| Photo: mospat.ru On June 17, 2019, the Day of the Holy Spirit, His Beatitude Theophilos, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, traditionally presided over the celebrations on the annual day of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, the official representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Holy Land. The festive day began with the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated by Patriarch Theophilos in the main Russian church in the Holy Land – the Cathedral of the Trinity in Jerusalem. His Beatitude was assisted by Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Metropolitan Joachim of Helenopolis, Archbishop Theodosios of Sebastia; Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem; Archimandrite Roman (Krasovsky), head of the Ecclesiastical Mission of the Russian Church Outside Russia; Archimandrite Theophilos (Anastasiadis), representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem; members and clergy of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, representatives of the Arab clergy of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem; pilgrims in holy orders from Russia and Ukraine. The service was celebrated in Russian, Greek and Arabic, with the choir of the Gorny Convent sisters singing. After the dismissal, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem addressed Archimandrite Alexander, the hierarchy and clergy, as well as parishioners and pilgrims, stressing in particular that the day’s celebrations “renew our consent for the sake of salvation of our souls. It is the renewal in Christ and unity of our faith… so that, in the sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, we could point from the Holy City of Jerusalem to the fraternal churches, that is, the Zion Church renewed together with the Russian Orthodox Church watered with the blood of her new martyrs”. Addressing the Primate of the Church of Jerusalem, Archimandrite Alexander conveyed him cordial greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and wished him God’s help in his hard work to preserve the truth of Orthodoxy in the Middle East. He also presented Patriarch Theophilos with an icon of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk with a part of her relics. |
| Reliquary with Holy Relics of Fifteen Saints Opens at St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra Photo: lavra.spb.ru A reliquary containing holy relics of fifteen saints of the Orthodox Church from different eras was opened at St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. “According to an ancient tradition, many monasteries have reliquaries. In association with the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky this year, the reliquary of our monastery was opened at St. Theodore Church of the Holy Trinity – St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra,” a message on the Lavra’s website says. The holy relics of the 15 saints are inserted into their icons. Everyone can venerate them and pray before the saints’ icons. Today, the relics of the following saints are kept in the reliquary of St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra: The Holy Martyr Maria of Gatchina; The Hieromartyr John Kochurov; The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov; The Venerable Maxim the Greek; The Holy Great Martyr Catherine; The Holy Apostle Philip; The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious; The Holy Great Martyr Anastasia; Saint Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow; The Hieromartyr Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste; The Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and St. Barbara; Saint Thaddeus, Archbishop of Tver; Saint Isaiah, Bishop of Rostov; The Holy Apostle Bartholomew; The Venerable John of Valaam. It is noted that these icons and the holy relics are already known to the parishioners of the Lavra and are placed in their usual places in free access for prayer in front of them – at the Holy Trinity Cathedral and other churches of the lavra. The Reliquary of the Lavra will be replenished with new icons in the future. Meanwhile, the monastery will gratefully accept help in creating a reliquary and painting icons for it. You can f ollow Pravmir.com on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , or Telegram . Code for blog 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. |
| On December 3 through 7, Patriarch Kirill is expected to visit Paris and Zurich PARIS, December 3./TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia arrived in Paris on his first pastoral visit as the Russian Orthodox Church’s head to consecrate the new cathedral of the Russian Orthodox diocese of Chersonesus in France’s capital, to pray with Russian and French Orthodox believers and hold talks with state officials. Photo: Press-service of the Patriarchate of the ROC/TASS archive “I am delighted to arrive in France to pray with my congregation,” Patriarch Kirill said at Le Bourget Airport. He was welcomed by Russia’s Ambassador to France Alexander Orlov, Permanent Representative to UNESCO Alexander Kuznetsov and clergymen of the diocese of Chersonesus. Consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral “The coming consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the diocese of Chersonesus will become a milestone both in the Orthodox presence in France and in humanitarian relations between the Russians and French,” said Priest Alexander Volkov, the patriarch’s press secretary. On Sunday morning, the Russian Orthodox Church’s