Department for External Church Relations
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The stay of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Russia completed
July 28, 2017 – After the liturgy at the Cathedral of the Trinity in the St. Alexander Nevsky Laura, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia led the sendoff of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, which stayed in the Russian Orthodox Church since May 21, 2017.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated a thanksgiving at the shrine with the honourable relics at the Cathedral of the Trinity in the St. Alexander Nevsky Laura.
Participating in the service was a great assembly of hierarchs, clergy and the Laura’s brethren and present were a great number of high-ranking regional and municipal officials and prominent businessmen.
In conclusion of the thanksgiving, Patriarch Kirill read a prayer to St. Nicholas, lifting up petitions for the pilgrims who venerated the shrine so that the saint may ‘strengthen the spiritual and physical health of all those who come to you with faith and harken to the prayer of thousands and thousands of our pilgrims who came to ask for your grace with pure faith and indubitable trust in everything that stems from your mercy, for through your intercession and help, through your charity and grace Christ God will grant us a quiet and sinless life to live in this age and will deliver us from standing at the left hand and vouchsafe our standing at the right hand together with all the saints’.
After the service, the shrine was carried from the Cathedral of the Trinity to the Alexander Nevsky Square in a procession with the cross, accompanied by church bells. The solemn march proceeded along two files of guards of honour from among the cadets of naval schools. It was followed by clergy, state officials and lay people.
In the arch of the over-gates church of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted, the holy relics were handed over to the guards of honour. The motorcade with the relics and farewell party proceeded to Pulkovo-3 airport.
At the airport, a thanksgiving was celebrated again. In conclusion of the solemn ceremony of seeing-off, the guards of honour, walking along two files of clergy, brought the relics to the airfield and raised the shrine on board the plane, which left for Bari.
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