On Friday, December 8, the official delegation of the Orthodox Church in America led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of all America and Canada departed from Moscow. His Beatitude was accompanied by Bishop Daniel of Santa-Rosa, Vicar of the Diocese of the West; Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak; Subdeacon Roman Ostash and Melanie Ringa, Treasurer of the OCA.

At the Sheremetyevo Airport, the honored guests were seen off by Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA; Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, rector of St. Catherine Church in-the-Fields in Moscow; DECR Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk and DECR Staff member, D. Petrovsky.