head is due to consecrate the new Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is an architectural dominance at the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center opened on October 19. The center comprises an exhibition hall, a Russian-French school and a building for the diocese authorities with a concert hall and living premises. Volkov said that the consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the first divine liturgy officiated by the Russian patriarch in it “is a landmark event both for the diocese of Chersonesus and for Russian Orthodox Church’s all foreign parishes,” which laity had been increasing recently. Diocese of Chersonesus The Russian Orthodox diocese of Chersonesus was named after the city of Korsun. That was the name Ancient Rus gave to Chersonesos Taurica in Crimea, where Saint Prince Vladimir the Great was baptized. Afterwards, he converted Kievan Rus to Christianity. |
| Archive Delegation of abbots and abbesses of the Coptic Church visits Orthodox holy places in Moscow and Moscow Region 16 September 2019 year 11:18 From September 12-15, 2019, a delegation of abbots, abbesses and nuns of the Coptic Orthodox Church monasteries and convents, who are on a pilgrimage to Russia at the invitation of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, visited churches in monasteries in Moscow and Moscow Region. The delegation began their stay in Moscow with a visit to the Patriarchal Convent of the Protecting Veil to venerate the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow. They were cordially welcomed by Mother Superior Theophania (Miskina) and the sisters. On September 13, the guests visited the Moscow representation of the St. Sergius Monastery of the Holy Trinity to meet with the head of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monastics, Archbishop Feognost of Kashira. His Eminence warmly greeted the delegation of Egypt stating the importance of continuing such reciprocal visits for a more profound study of the history and today’s life and rich experience of the Coptic and Russian monasticism. On the same day, the delegation visited the Patriarchal Conception Convent to meet with Mother Superior Juliania (Kaleda) and the sisters. A grand reception was given in honour of the guests from Egypt after which the abbess talked to the delegation members with many of whom she had met last year as a member of the Moscow Patriarchate delegation of abbots and abbesses on their visit to Egypt. Equally warm was the welcome given to the Coptic monks and nuns at the Ss Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy, whose abbess Elizabeth (Posdnyakova) too was on the last year trip of the Russian delegation to old cloisters in Egypt. On September 14, the guests came to the Convent of Our Lady of Smolensk to meet with the patriarchal vicar of the diocese of Moscow, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, who cordially welcomed them on behalf of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod, stressing that it was a great joy for him to receive representatives of Egyptian old monastic tradition. ‘The Coptic Church’, he said’, is a guardian of old traditions of Christian devotion, which have never been interrupted’. Bishop Daniel, the head of the delegation, on his part, warmly thanked the metropolitan for the generous reception and asked to convey to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church best regards and wishes from the Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II. |
| Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia Celebrates Divine Services in the Exarchate’s Churches Source: DECR Photo: mospat.ru From 22 nd to 27 th April 2019, during the Holy Week, Metropolitan Sergy of Singapore, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, celebrated the divine services at the Church of the Holy Dormition in Singapore. On Easter night Metropolitan Sergy celebrated the Midnight Office, led the procession with the cross and officiated at the Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy. Concelebrating with the archpastor were Hieromonk Pitirim (Dondenko), secretary of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia; Rev. Yevgeny (Shmelev), cleric of the Dormition Church in Singapore; and Hierodeacon Yuvenaly (Lapshin), cleric of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, Moscow. Prior to the communion of worshippers Metropolitan Sergy read out the Paschal Message of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. A festive repast followed the Liturgy. On 2 nd May, Thursday of the Bright Week, commemoration day of Blessed Matrona of Moscow, the Patriarchal Exarch celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh on the Island of Bali, Indonesia, in concelebration with Hieromonk Pitirim (Dondenko). Rev. Iliya Melnichenko, cleric of St. Sergius Parish in Bali; and Hierodeacon Yuvenaly (Lapshin). The Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia also officiated at the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Sergius on the commemoration day of the ‘Life-Giving Spring’ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, and after the service blessed the water. On 4 th May Metropolitan Sergy celebrated the All-Night Vigil at the Church of the Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Concelebrating with the Patriarchal Exarch were Hieromonk Pitirm (Dondenko); Hieromonk Ioasaf (Tandibilang), rector of St. Vladimir Church in Jakarta; Rev. Boris Setyawan, rector of the Church of the Holy Apostle Thomas in Jakarta; and Hierodeacon Yuvenaly (Lapshin). Among those praying at the service were clerics of the Indonesia Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. After the All-Night Vigil the archpastor met with the clerics and parishioners. |
| Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro/Mircea Florescu His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel inaugurated the Kindergarten of the Romanian Patriarchate in Bucharest during a blessing service on Tuesday. In his speech, the Romanian Patriarch stressed that the kindergarten, together with the family, plays an essential role in the development of children, in a time that is popularly called “the seven years from home.” “Kindergarten and family form the child together when his being is very flexible,” Patriarch Daniel said September 15. The project of the kindergarten, His Beatitude said, “started from the desire to help the Christian family today in the great art of education, of spiritual modelling of the child’s soul”. He stressed the need to educate children, including in spiritually, arguing that the Church treats them as people fully prepared for spiritual growth from birth. “Saint John Chrysostom says that the one who only gave birth to a child from a physical point of view is not a full parent. The complete parent becomes the one who shows responsible love and care for the education, for the formation of the child,” said Patriarch Daniel. “So, the spiritual growth through education of children is just as important as their physical growth.” Spiritual development begins at birth “In the Orthodox Church, when a child is baptized, on the same day he is confirmed, anointed with the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The chrismation is not postponed for later. And on the same day, he is offered the Sacrament of Holy Communion. ” Through this, explained the Patriarch of Romania, “the Orthodox Church considered that along with the child’s physical growth (…) it is necessary to develop the spiritual growth.” “Therefore, the baptized child is considered a person – not a person in the making, an existing person, who has a name and a face and was placed, through Baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, in a relationship of eternal love with the Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity,” added the Romanian Patriarch. |
| With the blessing of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the commission for organizing and holding celebrations on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Church Abroad and its salvific service to God and the Russian people who found themselves outside the Fatherland, announces an iconography competition dedicated to this significant date. The basic concept of the icon was developed during the commission’s meetings and approved by the Synod of Bishops in June of this year. The icon of the Mother of God, “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” painted by the famous iconographer of the Russian diaspora Archimandrite Kyprian (Pyzhov) and stored in the Hall of Acts of Holy Trinity Theological Seminary in Jordanville, NY, may serve as inspiration and a starting point. It depicts the Mother of God with the Infant Christ in full height, and behind Her are numerous New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church (without halos), glorified abroad in 1981. The anniversary icon should depict the Mother of God of “the Sign” in full height, thus indicating that the Kursk-Root Icon is the most treasured relic of our Church. The great saints John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, and Jonah, Bishop of Hankou stand before her. Behind them are rows of Russian emigrants, among which are the most famous ascetics and figures of Russian Church Abroad, who created, strengthened and supported its unique service to God and the people. At the same time, the commission emphasizes that although this concept is desirable, it is optional. The main goal of the competition is to issue a festive icon for the anniversary celebrations which most accurately depicts the historical path of our Church, its spirit and heritage, the essence and uniqueness of its ministry, to present it to distinguished guests and to preserve the memory of this event for future generations. The members of the aforementioned commission, preserving the anonymity of the submitted works, will present them to the Synod of Bishops, which will participate in the competition as a jury. |
| Michael Prokurat, Alexander Golitzin, Michael D. Peterson Скачать epub pdf AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, bishop, theologian, St. (354–430). Greatest of the Latin Church Fathers (q.v.), Bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa near Carthage from 395–430, his influence has been enormous on subsequent Western Christian thought, determining the main lines of its theological development from his immediate successors to the leaders of the Reformation. Augustine was for centuries after him the Church Father par excellence. It was a reputation justly won through the production of a vast library of theological works, virtually any one of which would have sufficed to secure the reputation of a lesser thinker. In one field of theological inquiry after another, especially in responding to three threatening heresies (q.v.), Augustine set the standard for Latin Christian thought. His great work On the Trinity established Western triadology along lines it has never abandoned, nor seriously criticized. Prominent within it is a portrayal of the central Christian mystery on the