostle & Evangelist John the Theologian, the monastic funeral of the newly reposed First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad ‒ His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York ‒ was held in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City.

Metropolitan Mark of Berlin & Germany officiated the service, co-served by members of the Synod of Bishops: Archbishops Kyrill of San Francisco & Western America, Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, and Peter of Chicago & Mid-America; and Bishops Nicholas of Manhattan and Irenei of London & Western Europe. Also taking part in the funeral rite were hierarchs of other Local Churches: Metropolitan Joseph of New York (Antiochian Archdiocese of North America; funeral only), Archbishop Michel of New York & New Jersey (Orthodox Church in America; Liturgy only), and Bishop Gedeon of Makarovka (vicar of the Kievan Metropolitanate, with the blessing of Metropolitan Onufry), as well as a multitude of the clergy of the Russian Church Abroad and guests.

On Tuesday, 4/17 May, 2022, the 15th anniversary of the restoration of the fullness of Church unity within the Russian Orthodox Church, and the eve of the anniversary of the enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, a session of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR was held, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany.

The members of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad announced with great sorrow that on 3/16 May, the feast day of St Theodosius, Abbot of the Kiev Caves, Metropolitan Hilarion reposed in the Lord.

In connection with this, it was DECREED:

Today, May 16, 2022, the feast day of St Theodosius of the Kievan Caves, at two o’clock New York time, following a lengthy illness, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, reposed in the Lord, in a NYC hospital.

His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, Vicar of the Eastern American Diocese, performed the “Canon of Supplication at the Parting of the Soul.” His Grace was joined by Archpriest Serafim Gan and Hierodeacon Panteleimon (Jigalin). A pannikhida will be performed at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York at 7:30 pm tonight.

Further information will be provided shortly.

May God grant the Kingdom of Heaven to our Master and Father, the Eminent Metropolitan Hilarion!

SOURCE

On Pascha night, April 11/24, 2022, many of the faithful of Sacramento, CA, gathered at Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento. Participants in the cross procession around the church before the beginning of Paschal matins were so many that the crowd completely circumscribed the church, the head of the procession walking directly behind its own tail. Voices of the many participants joined in with the chanting of the choir. During the Paschal matins, our church was filled to capacity and there were 80-100 communicants of Christ's Sacred Mysteries. The Paschal baskets were blessed twice that night: before the Midnight Office and after the Paschal Liturgy. Later the hall was completely full of those who stayed to break the fast. There were even a few souls who walked over to the nearby parking garage to watch the sun dance as it rose over the Sierra Nevadas.

On Bright Monday, April 12/25, 2022, Divine Liturgy and a cross procession were performed...

On Great Saturday, April 10/23, 2022, 8 adult Baptisms were performed at Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento. These were people of varying ages and backgrounds who longed to be united to the Body of Christ.

Seven of the newly illumined are members of Holy Ascension Church, and one is a member of All Saints of North America in the Lodi/Stockton area, a mission headed by Priest Elijah Drake...

PASCHAL EPISTLE

of His Eminence HILARION
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York,
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Eminent Brother Archpastors, Honorable Fathers, Dear Brothers and Sisters:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

With a sense of jubilation in the Lord, the Victor over evil, hell and death, I greet you all on this luminous night of the Matins and Liturgy of the Pascha of Christ, this “feast of faith” which the great Chrysostom exhorts us to relish! Congratulations with the Bright Resurrection of Christ!

On Holy and Great Friday, April 9/22, 2022, the clergy, choir and parishioners of Holy Ascension Church celebrated the Divine Services commemorating the removal from the Cross and burial of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, and also His Descent into Hades.

On Lazarus Saturday, April 16th, 2022, the Church of Christ received several infants and a mother of two of them before Divine Liturgy at Holy Ascension Church. 

Congratultions to the newly-illumined, their god-parents, parents, siblings and grandparents.

On the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, March 21/April 3, 2022, His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America made a pastoral visit to Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento, CA. 

Dear in the Lord Fathers, Brothers and Sisters:

During these terrifying days when streams of blood merge with the flow of deceit and wickedness, we Christians cannot allow ourselves to submit to the spirit of war. The spirit of war is demanding. It requires us to divide into parties. It forces us to hate.

We Christians must understand: the wrath with which war burns is the wrath of hell. The enemy of God drinks in not so much human blood as human bitterness and division. The devil wants nothing more than to separate man from his neighbor, from the Church and from Christ.

