| Ownership of landmark Alexander Nevsky cathedral settled as Bulgarian Orthodox Church gets title deed Source: Sofia Globe Natalya Mihailova 02 October 2014 After years of uncertainty and disputes about the ownership of Sofia landmark Alexander Nevsky cathedral, Bulgaria’s caretaker cabinet settled the matter by handing a title deed to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s governing body, the Holy Synod. The decision, taken by the cabinet at a scheduled meeting on October 1, establishes the right of the church to use the cathedral for an initial period of 25 years, the maximum period allowed by statute. In a letter to the cabinet, Bulgarian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Neofit said that the Holy Synod was willing to manage the cathedral indefinitely. The letter undertook that there would be no change in the use and purpose of the cathedral. Caretaker Prime Minister Georgi Bliznashki described the October 1 decision as a historical act. “It is important to understand that after today’s decision, the state and the church join hands to go forward together and I really like the decision being taken in this way, in order to calm the passions and create normal conditions for the functioning of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church”. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Ownership of landmark Alexander Nevsky cathedral settled as Bulgarian Orthodox Church gets title deed Natalya Mihailova The decision, taken by the cabinet at a scheduled meeting on October 1, establishes the right of the church to use the cathedral for an initial period of 25 years, the maximum period allowed by statute. In a letter to the cabinet, Bulgarian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Neofit said that the ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| Public prayer for Bulgarian journalism held in St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Source: Focus Information Agency Journalists of all ages and from various media and attended the prayer. Natalya Mihailova 17 June 2014 Sofia. A public prayer for Bulgarian journalism began with the chime of church bells at St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the capital Sofia, the press centre of the Holy Synod announced. The 170th anniversary of Bulgarian journalism and the 120th anniversary of the organised journalism movement in Bulgaria were the two occasions for the spiritual feast. The initiative was organised by the Union of Bulgarian Journalists and the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Journalists of all ages and from various media and attended the prayer. A prayer was held for the first time at the same temple 120 years ago on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bulgarian journalism. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Public prayer for Bulgarian journalism held in St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Natalya Mihailova Journalists of all ages and from various media and attended the prayer Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. |
| The Russian Orthodox Diaspora: Copenhagen 1987-1988/Православие.Ru Tweet Нравится The Russian Orthodox Diaspora: Copenhagen 1987-1988 Archpriest Nicholas Artemov The Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Copenhagen was established back in Tsarist times. In fact, Danish Royalty and the Russian Royal House have been closely connected—Tsar Nicholas II's mother, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, was a Danish princess. Archpriest Nicholas Artemov, who served there from 1987-88, published on the website ROCOR Studies his memoirs of that historical parish. St. Alexander Nevsky church on Bredgade 53. Its interior and exterior demonstrate the same imperial splendor as St. Alexander Nevsky church in Jerusalem (1896) or Holy Trinity Cathedral’s in Buenos Aires (1901). Photo by Bishop Agapit Archpriest Sergei Plekhov, the rector of the Parish of St Alexander Nevsky in Copenhagen wanted to publish a book about the community, but found that he lacked certain information. When he asked me what I knew about the church life in Copenhagen, I realised that I could not remember all the details of my Copenhagen ministry. I did however remember about my pocket diaries from those years and ventured into the basement where I believed they might be stored. When I found them, I was amazed by the level of detail entered in day by day. I had forgotten that I once used to be organised like this (the electronic diary I am using at the moment doesn’t inspire one to make such detailed entries). The images of past events were coming back to mind once again. In 2012, during my summer holidays, I wrote up a historically-accurate account of those days, based on the notes in the diaries. The extent of this account exceeded even my own expectations. Although, it was far too lengthy to be used in the Copenhagen Parish book, it seemed a shame just to discard it and so the text was preserved. Deacon Andrei Psarev, my colleague since 1989, read this account and asked to have it published. For a long time, I couldn’t get round to editing the text, but now, here goes … |
| Primate of the Orthodox Church in America visits Laura of St Alexander Nevsky Source: DECR Natalya Mihailova 10 December 2014 As part of his official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, is visiting St. Petersburg. Photo: https://mospat.ru On December 8, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and members of the delegation of the Orthodox Church in America were met at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity of the Laura of St Alexander Nevsky by its abbot, Bishop Nazary of Kronstadt. The delegation accompanying His Beatitude Tikhon includes Bishop Alexander of Toledo; archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America; Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of the Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations of the Orthodox Church in America; archpriest Eric Tosi, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America; archpriest Nazary Polataiko, Secretary of the Archdiocese of Canada; protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, Secretary of the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America; Ms. Melanie Ringa, Treasurer of the Orthodox Church in America; and Mr. Roman Ostash, Assistant to the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. The high guest is also accompanied by Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA; Archimandrite Alexander (Pihach), rector of the Moscow Metochion of the Orthodox Church in America – the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine In-the-Fields; deacon Kirill Dotsenko, a cleric of the Church of St Catherine In-the-Fields; and Mr. Dmitry Petrovsky, a staff member of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Greeting the guests, Bishop Nazary of Kronstadt noted that last year the oldest monastery in St. Petersburg celebrated the 300 th anniversary of its foundation. To commemorate that date, panagias with the Neva Icon of the Mother of God called “Quick to Hearken” were made. Bishop Nazary presented the panagias to His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada and Bishop Alexander of Toledo. |
