| On 19 October 2014, when the Orthodox Church honours the memory of the Holy Apostle Thomas who, according to the church tradition, was the first to preach the Gospel in the Celestial Empire, the 5th anniversary of the restoration and consecration of the Church of the Dormition was celebrated in the capital of China, in the territory of the Russian Embassy. The place where the church stands today used to belong to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in China which contributed to the development of Russia-China relations for over 250 years. On October 17, Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate, arrived in Beijing to take part in the celebrations upon the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Accompanying the archpastor was Mr. Dmitry Petrovsky, a staff member of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. Mr. Yevgeny Tomikhin, Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy in China, met Bishop Sergiy at the Beijing airport. On October 18, Bishop Sergiy, Mr. Yevgeny Tomikhin and the clergymen who had arrived in Beijing to take part in the celebrations attended the opening of an exhibition on the Contemporary History of the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Beijing. On October 19, Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk officiated at the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Dormition. Concelebrating with the archpastor were priest Sergiy Voronin, rector of the Church of the Dormition; archpriest Andrei Stepanov, rector of the Church of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem in Irkutsk; archpriest Alexei Kiselevich, rector of the Orthodox community in Shanghai; archpriest Dionisy Pozdnyaev, rector of the Parish of Ss Peter and Paul in Hong Kong; and Hierodeacon Yuvenaly (Lapshin), a cleric of the Moscow Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino. During the service, Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk presented the Patriarchal awards to those who had helped to restore the Church of the Dormition and contributed to the development of parish life in Beijing. |
| Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev Commemorated on March 14/27 Saint Rostislav-Michael, Great Prince of Kiev, was the son of the Kievan Great Prince Saint Mstislav the Great (June 14), and the brother of holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11, April 22, and November 27). He was one of the great civil and churchly figures of the mid-twelfth century. His name is connected with the fortification and rise of Smolensk, and both the Smolensk principality and the Smolensk diocese. Up until the twelfth century the Smolensk land was part of the Kievan realm. The beginning of its political separation took place in the year 1125, when holy Prince Mstislav the Great, gave Smolensk to his son Rostislav (in Baptism Michael) as an inheritance from his father, the Kievan Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh. Thanks to the work and efforts of Saint Rostislav, the Smolensk principality, which he ruled for more than forty years, expanded and was built up with cities and villages, adorned with churches and monasteries, and became influential in Russian affairs. Saint Rostislav founded the cities of Rostislavl, Mstislavl, Krichev, Propoisk, and Vasiliev among others. He was the forefather of the Smolensk princely dynasty. In 1136 Saint Rostislav succeeded in establishing a separate Smolensk diocese. Its first bishop was Manuel, installed between March-May of 1136 by Metropolitan Michael of Kiev. Prince Rostislav issued an edict in the city of Smolensk assuring Bishop Manuel that he would provide him with whatever he needed. On September 30, 1150 Saint Rostislav also ceded Cathedral Hill at Smolensk to the Smolensk diocese, where the Dormition cathedral and other diocesan buildings stood. Contemporaries thought highly of the church construction of Prince Rostislav. Even the sources that are inclined to report nothing more about it note that “this prince built the church of the Theotokos at Smolensk.” The Dormition cathedral, originally built by his grandfather, Vladimir Monomakh, in the year 1101 was rebuilt and expanded under Prince Rostislav. The rebuilt cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Manuel on the Feast of the Dormition, August 15, 1150. Prince Rostislav was a “builder of the Church” in a far wider sense: he endowed the Smolensk Dormition church of the Mother of God, and transformed it from a city cathedral into the ecclesiastical center of the vast Smolensk diocese. |
