His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin led the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of the West in the annual (since 1925) pilgrimage to Fort Ross on the 4th of July. This year’s weather was overcast and cooler than usual — a very comfortable day. Fort Ross is now a state historic park and is the site of the first Orthodox house of prayer south of Alaska.
His Grace, Bishop Gideon of Makarov, Vicar of the Kyiv Metropolis, prayed at the Divine Liturgy and received the Holy Gifts.
(Photographs courtesy of Matushka Sophia Sokolov)
