Hierarchs of the Serbian Church concelebrate with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
DECR Communication service, 18.10.2022.
On 18th October 2022, on the feast day of the Holy Hierarchs of Moscow Peter, Alexius, Macarius, Philip, Job, Hermogenes, Tikhon, Peter, Philaret, Innocent and Macarius, His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Among the concelebrants were hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, who had come to Moscow at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to take part in the Serbian Consolation for the Russian Heart international Russian-Serbian festival at the Saint Tikhon Humanitarian University, reports the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Concelebrating with His Holiness were the metropolitan of Voskresensk Dionysius, the chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchy and the first auxiliary bishop to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; the metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Joanikije (Serbian Orthodox Church); the metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Clement, the chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church; the bishop of Pakrac and Slavonia (Serbian Orthodox Church); the bishop of Pavlovsky Posad Silouan, deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchy; the bishop of Zelenograd Sabbas, deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchy; protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, secretary to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for the city of Moscow; archpriest Vladimir Vorobiev, rector of the Saint Tikhon Humanitarian University; archpriest Maxim Kozlov, chairman of the academic committee for the Russian Orthodox Church and rector of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Institute for Post-Graduate Studies; archimandrite Alexei (Turikov), personal secretary to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; archpriest Ostea Knežević, secretary of the metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral (Serbian Orthodox Church); archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, acting deputy chairman of the DECR; archpriest Vyacheslav Shestakov, dean of the Patriarchal metochion churches in the Zaryadie district of Moscow; the area deans of the city of Moscow and Moscow clergy.
In church present at the service were the chairman of the oversight committee of the Orthodox Russia public movement M.M. Ivanov and the president of the International Foundation of Slavic Literature and Culture and editor-in-chief of the Russky Dom magazine Alexander Krutov.
The liturgical hymns were performed by the combined choir of the Orthodox Volunteers choir singers and the youth choir of the Tver diocese under the direction of Anna Golik.
The TV channels Soyus and Spas, as well as the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church patriarchia.ru, broadcast the Patriarchal service live.
At the Litany of Fervent Supplication special petitions were added and the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church read the prayer for Holy Russia.
At the Liturgy His Holiness ordained deacon Dimitry Gatin, cleric of the Church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in Zelenograd, to the priesthood.
Before communion the sermon was delivered by archpriest Alexander Ptitsyn from the Moscow Church of the Ascension by the Saint Nicetas Gates.
After the Liturgy His Holiness the Patriarch, accompanied by hymns, said the prayer to the holy hierarchs of Moscow and venerated the relics of Saint Peter and Saint Philip of Moscow.
The Primate of the Russian Church addressed the faithful with a sermon and then distributed the following church awards to: the metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Clement for his diligent archpastoral service and the occasion of his fortieth anniversary of his episcopal consecration, who was presented with the Order of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (2nd Class); archpriest Maxim Kozlov, for his labours for the good of the church and the occasion of his thirtieth anniversary to the ordination of the priesthood, who was presented with the Order of Saint Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow (2nd Class); and Alexander Krutov for his contribution to the preservation of traditional spiritual and moral values in society and on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday, who was presented with the Order of Saint Daniel of Moscow (3rd Class).
After the awards ceremony, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill greeted the hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, noting that “today it is a greet joy for us to have with us concelebrating in the Divine Liturgy their Graces the metropolitans Joanikije and John from the Church of Serbia. As is well-known, the Serbian Church is the closest of all the Churches to our Church in her spiritual traditions and fidelity to the unity of Orthodox Slavdom. Serbia has never been on the side of Russia’s enemies; this is a historical fact. And we value this, dear bishops.”
“And even today, located in the centre of Europe, you find yourselves in a very difficult situation. Therefore, I would like to express my desire that we all preserve our unity, especially the unity of the Serbian and Russian Churches, which is founded on the commonality of our spiritual life, the commonality of our saints and, what is most important, the commonality of our complex and at times difficult history. May the Lord further strengthen the unity of the Serbian and Russian peoples and the brotherly unity of our Churches.”
In his reply to His Holiness the metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Joanikije said: “Your Holiness, first of all, I express my gratitude for your love, for the way your fatherly heart is open to us and for the invitation to concelebrate with you on the feast day of the Moscow hierarchs in this wonderful cathedral.
There is little we can do to help you in these difficult times. However, you may be assured, Your Holiness, dear brothers and sisters, that not only we, the bishops of Serbia and her priesthood, but the whole Serbian people are praying for you personally, Your Holiness, and for all Holy Russia.
Through the prayers of the Most Holy Mother of God may the Lord, in hearing her supplication, hear too our prayers, may he send down upon you his grace and mercy. We pray that those who bear great responsibility soften their hearts and as soon as possible come to dialogue for the good of the whole world.
We pray that God’s mercy, God’s truth and God’s love for humankind will emerge from among all these temptations and that God may grant you strength and spiritual courage throughout these burdensome trials.”
In conclusion His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill venerated the relics of Saints Hermogenes and Jonah.