« Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York reposed in the Lord »

On the afternoon of May 16, 2022, at the age of 75, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, died in a hospital in New York after a long illness, the official website of ROCOR reports.

Bishop Nikolai of Manhattan, vicar of the Eastern American Diocese, performed at the bedside of the deceased First Hierarch the rite for the departure of the soul from the body. His Eminence was assisted by archpriest Seraphim Gan and hierodeacon Panteleimon (Zhigalin).

In the evening fn May 16, Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada served a panikhida at the Cathedral of the Sign in New York. The hierarch was assisted by Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, the clergy of the Russian Church Abroad, the Patriarchal parishes in the USA, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The time and place of the funeral and burial of the deceased will be announced later.

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Metropolitan Hilarion (in the world - Igor Alekseevich Kaprall) was born on January 6, 1948 in Spirit River (Canada). He spent his childhood in the countryside, walking to school three miles away from home. Later he moved to another school in Bluebury Creek, and then returned to finish high school, where he received his Abitur in 1966.

From an early age, he attended the Russian Holy Trinity Church, located near Spirit River. There was a lot of division among the parishioners, because one group of Ukrainians wanted the church to belong to the Ukrainian autocephaly. Later, the parish was attached to the diocese of Archbishop Panteleimon (Rudik), who first served in the Russian Church Abroad, and then transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Young Igor found a spiritual father in the Russian Church Abroad in the person of His Grace Savva (Saracevic), Bishop of Edmonton, a Serb and a great admirer of Saint John (Maximovich; +1966).

From his youth he had a gravitation towards the Church, he liked to read magazines and books of spiritual and moral content. In 1967 he entered Holy Trinity Theological Seminary in Jordanville, USA.

After graduating from the seminary in 1972, he entered the Holy Trinity Monastery as a novice. On December 2, 1974, he was tonsured a cassock with the name Hilarion in honour of Monk Hilarion, hermit of the Caves, Metropolitan of Kyiv.

On December 4, 1975, he was ordained a hierodeacon by Archbishop Averky (Taushev; +1976), under whom he served as a cell attendant.

In 1976 he was ordained a hieromonk by Bishop Laurus of Manhattan. In the same year, he graduated from Syracuse University, where he was awarded the title of Master of Slavic Sciences and Russian Literature. He was the editor of the English version of the "Orthodox Life" magazine while working as a typesetter in the monastery's printing house.

On December 10, 1984, Metropolitan Filaret (Voznesensky; +1985) headed the consecration of hieromonk Hilarion as Bishop of Manhattan with the participation of nine bishops. As Bishop of Manhattan, he was responsible for parishes in Pennsylvania, USA; The ROCOR Council of Bishops approved him as Deputy Secretary of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops.

Ten years later, thanks to the archpastoral ministry of Bishop Hilarion, the number of parishes in the Eastern American Diocese increased to 64. Visiting parish after parish, Vladyka won the love and respect from all those with whom he met. Holding a responsible position in the centre of the church administration of the Russian Church Abroad, he was an active participant in the most important events in its history.

In 1995, Bishop Hilarion was given the title of "Bishop of Washington" with residence in New York, but due to discord in the Australian diocese, that arose after Archbishop Pavel (Pavlov) retired due to illness, on June 20, 1996 he was appointed to the Sydney and Australian-New Zealand see with the elevation to the rank of Archbishop.

In 2003, he was awarded the right to wear a diamond cross on his klobuk.

After the death of Metropolitan Laurus, the First Hierarch of the Church Abroad, in March 2008, he was acting Chairman of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops.

On May 12, 2008, the ROCOR Council of Bishops elected Archbishop Hilarion the sixth First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad and elevated him to the rank of Metropolitan.

On May 13, 2008, at the ROCOR Council of Bishops, he was elected Chairman of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops.

On May 14, 2008, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to approve the decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad on the election of Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney and Australia and New Zealand as the First Hierarch of ROCOR (Journal No. 39).

On May 18, 2008, on the 4th Sunday after Easter, the newly elected First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, was celebrated at the Synodal Church of the Sign in New York.

By the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad of dated 8-9 December, 2016, the parishes of the British diocese were transferred to his subordination (as to the Chairman of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops).

On June 9, 2017, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia awarded him the right to wear two panagias.

By decision of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops of October 2, 2017, he was entrusted with the temporary administration of the Western European Diocese.

By the decision of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops of September 20, 2018, he was released from the administration of the parishes of the British and Western European dioceses. 

Patriarchia.ru/Sourozh.org