Rumors surfaced this week of the discontinuance of commemoration of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in some parishes of the Russian Church Abroad, allegedly blessed by the Synod of Bishops. This report absolutely does not correspond to reality: the Synod of Bishops did not convene to discuss this matter and has made no such decision. In accordance with the Act of Canonical Communion signed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus in 2007, the name of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church is commemorated in all parishes and monasteries of the Russian Church Abroad. These parishes and monasteries minister to a multitude of Orthodox Christian believers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Kazakhstan and other countries.

On March 16, 2022, His Holiness Kirill Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia published Address No. 01/1215 in which he calls upon the entire flock, clergy and laity, to raise up prayers of repentance.

His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America turns to the clergy and children of the diocese entrusted to him with the following words.

Dear in Christ Reverend Fathers and faithful of Holy Mother Church!

In the letter, His Holiness Patriarch Kyrill speaks of the sorrowful situation in the Ukraine. His Holiness states that...

With the blessing of His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, the Western American Diocese is organizing collections to benefit the refugees and the other innocents suffering from the present military conflict in Ukraine. We urge our faithful to be zealous in their support of those suffering. Their need is great, as is our opportunity to help them. 

His Eminence KIRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America has published Decree No. 4/2022E throughout the Diocese for the end to conflict in Ukraine. The original may be found here.

+ + + + +

In addition to the “Prayer for Ukraine,” which is inserted by the Priests of the Diocese into the appointed place in the Divine Liturgy, we urge all the faithful to pray for peace amongst those in conflict. The following are prayers blessed for this purpose.

Dear in the Lord Brothers and Sisters:

As we approach Great Lent, this salvific time of profound prayer and self-correction, and in connection with the events in the Ukrainian land, I turn to all with a heartfelt plea: to refrain from excessive watching television, following newspapers and the internet, to close our hearts to the passions ignited by mass media, while doubling our fervent prayers for peace throughout the world, for overcoming enmity and discord, for help for the suffering, for the repose of those who have departed into the eternal life and the consolation of their friends and relatives, so that we all first and foremost remain humane and Orthodox Christians in these difficult times.

On February 12, 2022, -- the Feast of the Holy Three Hierarchs -- our church school held its Annual Parish Yolka. Due to several reasons, mostly the illness of many people in our school, the Yolka was not performed on the day that had been planned, January 15th, 2022...

The Nativity Epistle of His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America may be read here. 

With profound gladness I greet my fellow archpastors, honourable fathers, monastics, parishioners and the worshipers of our churches, scattered throughout the world, with the Nativity of Christ, the Baptism of the Lord and the New Year! May the Lord send us all the joy of the coming of the Son of God into the world. Both the struggle of our faith, and its fruits in our days, must be grounded in this joy: the joy that comes from hearing the angelic doxology and the triumph of the Incarnation of God the Word!

This past year was difficult and sorrowful for many of us, but it was also filled with divers blessings and gifts for which we must offer up our gratitude to our Benefactor. We have reached this festal season because Divine Providence did not abandon us. If we have been able to carry forth to this time the duties lain upon us, it is solely because the Lord Himself has granted us health, power, nourishment and clothing, and has poured out upon us His help, and the gift of patience for the unfolding of our life’s path. In addition to this, how many blessed gifts have been communicated to us in the holy sacraments, in the fast, and in the prayer and mystical life of the Church!

Christmastide always evokes feelings of love and gratitude in the believing heart. Let us also raise up in these days our own gratitude to God, let us bring our love to Him and to our neighbours, and let us convey our own Nativity gift to the temple, in which we are honoured with the wondrous, personal encounter with Christ and saving communion with Him. Let us open our hearts, dear fathers, brothers and sisters; let us receive the Son of God Who has come to earth; and let us worship Him together with the magi, rejoicing in His love and mercy towards us. Amen.

With love in the New-Born Christ,

+HILARION
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad

The Nativity of Christ, 2021/2022

JUBILEE EPISTLE of His Eminence HILARION, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, on the Occasion of the 800th Anniversary of the Birth of the Holy Right-Believing Great Prince Alexander Nevsky and the Centennial of the I All-Diaspora Council

Greeting my beloved in the Lord brother-archpastors, reverend fathers, and our dear brothers and sisters with love and a feeling of rejoicing in the Mother of God, I sincerely congratulate all of the archpastors, clergy, and laity with both the approaching celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Great Prince Alexander Nevsky and the centennial of the I All-Diaspora Council!

In anticipation of impending Feast Day of the “Kazan” of the Mother of God on July 21 of this year, His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America arranged for the gilding of the cupola that crowns the Kazan Church along the Russian River in Guerneville, CA.