| The Holy Synod noted the deterioration of the situation in world Orthodoxy and called a Pan-Orthodox Council discussion the only way out of the current crisis. Photo: UOC On December 6, 2019, the last session of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took place in the residence of the Primate of the UOC in the territory of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Having discussed the latest developments in the sphere of inter-Orthodox relations, the Synod made an official statement, the text of which was published on the UOC DECR website. In the Statement, the Synod of the UOC noted that the crisis resulting from the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine is not a problem of bilateral relations between the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Moscow and concerns all Local Orthodox Churches, as it “destroys the very foundations of the life and mission of the Church of Christ”. In this regard, the Holy Synod welcomed the initiative of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine to convene a Pan-Orthodox Council in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since it considers the Pan-Orthodox Council discussion to be the only way out of the current crisis. The UOJ publishes the full text of the Statement of the Holy Synod of the UOC. STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH December 6, 2019 The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, after careful deliberation of the recent developments in the sphere of inter-Orthodox relations, makes the following statement: 1. We are compelled to declare that due to the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine, and also in connection with the actions perpetrated by the Primates of the Greek and Alexandrian Orthodox Churches, namely by their entering into Eucharistic communion with the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”, the situation in Orthodox Christianity has grown worse not only at the administrative but also at the spiritual level – that is, on the level of ecclesial communion in the Holy Sacraments. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition in London September 24, 2017, the commemoration day of St. Silouan of the Athonite – Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR), who is in Great Britain for a working visit, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition in London. The archpastor was assisted by Archbishop Yelisey of Sourozh, Hieromonk Ioann (Kopeikin), pro-rector for training, Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies; and the clergy of the Dormition Cathedral. After the service, Archbishop Yelisey warmly greeted Metropolitan Hilarion, saying in particular, ‘We are very grateful to His Holiness the Patriarch for having entrusted you with the mission to continue the dialogue with the Anglican Church despite all the challenges. To preserve the apostolic traditions of the undivided Church takes a great deal of work. Much depends on us as the Orthodox, on how hard we will work together with our Anglican brothers. We are also grateful to you for raising the question about the future of Christianity in Western Europe, what place it will occupy’. Archbishop Yelisey wished Metropolitan Hilarion fortitude so that he may ‘use the gifts you already have for the prosperity and assertion of the Church of Christ not only in our homeland but also beyond it, including in the British Islands’. Then Metropolitan Hilarion addressed himself to the congregation with an archpastoral homily: “Your Eminence, Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters: I would like to convey to you all a blessing from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Less than a year has passed since he visited this country and celebrated in this holy church. His Holiness cherishes the memory of that visit and embraces you all, dear fathers, brothers and sisters, in his prayer. |
| St. Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod Commemorated on December 4 Saint Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod, was descended from the Gonzov family and was, in the testimony of contemporaries, “dignified, intelligent, virtuous and learned in the Holy Scripture.” His was made a monk at the Valaam monastery, under the spiritual guidance of Saint Sabbatius of Solovki (September 27). From the year 1472, he was Archimandrite of the Chudov (Miracle of the Archangel Michael) monastery in Moscow. Zealous for celebrating divine services according to the Typikon, he and Bassian, Archbishop of Rostov, and later his successor Joasaph, fearlessly rose up in defense of the ancient Rule during a dispute about moving “like the sun” (from east to west) at the consecration of the Dormition cathedral in Moscow during the years 1479-1481. In 1483 Saint Gennadius began construction of a stone church at the Chudov monastery in honor of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), the founder of the monastery. On December 12, 1484 Saint Gennadius was consecrated as Archbishop of Novgorod. Already in Novgorod, but still honoring the memory of Saint Alexis, Gennadius did not cease to concern himself with the construction of the church, even contributing silver for the completion of this temple. The time of holy Archbishop Gennadius as hierarch at Novgorod coincided with a terrible period in the history of the Russian Church. In 1470, Judaizing preachers, who traveled to Novgorod in the guise of merchants, had already begun to plant the weeds of heresy and apostasy among the Orthodox. The first reports about the heresy reached Saint Gennadius in the year 1487. Four members of a secret society, in a state of intoxication, opened up and told the Orthodox of the existence of the impious heresy. As soon as it became known to him, the zealous archpastor immediately began an inquiry and with deep sorrow became convinced that the danger was a threat not only to local Novgorod piety, but also in Moscow, the very capital of Orthodoxy, where the leaders of the Judaizers had journeyed in 1480. