On January 30, 2025, at the invitation of the Mayor of New York and with the blessing of the Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA & Canada, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Vice-Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Priest Mark Rashkov took part in the annual "Prayer Breakfast" at the New York Public Library.

The event was attended by numerous representatives of religious, public and cultural organizations, including clergy of the Greek and Antiochian Archdioceses in the USA. The event was opened by New York Mayor Eric Adams, who thanked the religious leaders for their active participation in the life of the metropolis and its residents.

On behalf of all the canonical Orthodox jurisdictions of the United States of America, Priest Mark Rashkov welcomed the high assembly, saying, in particular: "What makes New York remarkable? The history of the outstanding people who inhabited it. Today I have the honor to tell you about a man known mainly in the Orthodox community. But the fruits of his labors go far beyond New York and America. This is Patriarch Tikhon (Bellavin), glorified as a saint. This year is very important for all Orthodox Christians, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of his blessed repose.

After the construction of the main Russian cathedral in America – a monument of national history and architecture, located here in Manhattan, Saint Tikhon providentially said in his first sermon in the new cathedral that “people of different faiths will also hear about our new church, come to it and pray, raising their hands to God.” This was a unique statement for an Orthodox bishop of that time. But not for him. Differences did not frighten him – he embraced differences and saw beauty in other traditions. He always chose love over hate, because he believed that even in the most difficult times we can all work together, even if we disagree. We can find a common goal even among different opinions. God, give us strength, even in the most difficult times, to choose love for our neighbors instead of hatred and to see the beauty in our differences."

Priest Mark Rashkov concluded his speech by reading the Lord's Prayer, and on behalf of Bishop Matthew, the clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA, he expressed condolences to the families, friends and all the people of America in connection with the plane crash that occurred that day in the US capital.