Artisan Valeriy Kagounkin of Sacramento, CA, labored for several days at the church setting up scaffolding, preparing the surface of the cupola and gilding it. The dome’s magnificent appearance uplifts the soul and brings joy the to the heart.

His Eminence has been overseeing many other new improvements to the buildings and landscape of the Kazan Church property. Everyone is welcome to observe these developments on Saturday July 24, the day the Kazan Feast Day will be observed. Archbishop Kyrill will preside. Hours begin at 8:40 am, Divine Liturgy from 9:00 am, procession and festal meal.

Your Graces the archpastors, reverend pastors and deacons, all-honourable monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters: 

On this chosen and holy day, full of Paschal joy and glorious light, the life-affirming glad tidings are being passed on from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart: 

CHRIST IS RISEN! 

Christ is Risen!

“Yesterday I was buried with Thee, O Christ; today I rise with Thine arising. Yesterday I was crucified with Thee; do Thou Thyself glorify me with Thee, O Savior, in Thy kingdom” (Paschal Canon, Ode III)

Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

Hastening to church to participate in the Divine Services on the sacred and holy night of the Resurrection of Christ,...

Reverend Fathers, Venerable Monastics, and Pious Faithful
of the Western American Diocese ROCOR:
Precious Children of the Church, my beloved flock:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

PASCHAL ADDRESS
of His Eminence
Hilarion
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad

CHRIST IS RISEN!

NATIVITY EPISTLE
of the Ruling Archbishop
of the Western American Diocese ROCOR

Reverend Fathers, Vernerable Monastics, Pious Faithful,

Text may be read here.

Your Graces, brother-archpastors, reverend fathers, beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord!

GREETINGS ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST!

By God’s ineffable goodness, we enter once more into the joyous days of the great feasts of Christ’s Nativity and Theophany. I sincerely greet you all with this world-saving joy! The feat of faith and its fruit in life must be this joy: from the triumph of the Theophany - God’s manifestation and incarnation - and the sound of the Heavenly doxology and otherworldly peace being sung over Bethlehem.

Everything that transpired in that simple cave in Bethlehem and in the holy River Jordan, both especially revered by the entire Christian world, bore the deep hallmarks of modesty and humility. In His Nativity, the Creator of the universe, Who holds all things in His right hand, ...

Christmas Message

by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia

to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics

 and All the Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church

Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters,

From the depths of my heart I congratulate you all on the radiant feast of the Nativity of Christ.

Today the Church in heaven and on earth is triumphant as she rejoices at the coming into the world of our Lord and Saviour and lifts up praises and thanksgiving to God for His mercy and love for the human race. It is with spiritual trembling that we listen to the words of the hymn: “Christ is born; glorify Him! Christ comes from heaven; go out to meet Him” (Hirmos for the Canon of the Nativity of Christ). With reverence and hope we set our gaze upon the cave of Bethlehem where the Divine Infant lies wrapped in swaddling clothes in a lowly manger.

Nativity Greeting from the Rector of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento,
Archpriest Paul Volmensky

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ! “Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16). For “when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal. 4:4). The Son of God became the Son of a Virgin. Having two natures – Divine and human – the Son of the Living God, One of the Holy Trinity is now the bridge between the Godhead and man. Heaven and earth are united through the Virgin. The uncreated is united with the created, as the Only-Begotten Son and Word of God became incarnate of the Ever-Virgin.

Your Graces Brother-Archpastors, Honorable Fathers,
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord!

I sincerely greet you with the 725th Anniversary of the appearance of the miraculous Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God of the “Sign,” and with the Centennial of the founding of the Higher Church Administration Abroad, which later was transformed into the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad. We are not marking the events that destroyed all the foundations of Pre-Revolutionary Russia, and which hit extremely hard on our dear Mother – the Local Russian Orthodox Church – having pushed Her, together with the whole country, onto a path of great suffering, repression, martyrdom and confession. Rather, we raise up gratitude to God, Who has preserved us under the shelter of our precious Orthodox Faith, in the traditions of the glorious Russian Church...

It is with pain of heart that I am following the events unfolding in California, which is engulfed in flames, making this the second worst fire season in the history of the state. And I hasten to express my profoundest sympathy to everyone. I prayerfully empathize with His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill, the auxiliary bishops His Grace Bishop Theodosy and His Grace Bishop James, the clergy, monastics and flock of the Western American Diocese, the citizens of California, all who have suffered from the flames and the tens of thousands of firefighters battling them.

Glory to God, the fire did not touch the Church of Our Lady of Kazan on the Russian River...