psychological model, i.e., the human soul as the created analogue of the Trinity (q.v.). His City of God provided a theology of history that is still powerfully influential and, moreover, had no equivalent in the Christian East. The many treatises on the Donatist Schism established fundamental guidelines for later thought on the nature of the Church and the sacraments (qq.v.). Augustine’s spiritual autobiography, the Confessions, pioneered a new approach to the mysteries of the interior life, which would afterward have imitators to the present day. No ancient writer before or after him had ever revealed himself in such detail or sought to expose the workings of divine grace (q.v.) with such personal insight or such moving prose. His commentaries on the Scriptures (q.v.) fill yet more volumes, the fruit of his daily preaching in the cathedral of Hippo in the exercise of his pastorate. Yet, of all these, he is perhaps best known for the writings of his old age against Pelagius, the British monk who claimed (so Augustine said, in turn) that the believer could achieve salvation by self-efforts. For one so acutely conscious of the insidious and subtle corrosion of sin as this writer, Pelagius’s position was utter anathema. In responding to this threat to the sovereignty of divine grace, as Augustine saw it, he elaborated a strikingly pessimistic view of human nature that viewed humanity after the Fall as thoroughly corrupted and, in addition, as laboring under the condemnation of God originally pronounced upon Adam. |
| The State Archives of Russia and Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville Exchange Documents Moscow, September 17, 2010 On September 17, 2010, as part of the 90th anniversary celebrations of the State Archives of the Russian Federation [ GARF—Gosudarstvenniy arkhiv Rossijskoj Federatsii ], copies of documents were exchanged between GARF and Holy Trinity Seminary of Jordanville, NY. Participating in the anniversary ceremonies were eminent political and academic figures, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and their colleagues from the “near abroad.” Mr. S.V. Mironenko, Director of GARF, opened the event with a speech. “On this day, 90 years ago, a directive of the Chief Administration of Archives of the Narkompros [ Narodniy komitet prosveshcheniya—the People’s Committee on Education] of the RSFSR was signed, and at that moment, our archives were founded,” said Mironenko. He noted that the history of GARF was a difficult one. A book was published to mark the anniversary, in which “details are given on the whole history of our archive, with copies of documents, and probably most interesting, the memoirs of its employees.” Mr. A.E. Busygin, Deputy Minister of Culture, read a greeting from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev addressed to GARF’s staff. The missive pointed out that the State Archive of the Russian Federation “is considered a national treasure by law and is one of the biggest repositories in the country… You are entrusted with invaluable documents without which it is impossible to study the history of our state, the development of science, culture, education… It is important that you not only secure the preservation of the historical and cultural legacy of Russia, but popularize it.” The President also hailed the podvig and high competency of the archive’s employees. Protopriest Nikolai Balashov, Vice President of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, read a greeting from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. |
| Archive Anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill is celebrated at the Russian Metochion in Belgrade 3 February 2022 year 18:14 On February 1, 2022, the 13th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was celebrated at the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, officiating at the Divine Liturgy was his vicar, Bishop Stefan of Remesiana. Assisting the archpastor were Archpriest Vitaly Tarasjev, rector of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade; Archpriest Trajan Koji, rector of the Church of St. Mark located in the Tašmajdan park; Archpriest Nebojša Topoli, rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin in Zemun; Rev. Panaiotis Karatasios, principal of the Serbian monastery of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Zemun; Rev. Miodrag Neši; and Protodeacon Stevan Rapaji, secretary of the ecclesiastical court of the Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovci. Many parishioners, including Russians, Serbs, and people of other nationalities have gathered in the church. Among those attending the divine service were Mr. Vladimir Roganovi, director of the Office for cooperation with churches and religious communities of the Republic of Serbia; Mr. Andrey N. Khripunov, trade representative of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Serbia; Mr. V. Mikhailov, counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Serbia; Mr. Georgy N. Engelgardt, deputy director of the Russia House in Belgrade; and Mr. Marko Nikoli, deputy director of the Office for cooperation with churches and religious communities. After the divine service, Archpriest Vitaly Tarasjev addressed greeting words to Bishop Stefan, thanked the Serbian hierarch for common prayers on the Russian Orthodox Church’s key date and put special emphasis on the unbreakable spiritual bonds between the Moscow and Serbian Patriarchates as well as on the consistency of their stance on the matters of common concern to the entire world Orthodoxy. |
|
|