| 30th Anniversary of Metropolitan Hilarion’s Episcopal Consecration & 80th Anniversary of Eastern American Diocese’s Founding celebrated at Diocesan Center On Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th of November, celebrations were held at St. Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral in Howell (Lakewood), NJ, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Eastern American Diocese. The jubilee celebrations were held in the Diocese’s recently opened administrative center. For the first time since the great consecration of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Divine Liturgy was concelebrated by 9 hierarchs. All of the festal divine services took place under the protection of the highly venerated icons of the Russian Diaspora – the wonderworking Kursk Root and myrrh-streaming Iveron-Montreal " Hawaiian " Icons of the Mother of God. The celebrations began on the evening of November 14 in Our Lady of Tikhvin Church, one of the first Russian Orthodox churches in New Jersey, where a panihida was served for Metropolitan Hilarion’s parents, relatives, and spiritual mentors. The service was led by His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan. Prior to the panihida, Bishop Nicholas tonsured Alexis Silva (parishioner at San Juan Clímaco Mission in San German, PR) a reader. The archpastors and clergy then processed with the icons to St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, where Metropolitan Hilarion led the All-Night Vigil. The service was adorned by the singing of the Holy Trinity Seminary Choir from Jordanville, NY. On November 15, the festal services began with the greeting of the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad in Our Lady of Tikhvin Church and a procession with the wonderworking Kursk Root and Iveron-Montreal " Hawaiian " Icons to the diocesan cathedral. His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, co-served by his brother bishops and a multitude of clergy from the Eastern American and Australian Dioceses and the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA. |
| Archive Primates of Russian and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches celebrate Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia 4 March 2018 year 15:43 On 4 March 2018, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia. Concelebrating with the Primates of the Russian and the Bulgarian Orthodox Churches were an assembly of hierarchs and clergy of the Bulgarian Church, members of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the Bulgarian Patriarchal Throne. Among those who prayed at the service was the head of the Bulgarian Royal House, Simeon II Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. After the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte delivered a homily. The Primate of the Bulgarian Church thanked His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for the joy of celebrating together the 140 th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria from the centuries-old yoke. As Patriarch Neophyte noted, the presence of the Primate of the Russian Church and all the guests from Russia once again demonstrated the strong and unflagging spiritual ties between the two Orthodox peoples and Churches. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill also addressed the Primate of the Bulgarian Church and all the worshippers, saying in particular: “To commemorate the end of the war that 140 years ago brought liberation to the Bulgarian people, the following Psalm verse was stamped on the Russian medals: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name” (Ps 115:1). This is a humble acceptance of the will of God and an acknowledgement of the Divine miracle in the events of the war and of God’s help which made up for human infirmity. “The sacred Bulgarian land reddened with the blood of many thousands of the Bulgarian militiamen. For the freedom of their brothers in faith, tens of thousands of the Russian soldiers shed their blood here, having died at Plevna, Plovdiv, Sheinovo and Shipka 140 years ago, when our peoples were fighting side by side for the independence, for the salvation of Bulgaria. |
| Archive Russian President presents Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk with the Order of Alexander Nevsky 2 February 2022 year 17:31 On February 2, 2022, St.Catherine " s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace hosted the ceremony of presenting highest state awards to the outstanding Russian scientists, medical doctors, workers of art, and people of other works of life in recognition of the labour. While welcoming the participants in the ceremony, the head of the state underscored: “Each of you has your own destiny, your own ‘lifeline.’ However, what all of you have in common is your dedication to work for the good of your native land, society, and our citizens. Your achievements have opened up new horizons in various fields and continue to do so; they serve Russia’s contemporary development and make a great contribution to its successful future, setting an example of commitment, devotion to duty, sense of purpose, and ability to take difficult and often unconventional decisions.” Among those awarded was Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations and rector of Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies. He was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky “for great contribution to the development of international and inter-confessional relations.” In his address after receiving the high state award, Metropolitan Hilarion said: “Highly Esteemed Vladimir Vladimirovich! “I thank you that at the suggestion of His Holiness the Patriarch, you have honoured the leaders and some staff members of the Department for External Church Relations with high state awards. “Our department is sometimes called a ministry of foreign affairs, which is not absolutely correct, because we do not deal only with foreign affairs, but are also involved in maintaining inter-confessional relations in our country. And in recent years we have increasingly felt like a kind of defense agency, because we have to defend the sacred borders of our Church. |