The Monastery of the All-Merciful Savior is located in Washington State, which was one of the first epicenters of the coronavirus epidemic, then of the mass protests that have swept throughout most of the country. The head of this monastery, Abbot Tryphon (Parsons), a licensed psychologist before his tonsure, has for many years replaced his clients and patients with spiritual children.  

He not only discussed how to rid ourselves of the pandemic and what consequences we might face. The priest, who in his youth was a radical socialist, shared his thoughts on how faith can help overcome tribulations, and also compared today’s events in the USA with the pre-Revolutionary situation in Russia in 1917.

It is most difficult today for the elderly and youth

- Fr Tryphon, why did you, an American, choose Russian Orthodox Christianity?

- It came from the heart. I love Russian culture, Russian music, the Liturgical music of the Russian Church, her traditions. When I began to seek my path to Orthodox Christianity, it was natural for me to join the Russian Church.

- You live in the State of Washington, which became one of the epicenters of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. What do you think of this situation?

Right reverend brother-archpastors, reverend fathers,
beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord!

Pushkin’s chronicler Pimen, passing on his life’s work to his student, said:
"…To thee I hand my task. In hours exempt
From the soul’s exercise, do thou record,
Not subtly reasoning, all things whereto
Thou shalt in life be witness; war and peace,
The sway of kings, the holy miracles
Of saints, all prophecies and heavenly signs; -
For me ‘tis time to rest and quench my lamp…"

"Here is that which is most dear to the Russian people: the holy miracles of saints, prophecies, and heavenly signs. And truly, no celebration in Russia ever saw the coming together of such multitudes in Russia as the opening of new holy relics," said Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), who 100 years ago led the Russian Church Abroad, in one of his sermons.

As we know, the stages of the glorification of a saint in Christ’s Church take place gradually. We, the archpastors, pastors, and flock, examine ourselves against the dispositions of our forebears in the Faith, and in this way the canonization of God’s saints matures and takes shape. 

In other words, saying precisely when our lives will return to normal is very difficult. Like, on the other hand, answering the question will that life essentially be normal, i.e. as before. But we might, and I believe we should, take a different approach. That is to say we should try to understand the effect this ordeal has had on our thinking and what we have learned from it. Or otherwise on what should we have reflected and what should we have learned. Or still alternatively what insight can we obtain from it, how can our minds become enriched, disregarding the tragedy and incredible complexity of what has occurred.

I will attempt to share what I have come to understand.

1. It seems to me that it is worth placing first the obvious necessity of being prepared for anything in life. 

I would like to share my thoughts in connection with the discussion that has unfolded around the decoration of the mosaics of the main Church of the Armed Forces of Russia, recently built in Moscow.

Since ancient times, temples and entire monasteries dedicated to various historical events have always been erected on Russian soil. Such churches and monasteries include the following: the Church of the Protection on the Nerl, the Sretensky Monastery, the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square, the Cathedral of Saint Vladimir in Sevastopol, which is called the "Admiral's Cathedral" of the Russian fleet, where Admirals Lazarev, Kornilov, Nakhimov and Istomin are buried. The names of all naval officers who fell during the defense of Sevastopol are engraved on marble slabs in the upper church of this temple. The churches listed above include the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, built in 1883 in honor of the victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812, and the St. Nicholas Cathedral, dedicated to the Russian fleet and all reposed sailors, built from 1903-1913 in Kronstadt. Even now those temples that belonged to a particular military regiment in tsarist times have also been preserved.

As a rule, in addition to icon painting, these temples were also decorated...

Today, May 25, 2020, the Governor of the State of California, Gavin Newsome, has declared that churches and all houses of worship are now open.

The monasteries and parishes of the Western American Diocese within the State of California may enter into this new phase of reduced social distancing. However, all are required to observe the guidelines found in the document published by 

It is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge the cancellation of our the annual diocesan pilgrimage to Fort Ross on Memorial Day, which would have been held this year on Monday May 25, 2020.

It has always been a joyous day with the concelebration of the Divine Liturgy led by our hieararchs and surrounded by many the faithful from throughout the Western American Diocese. The procession to the cemetery across the canyon is a brisk and refreshing hike. When we arrive, prayers are raised up for the departed and the graves of those buried there 200 years ago are blessed.

On Friday May 22, 2020, the opening of churches within the United States, after  their closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was announced by President Donald Trump; the opening of houses of worship beginning this weekend.

The President’s statement is welcome as the faithful look forward to the possibility of returning to the usual rhythm of Church life through attendance at the Divine Services and participating in other parish activities.

However, for now the practices for the ministry of the faithful that have been worked out successfully and maintained...

