1070th anniversary of the repose of Ven. John of the Rila
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church marked with solemn liturgical services the anniversary of the repose of Ven. John of the Rila in the Monastery of the Rila on the 17-18th of August, 2016.
On the 17th of August a vigil service was celebrated with the attendance of a huge number of faithful, and on the very fest-day, of the 18th of August, His Holiness Patriarch of Bulgaria officiated the Divine Liturgy with the concelebration of high representatives of local Orthodox Church, Hierarchs of the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Moscow, Serbia and the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
General Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Gerasim (Georgiev), representative of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Bulgarian Patriarch in Sofia Philip (Vasiljcev), representative of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate Neluc Oprja, Archimandrite Simon, abbot of the Bachkovo monastery, and hieromonks of the Monastery Rila celebrated as well.
The solemn Liturgy was attended, among other dignitaries, by the Director of the Office for Religious Communities E. Velinov and major of Custendil P. Paunov.
During the Communion hymn Archimandrite Gerasim, secretary of the Holy Synod, read the Encyclical of the Holy Synod of Bishops addressed to the pleroma of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
After the Dismissal His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch addressed the congregation and called upon the to pray fervently further on for the mediation of the Venerable John of the Rila. All the assembles got icons with the image of St. John of the Rila.
Source: The Bulgarian Patriarchate (translated by the Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church)
