On December 19, following Divine Liturgy in St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, led the last meeting for 2019 of the Bishop's Council of the Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA.

Bishop Matthew opened the meeting, greeting all the newly-elected members of the Bishop's Council elected during the recent Convocation held in September. His Grace announced the appointment of Archpriest George Konyev as Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes and Priest Mark Rashkov as Vice-Chancellor and wished them fortitude in their new duties.

In the course of the work, the council members discussed a range of issues relating to the life and activity of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA during 2019. During the meeting, the council heard reports regarding the upcoming church-wide and local celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the Patriarchal Parishes.