On April 9th, 2020, Deacon Alexander Gousev, a cleric and founder of Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia Church in Sparks, NV, reposed in the Lord.

Alexander Gousev (Sasha) was born in the former Soviet Union on May 10th, 1962. He came to Holy Ascension Church in Sacramento, CA, in 1989. Sasha lived for some time in San Francisco and eventually settled in Reno, NV.

On Thomas Sunday, April 26th, 2020, Archpriest Paul Volmensky and a few parishioners went out to the Russian Orthodox Cemetery for the commemoration of the departed souls laid to rest. 

It was not possible to hold our annual general panykhida and pinic due to the Orders of the Sacramento Health Department. However, by mercy of God, prayers were said over many of the graves of our beloved departed ones. Two men were assigned to assure that soical distancing was observed and that those who desired to enter on the cemetery for prayer did so within the limits defined by the Orders. 

CHRIST IS RISEN!

The Divine Services for Pascha on April 19, 2020, were preformed behind closed doors in compliance with the Sacramento County Orders for quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Paschal Matins, Paschal Liturgy, blessing of the Artos and blessing of the Paschal baskets were all accomplished by the mercy of God and recorded on a live stream. There are 500 views of that recording to date.

Bright Friday: On Bright Friday, which is also the Feast of the Life-giving Spring of the Most-Holy Theotokos, there was performed a Liturgy, and also  "The Lessor Blessing of the Waters" with a procession around the church. Also, on this day a new icon for our church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril Teachers of the Slavs was blessed. This icon, a gift from ascetics of one of the cells of St. Anne's Skete on Mt. Athos, has particles of the honorable relics of those Saints.

It is a common practice within the Holy Church to perform cross processions with holy icons, honorable relics and with the sprinkling of holy water during plagues and other calamities. Many times in the history of the Church, pestilences have subsided after such sacred acts have been performed. With prayer, faith and hope, may the COVID-19 pandemic subside with great speed. 

The Divine Liturgy was performed on Holy and Great Saturday April 18 from 9:00 am. Father Rector presided and Alexandra and Maria Volmensky chanted and sang. 

On Great Friday, April 17, 2020, the Father Rector Archpriest Paul Volmensky an his daughters performed the Divine Services for Vespers with the bringing out of the Holy Winding-sheet and Matins with the procession around the church.

The Divine servcies were live-streamed using new equipment. Many thanks to our donors and technicians who helped to make the production more professional.

Paschal Message of
Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Russia
to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics
and All the Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church

Your Graces the archpastors, venerable fathers,
all-honourable monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

By the grace of the All-Generous God, we have been vouchsafed to come to the radiant Paschal night and once again rejoice in the glorious Resurrection of Christ. From the depths of my heart I greet all of you, my beloved, with this great holiday and “feast of feasts.”

Reverend Fathers, Venerable Monastics, and Pious Faithful
of the Western American Diocese ROCOR:
Precious Children of the Church, my beloved flock:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

The voice of the Angel who proclaimed “He is risen!” has never been more longed-for than today, nor has our joy been deeper in hearing it. This voice shattered the expectation of the women at the Lord’s tomb: they expected the continuation of funeral rites and the prescribed customs of the Law, and they wept when what they expected was disturbed. But the Angel revealed to them what was beyond their expectation as they made that journey to the tomb:

Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento is observing Sacramento County Orders concerning COVID-19.

An insightful letter about the coronavirus shared by Fr. Victor Potapov of St. John's ROCOR Cathedral in Washington, D.C. 

I watch what is happening and I increasingly understand that mankind urgently needed such a shake-up!  

Just think - how have we lived our lives during the last decades? The coronavirus will make you rethink your whole life!  Mankind will live differently after the triumph of the virus! 

Nature and our Lord are tired of our contemptuous attitude towards our health and the environment! We've stopped being human! Hubris overtook our minds and we began to feel that we are the masters of the world!  But the tiny virus quickly put us in our place!   

During these holy days of Great Lent and Passion Week throughout the world, churches have been closed. By Divine allowance, government officials of many nations have, from fear of the spread of COVID-19, announced general quarantines, including in the Holy Land. Christians have limited access to holy sites, deprived of spiritual support, common prayer and the partaking of the Holy Gifts of Christ in their churches.

Dear in the Lord fathers, brothers, and sisters!

I sincerely greet you with the very warmest well-wishes for the blessings of God, good health, spiritual calm, and the patience so needed in this trying time! I especially greet the doctors, nurses, and all who work in the hospitals, sincerely wishing them increased strength and Heavenly aid! I wish for those who are sick - and for their friends and relatives - comfort in the hope of God’s will, which always directs man toward the good. Our prayers are with all of you.

