| Russian Airplanes in Armenia Named After Saints Natalya Mihailova 21 March 2014 The airplanes were given the names of Sts. Alexander Nevsky Dmitry Donskoy, and Mercury of Smolensk. March 18, 2014. PRAVMIR. For the first time, three MiG-29 aircraft were blessed at the “Erebuni” airport in Yerevan, Armenia. This took place on March 14, following the return of the aircraft from repair work. The maintenance personnel were also given Gospels and Psalters, sent as a gift from Moscow, from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The books of Holy Scripture were given to the aviators by Archimandrite Andrew (Vatz), assistant commander of the Russian 102 nd military base, who works with soldiers. According to him, 75% of the soldiers of the Russian 102 nd military base profess Christianity or Islam, notes the website NovostiNK.ru. The priest blessed three combat MiG-29 aircrafts with hull numbers 21, 23, and 24 in honor of Sts. Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, and Mercury of Smolensk. Fr. Andrew noted that these are especially revered saints who, being warriors, marked their earthly journey with military glory and became saints in the understanding of the Christian tradition. The Church honors them as saints, and soldiers honor them as their patron saints. The blessing of the airplanes was part of a series of events dedicated to Great Lent. It is planned that, during Lent, more than 500 military objects at the Russian military base in Gyumri will be blessed, as well as about 15,000 pieces of weaponry and military equipment. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Russian Airplanes in Armenia Named After Saints Natalya Mihailova The airplanes were given the names of Sts. Alexander Nevsky Dmitry Donskoy, and Mercury of Smolensk. March 18, 2014. PRAVMIR. For the first time, three MiG-29 aircraft were blessed at the “Erebuni” airport in Yerevan, Armenia. This took place on March 14, following the return of the aircraft ... 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. |
| Russian President presents Metropolitan Hilarion with the Order of Alexander Nevsky Source: DECR Pravmir.com team 03 February 2022 Photo: mospat.ru On February 2, 2022, St.Catherine’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace hosted the ceremony of presenting the highest state awards to the outstanding Russian scientists, medical doctors, workers of art, and people of other works of life in recognition of their 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 Patriarch Kirill, 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. |
| Patriarch Kirill consecrates church at foreign relations institute in Moscow Source: TASS: Russian News Agency " The consecration of the MGIMO church is an event that has long been awaited by community members, including the students, " priesm Alexander Volkov, Patriarch Kirill’s press secretary said Natalya Mihailova 08 March 2016 MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill consecrated a new Church of St. Alexander Nevsky at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) on Sunday. The ceremony featured state officials. “The opening of a church at the country’s leading diplomatic institution of high learning will be a milestone event as important as the opening of the Church of St. Tatiana under the Moscow State University in the mid-1990s. In this sense, it is vitally important that the MGIMO leadership had given real support and assistance for the church’s construction while the institute’s students are becoming its parishioners,” Priest Alexander Volkov, Patriarch Kirill’s press secretary, said earlier. He added that the church already had quite a numerous community, including MGIMO students and teachers, who used to attend church services in a temporary set up church for the past few years. “The consecration of the MGIMO church is an event that has long been awaited by community members, including the students,” Volkov said. The idea of building the church devoted to Alexander Nevsky, the patron and guardian of Russian military and diplomats, belongs to MGIMO’s teachers and students. It first appeared in 1999. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexiy II blessed the construction in 2005. The church’s construction kicked off in 2013 as part of a program for erecting Orthodox churches in Moscow. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Patriarch Kirill consecrates church at foreign relations institute in Moscow Natalya Mihailova " The consecration of the MGIMO church is an event that has long been awaited by community members, including the students, " priesm Alexander Volkov, Patriarch Kirill’s press secretary said |
