St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Howell, New Jersey)

The Saint Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral is located in Howell Township, New Jersey and is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).Brief historyThe Saint Alexander Nevsky Church was established in 1936 by Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko) on a tract of land donated by Yulia Martinovna Plavskaya. The initial chapel, dedicated to the memory of the great prince St. Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263), was blessed in May, 1936. The church building was subsequently expanded three times.In 1987, ground was cleared for the construction of the new church and on September 12, 1989, on the Feast Day of St. Alexander Nevsky, the cornerstone was laid and the relics of St. Herman of Alaska placed in the foundation. The imposing edifice, completed in 1997, is the work of Nikolaus Karsanov, architect and Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov, engineer. Funds were raised through donations.The Great blessing of the cathedral took place on October 18, 1997 with seven bishops, headed by Metropolitan Vitaly Ustinov, and 36 priests and deacons officiating, some 800 faithful attended the festivity. The old church was rededicated to Our Lady of Tikhvin.Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) announced, that cathedral will officially become the episcopal See of the Ruling Bishop of the Eastern American Diocese and the administrative center of the Diocese on September 12, 2014.