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Metropolitan Hilarion’s pilgrimage to Holy Mount Athos Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR), with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, was on a visit to Holy Mount Athos from March 11 to 13, 2017. During the same days, Bishop Antoniy of Bogorodsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate office for institutions abroad, began his working visit to Mount Athos. Upon his arrival to the Holy Mountain, Metropolitan Hilarion, together with Bishop Antoniy, visited the New Phivaida hermitage, which belongs to the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon, to see the progress of the large-scale restoration work carried out in the skete. Then the pilgrims went to Karyes, where they were received by the Protoepistatis of the Mount Athos Holy Epistasia, Father Barnabas of the Vatopedi monastery. Having venerated the Icon of Our Lady ‘It is Meet and Right’ at the church of the Dormition, the guests went to the Iviron monastery, where Metropolitan Hilarion venerated the Ivirion Icon of Our Lady and read the acathistus in Greek. Having later that day come to the St. Panteleimon monastery, the pilgrims prayed at Small Vespers followed by All-Night Vigil, at the Holy Protomartyr Panteleimon church. On March 12, the 2 nd Sunday of Great Lent, Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral church. He was assisted by Bishop Antoniy, Father Superior Archimandrite Yevlogiy, brethren and members of the pilgrims group in holy orders. After the dismissal, Metropolitan Hilarion delivered a sermon: ‘Your Grace, Very Reverend Father Yevlogiy, Dear Fathers and Brothers: I cordially greet you on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who asked me to convey to all of you his Primatial blessing. Every day He prays for Holy Mount Athos, the monastery of the Holy Martyr and Healer Panteleimon and for all the brethren in Christ of this holy monastery. |
| The 35th Anniversary of the Repose of Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko) of Rockland was prayerfully commemorated in Novo-Diveevo July 15, 2013 Friday, July 12, on the feast of the Holy Leaders of the Apostles Sts. Peter & Paul, marked the 35th anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko) of Rockland, vicar of the Eastern American Diocese. As an archpriest, Fr. Adrian (in monasticism Andrew) founded Holy Dormition Convent “Novo-Diveevo” in Nanuet, NY. Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky +1976 г.) recorded this history in his compilation, “My Work in the Vineyard of Christ:” The idea to found of a Holy Dormition Convent – a “New Diveevo” in the United States was first conceived in 1946, with the arrival in America of new Russian émigrés after the Second World War, by Bishops Seraphim (Ivanov) and Nikon (Rklitsky). Certain preparatory measures were taken by the Diocesan Administration of the North American & Canadian Diocese, but the founding of the convent itself was realized in the summer of 1949, with the arrival from Europe of Archpriest Adrian Rymarenko, now Archbishop of Rockland, with a group of loyal collaborators. It was namely Archpriest Rymarenko who was tasked by Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko) with founding this convent under the supervision of his vicar, Bishop Nikon of Florida. Fr. Adrian accomplished this undertaking with great success, approaching his task with zeal and an experience and talent that came naturally to him. He himself came from a lay background; his father was an industrialist in Russia. Fr. Adrian received his education in a Realschule (an advanced secondary school – ed.), as well as at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute. He was received into the priesthood in accordance with his own spiritual wishes, and during the first years of the Bolshevik Revolution, at a time of brutal repression of the Church by the Bolsheviks. While still a student in St. Petersburg, Fr. Adrian occupied himself with religious issues and was a student of the renowned theologian Fr. |
| At a time when Britain accuses Russia of “atrocities” in Aleppo, the visit of Patriarch Kirill to London was anything but routine, especially given his recent remarks about a “holy war” in Syria. For more than a decade already, official relations between Russia and the United Kingdom have vacillated between very bad and not so bad, and the long-planned visit by Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church over the past four days occurred during a very bad moment, even by post-Crimea standards. Just days before, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson went as far as calling for rallies outside the Russian Embassy protesting against “atrocities” in Syria . The British cabinet is considering new sanctions against Russia. The Royal Navy is on alert as Russian ships pass by. And the accounts of the state-sponsored RT television network are under threat of being frozen. Against this backdrop, Patriarch Kirill, who, despite the constitutional separation of church and state, enjoys an exceptionally high status in the official Russian hierarchy, made a busy four-day visit to London. Its official purpose was to mark the 300 