Russian Orthodox Church delegation takes part in Days of Russian Spiritual Culture in Slovakia

From October 21 to 24, 2016, an official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Feodosy of Tambov and Rasskazovo took part in the Days of Russian Spiritual Culture in Slovakia at the invitation of His Beatitude Rostislav, Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and with the blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The delegation, which included Prof. A. Svetozarsky, Moscow Theological Academy, A. Khoshev, Department for External Church Relations secretariat for inter-Orthodox relations, and Archpriest Igor Grudanov and Hieromonk Paisy (Bu), Metropolia of Tambov, brought over the relics of St. Luka (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol and Crimea for veneration by the Orthodox faithful in Slovakia.

The choir of the St. Petersburg clergy sang during the divine services in which Metropolitan Feodosy participated.

On October 21, St. Luka’s relics were brought for veneration to the city of Kosice, where they were met in a solemn ceremony by Archbishop George of Mechalovce-Kosice and the diocesan clergy at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God and St. John the Merciful. In the evening the shrine was brought to the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Presov. Presiding over the meeting and the thanksgiving was His Beatitude Metropolitan Rostislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. He addressed the congregation speaking about St. Luka’s life and feats and stressing his outstanding serivices in reviving the See of Tambov he headed from 1944 to 1946 and his selfless work in military hospitals deployed at that time in the Tambov Region.

On October 22, a recital was given by the choir of the Metropolia of St. Petersburg in the church of the Holy Ascension at the village of Osadna. Metropolitan Feodosy presided over the prayer service for the repose of the dead at the church crypt in which the remains of 1025 Russian soldiers and officers, who died in action in the vicinity of the village during World War II, lie in rest.

On the same day, Metropolitan Feodosy celebrated vespers at Presov’s cathedral and on October 23 took part in the Divine Liturgy presided over by His Beatitude Metropolitan Rostislav. They exchanged warm greetings, pointing to the important role of the celebrations for the further development of fraternal relations between the two Churches, the outstanding role played by St. Luka in the history of the Russian Church and his veneration in other Local Orthodox Church including the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

Metropolitan Feodosy handed over to His Beatitude an icon of St. Luka of Simferopol with a part of his relics as a gift from Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and Crimea. The cathedral also received as a gift several iconographic images and parts of the relics of the Russian saints who shone forth in the Diocese of Tambov, namely, St. Pitirim of Tambov and the Venerable Martha of Tambov.

After the liturgy, Metropolitan Rostislav gave a reception in honour of the guests from the Russian Orthodox Church. In the evening of the same day, Metropolitan Rostislav and Metropolitan Feodosy came to the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral for the concert given by the St. Petersburg Metropolia choir and attended by a great number of Russian church singing lovers.

On October 24, Metropolitan Feodosy conducted a seminar on the present state, problems and prospects of theological education in the Russian Orthodox Church, held at the University of Presov Faculty of Orthodox Theology. He shared remembrances of his own training at this faculty as its student from 1985 to 1988. Presentations were made by the dean of the faculty, Prof. Archpriest Ioann Safin, and Prof. A. Svetozarsky, head of the Chair of Church History, Moscow Theological Academy.

DECR Communication Service