| A Monument to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus is Consecrated at St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell, NJ Source: Eastern American Diocese, ROCOR On Friday, December 4, the great feast of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, a multitude of clergy, faithful, and guests from the U.S. and Russia gathered at St. Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral in Howell, NJ. Prior to entering the church, many inspected the monument to two of our most distinguished contemporaries: His Holiness, Patriarch Alexey II, and His Eminence, Metropolitan Laurus, which was installed opposite the cathedral. On this bright, sunny day, the feast at the Eastern American Diocesan Center was twofold. Photo: http://eadiocese.org/ Celebrating the festal Divine Liturgy was Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. His Eminence as co-served by diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, and clergy of the Diocese and Patriarchal Parishes in the USA. The divine services were conducted under the aegis of the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora: the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. Photo: http://eadiocese.org/ Prior to the start of Liturgy, cathedral cleric Reader Peter Lukianov was ordained a subdeacon, while altar server Aleksei Roschko was awarded the right to wear the orarion. Before the communion of the faithful, Archpriest Victor Potapov, rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC, addressed the gathered worshipers with a sermon. Fr. Victor spoke about the history of the radiant feast of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, reminding the Orthodox that “this day calls to mind for us not only of the childhood of the Most Holy Theotokos, but also the significance of raising our children and grandchildren in church, because there is no better place for children than the House of God.” “If we will instruct our children from infancy, if we will overcome our spiritual indolence and bring them to church; if from their mother’s breast they will be accustomed to regularly commune of Christ’s Holy Mysteries, then this will be the surest defense for the next generation against the pernicious influences of this world. And even if they later fall from the path, rest assured that the seeds sown in their infancy will make themselves known later in their lives,” concluded Fr. Victor. |
| Bulgarian Orthodox Church rejects proposed partial ownership of Alexander Nevsky cathedral Source: The Sofia Globe The Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s governing body, the Holy Synod, has rejected a government proposal to award the church ownership of Alexander Nevsky cathedral but without the crypt housing the country’s largest collection of icons. Natalya Mihailova 29 April 2014 The continuing disagreement about the issue of ownership of the cathedral, a landmark in capital city Sofia, is having dire consequences for the building as parts of it are crumbling in decay because no serious restoration and repair work has been done for many decades. Not only is religious artwork under threat but there is concern that crumbling plaster could endanger worshippers and visitors to the cathedral, which apart from its primary place in the traditions of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Sofia also is a popular tourist attraction. An absence of title deed documents has led to decades of a lack of clarity about which body owns the building – the church, the state or Sofia municipality. A proposal has been made that the state and the municipality formally declare that they have no claims on the property, which would mean that the church would pay notary fees of about 15 000 leva (about 7500 euro). However, the state wants to hold on to the crypt. The Holy Synod disagrees with not receiving the crypt and wants a deed to the entire building. The state’s argument is that the permanent exhibition of icons in the crypt is world famous and Bulgaria should not be deprived of ownership of such a cultural institution. Religious news website Dveri said that, however, no one mentioned that the icons were seized from churches and monasteries during Bulgaria’s totalitarian communist period and rightfully should be the property of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The Dveri report said that some clergy were suggesting a compromise by which the state would help the Bulgarian Orthodox Church acquire ownership of the entire cathedral building in return for the Holy Synod agreeing to an extended grace period for the use of the crypt, after which it would pass into the exclusive use of the church. |
| DECR chairman visits Russian church in Tbilisi and monasteries of Georgian Church admin 17 January 2013 January 16, 2013 On 14 January 2013, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, who is on a visit to Georgia on the occasion of the jubilee of the Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, visited the Betania Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God, the place of monastic deeds and the burial place of Sts John (Maisuradze) and George (Mkheidze). Accompanying the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church in this trip was Metropolitan Andrew of Samtavisi and Gori. Archimandrite Yakov, abbot of the monastery, warmly welcomed Metropolitan Hilarion. The DECR chairman venerated the shrines of the monastery which he first visited when he was fifteen. That same day, the DECR chairman accompanied by Metropolitan Andrew visited the Russian Church of St Alexander Nevsky in Tbilisi. Greeting Metropolitan Hialrion was archpriest Bidzina Gunia, rector of the church, clerics and parishioners. Metropolitan Hilarion greeted all those present and told them about his visits to the Church of St Alexander Nevsky and meetings with Metropolitan Zinovy (Mazhuga), in schema Seraphim. He continued: “I would like to convey to you the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill who visited Tbilisi and this holy church on numerous occasions. I have come here with his blessing and at the invitation of His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya II who is celebrating his eightieth birthday and the thirty-fifth anniversary of his enthronement. I am happy to visit this church in which the divine services are celebrated in the Church Slavonic language. The Orthodox Russian-speaking faithful can come here to pray, light candles and, most importantly, receive the Holy Communion, thus being united with God. The Church of St Alexander Nevsky is very memorable to me. I first came here thirty years ago, when I was fifteen, and had a happy opportunity to meet with His Eminence Metropolitan Zinovy, rector of this church, whom you deeply venerate. He is venerated not only in the Georgian Church, but in the Russian Church too, because he was a remarkable man who combined his archpastoral service with the ministry of an elder. He was an elder and a spiritual counselor. We remember him as a radiant and good shepherd who lived in the likeness of angels, in austerity and humility. I do hope that the Georgian Church will canonize Metropolitan Zinovy who had served her all his life.” |
|
|