Instructional Notice Concering Reception of Post-Communion and other Pracitices during the Spread of the Coronavirus:

On Friday March 6, 2020, His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill gave instruction to all of the clery of the Western American Diocese that zapivka (wine after communion) be served to the communicants from individual disposable cups until the Coronavirus ends. There is to be placed a paper bag for cup disposal next to the zapivka table.

Peter and Elizabeth Henry were honored  at the Annual Blini Dinner on Meat-fare Sunday, 2020, as they marked their 50th Wedding Anniversary on January 25th of this year.

The parish hall was filled to capacity as the parishioners of Holy Ascension Church joined Peter and Elizabeth and their children and grandchildren to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary.

Peter Henry was the care-taker of our cemetery for many years and Elizaeth has been a faithful member of the Sisterhood. Peter also serves as an alcolyte in the altar for Divine Liturgy, contiuning has childhood practice; as he served under St. John (Maximovich) back in Shanghai, China.

On Sunday Januray 19, 2020, the faithful of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento "went out to the Jordan" to the participate in the Great Blessing of the Waters. 

On January 11th, 2020, the Cossack Cadet School in honor of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God at Holy Ascension Church held the Annual Yolka. See the photogallery below.

Under the direction of Alexandra Volmensky, the choir of Holy Ascension Church performed the 2nd Annual Benefit Concert to aid in the beautifcation of our church.

The Administrator of the Orthodox School of Bethany Nun Maria will be speaking at Holy Ascension Church on Wednesday, May 15, at 7:00 pm. Come, see, hear and support this school. Further details about the Bethany School here. 

Below is a film that provides some background for the presentation Mother Maria will give. 

Christ is Risen!

For behold through the Cross joy has come to all the world.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Beloved in Christ, dear Brothers and Sisters!

The Son and Word of God was not incarnate, did not speak to us, did not work miracles, simply so that we would become decent members of society or find a measure temporal happiness or magically live forever. The Word became flesh with the aim of restoring Adam and Eve, who before their redemption abode in misery, whose very nature had been perverted.

Eminent Brother Archpastors, honorable Fathers, 
beloved Brothers, Sisters and Children in Christ:

I offer my words of greeting, which are inspired by Christian love, on this great feast of the Nativity of Christ! With a warm heart I wish you all that profound and inalienable peace, which was heralded by the angels above the town of Bethlehem on the holy night when "the Word was made flesh" (John 1:14).

Reverend Fathers, Venerable Monastics, and Pious Faithful

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you”(John 14:27).

Having gathered in an expanded session of the Synod of Bishops as we approach the feast day of the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York City, we, the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, warmly greet the clergymen and God-loving flock with the all-diaspora celebration of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign", the “Protectress” of the Russian diaspora.

We are approaching the centennial of the founding of the Russian Church Abroad, which continues to minister to its flock, scattered like Divine kernels of wheat throughout the world. Over the course of that time, the work of its Councils, the sessions of its Synod of Bishops, important ecclesiastical-social gatherings and various Church celebrations have all taken place under the auspices of the Kursk-Root Icon. This miracle-working image has accompanied Russian refugees fleeing cruel persecutors who dared to desecrate or destroy the holy sites of our Fatherland, murder archpastors, pastors and a multitude of believers, including the Royal Passion-bearers. The hundredth anniversary of the martyrdom of the latter was prayerfully marked in all the dioceses of our Church this year.

On November 24, 2018, members of the church school and parish of Holy Ascension Church undertook an annual pilgrimage to Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, California.

Hieromonk Paisius presided of the Divine Liturgy at which many of our parishioners received Holy Communion. Our Sisterhood donated the meal for some 70 monastics and pilgrims. Our pilgrims were fortified in body by the meal and edified spiritually by the reading at the time from the Synaxarion. Abbot Damascene heartily congratulated two brothers of the monastery with their Names Day, stavrophor monk Selathiel and novice Michael.

On November 11, 2018, Anatoly and Nonna Plasichuk participated in the Sacrament of Matrimony. Archpriest Paul Volmensky performed the ceremony. His Grace IRENEI Bishop of Richmond and Western Europe heartily congratulated the newly-weds at the end. 

On November 10th, 2018, the miraculous Iveron-Hawaiin Myrrh-streaming Icon visited Holy Ascension Church for All-night Vigil. The holy icon streamed myrrh in abundance. After the Divine Servces, His Grace IRENEI Bishop of Richmond and Western Europe spoke about the holy icon and opened the case for all to see the miracle more closely. 