| Archive Пн Metropolitan Alexander of Astana meets with Serbian Bishop Isihije of Valjevo 7 December 2023 year 14:25 On December 6, 2023, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan met with a hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Isihije of Valjevo. The meeting took place at the Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) Religio-Cultural and Administrative Centre in Almaty. The Serbian hierarch had arrived in Kazakhstan at the invitation of the head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District to visit and venerate the holy sites associated with the twentieth-century new martyrs and confessors who had shone forth in the Kazakh land. Bishop Isihije was accompanied by Priest Filip Jakovljevi, secretary of the Valjevo Diocese, and Deacon Dimitrijevi Momilo. Taking part in the meeting were also Mr Oleg Ovchinnikov, secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation; Archimandrite Sergy (Karamyshev), dean of the Astana parishes; Archimandrite Feodosy (Kuryanov), sacristan of the Cathedral of Archangel Michael in the city of Oral; Archpriest Yevgeny Ivanov, head of the Information Department of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), secretary of the Kostanay Diocese; Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky), head of Metropolitan Alexander’s Private Office; Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; Priest Andrei Krutin, rector of the Church of Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Tobyl; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, head of Metropolitan Alexander’s Protocol Office; and staff members of the Almaty Diocesan Administration. Metropolitan Alexander told Bishop Isihije about the present-life of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, including various academic, educational and youth projects and events held in 2023 to mark the 20th anniversary of its establishment. He also warmly thanked the Serbian hierarch for taking part in the celebrations in commemoration of the Holy Right-Believing Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky. |
| “We were in the process of painting the walls, which are plastered, on an extremely humid day, when we noticed that these six areas bubbled up, revealing that decades ago, wall paper had been applied over the paintings, obviously to protect the icons from the plaster.” To the surprise of Archimandrite Alexander [Pihach] and the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America’s Representation Church of the Great Martyr Catherine here, six frescoes—hidden for nearly a century—recently were uncovered during ongoing restoration work on the 18th century church’s interior. “The icons were discovered in the main church under the cupola,” according to Father Alexander, Dean of Saint Catherine’s and OCA Representative to the Patriarchate of Moscow. “The entire church had been restored, except for these walls under the cupola and altar area. “We were in the process of painting the walls, which are plastered, on an extremely humid day, when we noticed that these six areas bubbled up, revealing that decades ago, wall paper had been applied over the paintings, obviously to protect the icons from the plaster,” said Father Alexander. “The plaster came off easily, however, thereby revealing the six icons’ presence.” The icons, which depict Saints Vladimir and Olga and four prince-saints—Alexander Nevsky Michael of Tver, Theodore of Smolensk and Yuri of Vladimir—measure approximately five feet by three feet and are positioned on either side of the iconostasis. According to Father Alexander, Saint Catherine’s was closed in the early 1920s, shortly after the Russian Revolution. Initially “repurposed” as living space, the church later housed the offices of an art restoration workshop. The church complex boasts two churches—the mid-18th century “summer church” and the mid-19th century “winter church.” Construction on the summer church, commissioned by the Empress Catherine the Great and funded by the state treasury, began on May 25, 1766. It was consecrated on September 28, 1767. The church combines Moscow Baroque and Rococo styles. The frescoes were painted by D. G. Levitsky in the naturalistic style that grew in popularity in the early 18th century. [Levitsky later gained fame as the artist who painted the frescoes for Moscow’s original Christ the Saviour Cathedral, built to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in 1812.] Some of Levitsky’s work had also been uncovered beneath a later layer of more recent frescoes in the church’s northern transept. The large rotunda, purely European in origin yet capped by the traditional onion dome cupola and cross, dominates the exterior of the church. On the interior walls of the dome one finds additional 19th century frescoes. |
| Archive Metropolitan Eugene of Tallinn and All Estonia celebrates his first divine services in the capacity of Primate of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate 18 June 2018 year 11:57 On June 16-17, 2018, Metropolitan Eugene of Tallinn and All Estonia celebrated his first divine services in the capacity of Primate of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, at the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Tallinn. In the evening of June 16, Metropolitan Eugene celebrated All-Night Vigil. He was assisted by Archbishop Jacob of Bialystok and Gdansk (Polish Orthodox Church), Bishop Lazar of Narva and Prichudie; Bishop Ioann of Jelgava, vicar of the diocese of Riga; Bishop Sergiy of Maardu, vicar of the diocese of Tallinn; as well as clergy of Estonia, Poland and Lithuania. On June 17, Metropolitan Eugene celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Among