th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox presence in the British Isles, which dates back to the embassy church set up by Peter the Great. The goal was also to re-consecrate, after a massive and expensive renovation, the Russian Orthodox Dormition Cathedral in Kensington – the seat of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Diocese of Sourozh. But he also had a private audience with Queen Elizabeth and a formal meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. He also conferred a high Russian Orthodox award on Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, and gave a press conference clarifying his position on the war in Syria, which he had reportedly described as a “holy war.” The historical context of the visit It was not the first visit by the Patriarch of Moscow to the UK. But even taking into account the long history of the relationship between the Russian Church and the Church of England dating back to the 19 th century, when two non-Roman episcopal imperial churches established a dialogue, they are certainly special occasions. |
| Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore Commemorated on March 14 The Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke and resembles the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. This icon received its name from Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), the father of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and who in holy Baptism was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). According to Tradition, the icon was found by his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodetsk Theodorov monastery was built on this spot. Prince Yaroslav-Theodore became the Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sita River. In the year 1239, he solemnly transferred the relics of his brother from Rostov to the Vladimir Dormition cathedral. He gave the icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky. Yaroslav-Theodore is renowned in Russian history. He continued with the glorious traditions of his uncle Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), and of his father Vsevolod III Big-Nest, and he was connected to almost all of the significant events in the history of Rus in the first half of the thirteenth century. Russia was burned and torn apart by the Mongols in 1237-1238. He raised it up from the ashes, rebuilt and embellished the cities, the holy monasteries and the churches. He restored cities along the Volga devastated by the enemy: Kashin, Uglich, Yaroslavl’, Kostroma, Gorodets. He founded he church of Theodore Stratelates at Kostroma and the Theodorov monastery near Gorodets in honor of his patron saint. For eight years he ruled as Great Prince, but he had to guide the land through a singularly difficult path, maintaining a military-political balance with the Golden Horde to the East, while mounting an active opposition to Catholic Europe in the West. His closest companion was his son, Saint Alexander Nevsky, who also continued his policies. |
| Metropolitan HIlarion of Eastern America and New York: War always leads to more war Source: ROCOR Epistle of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. We, the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, having convened a regular session of the Council of Bishops in the God-preserved city of San Francisco, hereby mark an important spiritual event in Church history. It was here, where by God’s will, the oldest cathedra of the Russian Church Abroad was established, and which is now the last hierarchal cathedra according to the world clock, once occupied by St John, Archbishop of Shanghai and then of San Francisco. We celebrate the 20 th anniversary of his glorification this year . Here also lie the holy relics of St John, here thousands and thousands of pilgrims gather. During these days, the All-Diaspora Russian Orthodox Youth Conference is convening, in which our hierarchs are also participating. Marking this anniversary on Sunday , June16/29, during Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” the nominee of the Council of Bishops, Archimandrite Nicholas (Olhovsky), was consecrated to the episcopacy as Vicar of the Eastern American Diocese, with the title of Bishop of Manhattan. The Council of Bishops congratulates His Grace Bishop Nicholas and wishes him Divine aid in his archpastoral service to the Holy Church, and asks the God-loving flock to remember the new Bishop Nicholas in their prayers. St John, the wonderful miracle-worker and Righteous saint of God was fated to become the first glorified Russian saint who shone outside of the borders of Russia, outside the borders of our Fatherland. The Lord manifested through him miracles of healing, here the love-filled heart of St John prayed for us with utter empathy, rejecting no one. The descendant of the southern Russian noble family of the Maximoviches, which had already given Rus a holy hierarch, Metropolitan John of Tobolsk, Vladyka John of Shanghai and San Francisco never forgot his earthly homeland—Kievan Rus. In his childhood and youth, he more than once visited Dormition of the Mother of God Lavra of Svyatogorsk, where in our days, almost within its very walls, blood is spilt by those who die in internecine war. |
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