On Saturday October 20, 2018, the Cossack Cadet School in Honor of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God and the martial arts school Combat Karate came together for the "Pokrov" Cossack Games held at Holy Ascension Church. 

The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia communicates to the plenitude of her clergy and faithful, and to her fellow Orthodox Christians throughout the world, her profound sorrow at the uncanonical undertakings perpetrated by the Church of Constantinople over the past days; in particular with regard to its Message of 11th October 2018. Simultaneously we express our complete support of the position taken by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Moscow, following its meeting of 15th October 2018 and announced in its statement of the same date.

On October 14, 2018, the choir of Holy Ascension Church honored its patron Saint, Saint Roman the Melodist. His Grace Bishop Irenei of Richmond and Western Europe congratulated the choir conductor, Alexandra Volmensky, and all of the members of our choir and thanked them for their diligent and excellent work in leading the community in prayer. Lunch was enjoyed out in the parish yard on the warm autum afternoon. 

On Monday September 24, 2018, the Monastery of Saint Silouan the Athonite observed its patronal Feast Day. The Divine Services were presided by His Grace Theodosy Bishop of Seattle. 

On Sunday September 23, 2018, Holy Ascension Church marked the annual celebration of the Sisterhood's Feast Day in honor of the "Kursk-Root" Icon of the Mother of God (8/21 Septmeber). One of the very first icons of our parish is the "Kursk-Root" Icon, a copy of which was brought by clergy from San Francisco to Sacramento as a gift at one of the first gatherings of the parish founders way back in 1953. 

Join our parish on October 13th for The 5th Annual Russian Festival in the heart of Downtown Sacramento!

Holy Ascension Church
714 13th Street Sacramento, CA

 Our doors are open from 11am-5pm

We announce that Leonid Barsukov reposed in the Lord Sunday September 16 at approximately 10:40 PM, an hour after receiving the Holy Mysteries.

On Saturday September 1, 2018, the Cossack Cadet School in Honor of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God at Holy Ascension Church celebrated its feast day with the opening of the academic year. The day began with a procession to the church and a molebin at with time the clergy, teachers, pupils and their parents asked for God's blessing upon this endeavor. The day continued with Cossack sports and was completed with a fine meal.

Those interested in enrollment in our school should contact the school administrator Valentina Tkachenko. 

On Sunday August 19, 2018, His Grace IRENEI Bishop of Sacramento presided over the Fesat of the Transfiguration of the Lord. 

On Thursday August 2nd, 2018, His Grace Irenei Bishop of Sacramento presided over the Patronal Feast at Saint Elias Church in Diamond Springs, CA. 

From July 22-28, 2018, teenagers and members of parish school of Holy Ascension Church participated in diocesan sponsored youth workweek at Saint Silouan's Monastery in Sonora, CA.

On Saturday July 21, 2018, several parishioners of Holy Ascension Churh attended the Feast Day of the "Kazan" Mother of God and the "Kazan" Church in Guerneville, CA. Many thanks to those from our community that participated in the preparing the meal after Divine Liturgy.

On July 17, 2018, our neighboring parish in Reno, NV, which is dedicated to the Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia marked the Centennial of martyrdom of Holy Tsar Nicholas II and his family and servents. The Rector and parishioners of Holy Ascension Church undertook a pilgrimge to mark the patronal Feast Day and Centennial with the local founders and parishioners. 

On Sunday July 15, 2018, the community of Holy Ascension Church marked the Names of Father Rector Archpriest Paul Volmensky. 

Father Paul had just returned from a pilgrimage to Russia, his very first visit. This pilgrimage had been a gift from the parishioners given in 2016 on the occassion of his 30 years of service at Holy Ascension Church.

On May 28, 2018, the clergy and parishioners of Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento joined other pilgrims of the Western American Diocese for the annual pilgrimage to Fort Ross, near Jenner, California.

On May 17, 2018, the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento celebrated its Patronal Feast Day.

On May 13, 2018, two infants were Baptized: Sebastian Loghin and Andrea Cazacu. The newly illumined were churched during the Divine Liturgy just before Holy Communion. A reception followed in the church hall where congratulations were offered to the newly-illumined infants, their god-parents and parents, and all mothers as well.