his concelebrants were Metropolitan Innocent of Vilna and Lithuania, Archbishop Jacob of Bialystok and Gdansk, Bishop Lazar of Narva and Prichudie, Bishop Ioann of Jelgava, Bishop Sergiy of Maardu, as well as representatives of the clergy from Estonia, Poland and Lithuania. Present at the service were Archbishop Urmas Viilma of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Archbishop Andres Pyder, as well as Sister Philareta, mother superior of the Pukhtitsy Convent of the Dormition. After the Divine Liturgy, a thanksgiving was celebrated. Then Bishop Lazar, speaking on behalf of the clergy of the Estonian Orthodox Church, addressed Metropolitan Eugene, saying, ‘Your Eminence, Dear Vladiko Metropolitan, Divine Providence has been pleased, through a conciliar decision of the clergy and laity, to install you to the lofty and important service as Primate of the self-governing Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. For many years your life has been linked with the leading educational institution of the Russian Church – Moscow Theological Academy. For over twenty years as you served as rector, many clergy and bishops, who are now actively work in the field of Christ, received theological education and formation under your guidance. Being constantly in the midst of young people, you, as nobody else, can understand the problems of today’s youth, their needs and aspirations. |
| Archive Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk leads celebration of the 300th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary 5 July 2021 year 12:48 On 4 th July 2021, the 2 nd Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday of All Saints Who Shown Forth in the Land of Russia, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Nizhny Novgorod to mark the 300th anniversary of the Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, officiated in concelebration with Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, Metropolitan Zinovy of Saransk and Mordovia, six bishops, and many clerics, including the ordained graduates of the Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary. Attending the service were many officials of the Nizhny Novgorod region; a delegation from the Republic of Srpska; hegumeness Filareta (Gazhu), mother superior of the Convent of the Elevation of the Cross; hegumeness Gavriila (Sukhanova), mother superior of the Convent of the Intercession in the village of Lukino; lecturers, graduates and students of the seminary and of the ‘Pokrov’ education centre named after Metropolitan Nikolai (Kutepov). Liturgical hymns were sung by the choir of the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky, choir of the Nizhny Novgorod seminary, choir of the ‘Pokrov’ centre, and choir “Unity’ from the Republic of Srpska. Requiem litany was said for the late lecturers of the seminary during the Liturgy, after which the graduates of the seminary and of the ‘Pokrov’ centre greeted the archpastors and other concelebrants and expressed their gratitude for the celebration. Metropolitan Georgy thanked the archpastors for common prayers and congratulated all those present on the 300th anniversary of the theological school, mentioning that many graduates have left their mark in the life of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese and of the Russian Orthodox Church as a whole. He said: ‘The troubled years had not spared our theological school, but it revived thirty years ago and since then has educated over one thousand pastors now serving in fifty-six regions of our country. The Church places special emphasis on the education and training of pastors.” |
| Church Comes Under Bombardment in the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk Source: Pravmir.ru Natalya Mihailova 25 November 2014 November 22, 2014. The city of Debaltseve came under bombardment once again at 22:30-23:00 on November 21. Two missiles, launched by the “Hail” volley fire system, hit the premises of the St. Alexander Nevsky Church. At that time there were no people near the church. The press office of the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk has reported that the church was partly damaged – the dome was harmed and windows were broken. Windows and doors were smashed in the chapel situated on the premises of the church. According to Archpriest Bogdan Ilchuk, Rural Dean of the Debaltseve district, there are victims among civilians following the bombardment. The number of the deceased is yet unknown. The St. Alexander Nevsky Church was constructed at the place of a church, destructed during the Soviet period, in Debaltseve. It was consecrated in 2001. The standard cross-domed church was built to the design of the old-Russian architecture. Moscow experts created the carved iconostasis for the church. The icons were painted in the Ruyblev style. Archpriest Miron Kvasnikevich, Rector of the church, helped in the painting of the church. Various churches have been damaged during the armed opposition in Donbass. Two parishes of the Horlivka Diocese in honor of the Annunciation of the Holy Theotokos in Horlivka and St. John of Kronstadt in Kirovo have been deprived of their churches. A missile hit the church in Kirovo during a divine service. Consequently, three parishioners died. A missile fragment killed a watchman of the Resurrection Church in Sloviansk. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Church Comes Under Bombardment in the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk Natalya Mihailova The press office of the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk has reported that the church was partly damaged – the dome was harmed and windows were broken. Windows and doors were smashed in the chapel situated on the premises of the church. According to Archpriest Bogdan Ilchuk, Rural Dean of the ... |
| Howell, NJ: Metropolitan Hilarion led the celebrations in honor of Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov’s 50th Anniversary of Clerical Service admin 08 March 2013 March 6, 2013 On Sunday, March 3, parishioners of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell, NJ, celebrated the 50th anniversary of rector Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov’s ordination. Fr. Valery is the senior-most cleric of the Eastern American Diocese, and was ordained to the diaconate on February 21, 1963 by St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco. The Divine Liturgy was led by the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, co-served by Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop George of Mayfield, and a multitude of local clergy from neighboring parishes . After the Eucharistic Canon, Subdeacon Michael Lillie was ordained to the diaconate. The newly ordained Deacon Michael, currently a seminarian at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, will fulfill his service at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Mayfield, PA. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, in accordance with a resolution of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops, Fr. Valery was awarded the Order of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, 1st Class. Matushka Irene Lukianov was awarded a Diocesan Gramota, which stated: Celebrating 50 years of Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov’s pastoral service, we would be remiss in omitting the name of the long and faithful service to the Holy Orthodox Church of his matushka in the parish of the Holy Right-Believing Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky in Howell, New Jersey. Over the course of 50 years, you have helped your spouse carry his weighty pastoral cross in your capacity as wife and mother. You have dedicated your life to working with the parishioners entrusted by the Lord to Fr. Valery. You supported him in difficult and joyous moments alike, at all times putting your hope in God and His Most Pure Mother. |
| Howell, NJ: Primate of Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrates Liturgy in Diocesan Cathedral before Myrrh-Streaming Hawaiian Icon July 19, 2015 On Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of July, a dual feast awaited the clergy, parishioners, and guests of St. Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral in Howell, NJ. On July 18, prior to the beginning of the All-Night Vigil, the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God arrived at the cathedral from Jordanville, NY. The clergy came out to greet the Most Holy Theotokos and returned in procession to the cathedral, where the Icon was greeted by His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, who led the All-Night Vigil. His Grace was co-served by cathedral and visiting clergy. Upon completion of Vigil, the clergy and faithful piously venerated the myrrh-streaming Icon; the faithful were anointed with myrrh from the holy Icon, and each also received a piece of cotton soaked in holy myrrh. Made in Russia, the copy of the vanished Montreal-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was given as a gift to Subdeacon Nektarios, a parishioner of Holy Theotokos of Iveron Church in Honolulu, HI, and in 2007 – the year of the restoration of canonical communion between the Church Abroad and the Mother Church in Russia – began to abundantly stream myrrh. Sunday, July 19, began with the greeting of the Most Blessed Onufry, Metropolitan of Kiev & All Ukraine. His Beatitude arrived in the U.S. in order to take part in the OCA’s XVIII All-American Council, which will be opening on July 20 in Atlanta, GA. Metropolitan Onufry is accompanied by His Grace, Bishop Eusebius, vicar of the Diocese of Chernovtsy & Bukovina. On July 18, Metropolitan Onufry, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York, and Bishop Eusebius visited Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, where they celebrated Divine Liturgy, and where Metropolitan Onufry served a panihida for his brother-concelebrant, Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla; +2008). A multitude of parishioners and guests gathered in St. Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral, including many former parishioners and spiritual children of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Onufry, who before being elected to the Kievan See had served as Metropolitan of Chernovtsy & Bukovina. |
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