On Sunday May 13, 2018, Mother's Day was celebrated at Holy Ascension Church in various ways. Before Divine Liturgy infants Sebastian Loghin and Andrea Cazacu were baptised in honor of St. Sebastian of San Franciso and Jackson the Wonderworker and Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called respectively. After Divine Liturgy the community enjoyed shashlyk prepared by some of the men, while the salads had been prepared by the Sisterhood. Cakes marking the Baptisms made for a tasty dessert. At the end of the day all mothers, grandmothers, god-mothers, future mothers and anyone who had manifested motherhood in one way or another were invited to participate in a group photograph.

Congratulations to the Loghin and Kazacu Families with this triumphant day of the Baptism of their children. Many Years!

On Saturday the 5th of May, 2018, the 8th Annual Children’s Cossack Games were held at Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento under the direction of Stanislav Holokov a Semirechniy Cossack, Ataman of the Cossacks’ National Union and Dean of the Western American Cossack Cadet School in honor of the “Don” Icon of the Mother of God.

Pupils of our Western American Cossack Cadet School in honor of the “Don” Icon of the Mother of God under the artistic guidance of their teacher Oxana Marin performed in the 87th Annual Day of the Russian Child held at the Russian Center in San Francisco, CA, on April 29th, 2018.

On April 29, 2018, Samual and Ida Black were wedded in our church, after which they immediately relocated to Reno, NV, where both are attending school and working. Congratulations to this young couple. May God grant them many years!

His Grace Irenei Bishop of Sacramento presided over Divine Services at Holy Ascension Church on Pascha this year, April 8, 2018. Below is a photo report by Ella Chichkan.

Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,

With incredible pain we have received the news about the tragic events in the Kemerov Diocese which swept away the lives of a multitude of children. Now, moved by the Christian sense of sympathy and brotherly love, we are praying for the repose of those who have been lost and for the health of those lying in hospitals. And, we call for all possible assistance to all affected families through the Benevolent Memorial Fund of St. Archbishop John (Maximovich).

This great archpastor of the Russian Diaspora always hastened to the aid of the suffering, those in tribulation and those weighed down by the cross of life. He hastened with concrete help, with kind words of love, consolation, hope and prayer.

Let us follow, even if in small measure, ...

The Media Department of the Western American Diocese recently released a video report about the 11th Annual Saint Herman's West Youth Conference held in Seattle, WA, from December 26 to 30, 2017.

On the Sunday of the Cross, March 11, 2018, His Grace IRENEI Bishop of Sacramento presided over the Divine Liturgy. Our church was filled to capacity, with many communicants as well. An annual dinner held on this day for decades was hosted for the secon year on a row by our women from Moldova. Many thanks for the labors and for sharing their traditional dishes.

On the 7th of January, 2018, the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, a new reader was tonsured for Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church of Sacramento.

His Grace Irenei Bishop of Sacramento presided over the Divine Liturgy on the Feast day, surrounded by clergy and a multitude of altar servers and faithful.

On Sunday November 19, 2017, at the end of Divine Liturgy the community of Holy Ascension Church performed a Thanksgiving Molebin, as is the parish custom on the Sunday before the civil holiday Thanksgiving.

The sermon called attention to the contemplation of those good things, which God bestows upon His servants, on the gift of life, and especially on the great blessing of being called to Holy Baptism and to have been vouchsafed worthy to have received the Sacred Mysteries of Christ.

On the 8^th of November, 2017, the Autumn Pastoral Conference of the clergy of the Western American Diocese came to its conclusion.

The Eminent Bishops, priests and deacons of the Diocese have issued a Resolution in which are addressed the centennial of the Bolshevik Revolution with its tragic effects, and the joyous celebrations of the 10^th Anniversary of the signing of the “Act of Canonical Communion” between the two parts of the Russian Church and the 25ht Anniversary of Archbishop Kyrill’s consecration to the episcopacy.

The Media Department of the Western American Diocese produced a video about the youth workweek organized at Saint Silouan's Monastery in Sonora, California, from July 2nd to 8th, 2017.

This was a pilot program, with the intention of making the workweek an annual event.

Dear Parishioners,

As you may have noticed, the number of acolytes has increased and our vestry does not have enough sticharions in gold for our daily use. That is why the servers are wearing a variety of colors: gold, red, and even blue. It would be proper if every server’s vestment color matched the season and furnishings in our church.

The Merciful Lord has opened an opportunity for us to improve this situation. We have found 14 new gold sticharions for $2120.00; approximately $150/unit. 

Many thanks to Sergey Kuzmin for the video of our IV Annual Russian Festival (September, 2017).

On Sunday the 4^th of December, 2016, on the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America visited Holy Ascension Church of Sacramento, CA, and enthroned a new Vicar, His Grace IRENEI Bishop of Sacramento, in his city and vicariate.