Orthodox Churches

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk in Kazan

METROPOLITAN HILARION OF VOLOKOLAMSK VISITS KAZAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

On 28 March 2015, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, rector of Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies, who had arrived in Kazan to take part in the celebrations marking the millennium of the demise of the Holy Prince Vladimir, celebrated the All-Night Vigil at a church of the Kazan Orthodox Theological Seminary. At the entrance to the Church of St John of Kronstadt, Metropolitan Hilarion was met by Hegumen Yevfimiy (Moiseyev), rector of the Theological school.
Concelebrating the All-Night Vigil with Metropolitan Hilarion were Metropolitan Anastasy of Kazan and Tatarstan, Bishop Mefody of Almetyevsk and Bugulma, Hegumen Evfimiy (Moiseyev), as well as the DECR staff members, Rev. Dimitry Safonov and deacon Alexander Karzan, and ordained members of the faculty of the Kazan Theological Seminary.

Moscow worshippers embroider a cover for the tomb of St. David of Gareji

 Parishioners of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity located at the Pokrovsky Gate in Moscow have embroidered a cover for the tomb of St. David of Gareji and exhibited it on 26 March 2015. Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations attended the presentation with the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

Special Inter-Orthodox Commission for preparing documents for Pan-Orthodox Council begins its 3rd session

The Special Inter-Orthodox Commission for preparing documents for a Pan-Orthodox Council began its 3d session at the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Orthodox center in Chambesy.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church is represented at the session by a delegation led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations. The delegation includes Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, and Deacon Anatoly Churyakov, a DECR interpreter.

The name day of His Beatitude Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem

On Saturday the 8^th/21^st of March 2015, the Name Day of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem was observed one day earlier than usual, on the commemoration of the Holy Forty Martyrs who had suffered a martyr’s death in Lake Sebaste of Caesarea, Pontus. The feast was observed as a Small Parrhesia.

Church representative calls upon the Ukranian peopl to resist the dictat of extremists

The citizens of the Ukraine, both believers and non-believers, should find strength to resist the diktat of a bunch of extremists who are imposing their will on the people around, said chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the Russian Orthodox Church Vladimir Legoida to RIA-Novosti, commenting on the prohibition of the authorities of the Ukrainian city of Sumy to hold an annual procession of the cross on the feast of the Theodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God (March 14/27).

Another church of Saint Paisios of Mt. Athos to be built in Greece

On March 22, 2015, after the Sunday evening service at the Church of St. Christopher (Agios Christoforos) in the town of Chania (Crete) His Eminence Metropolitan Damaskinos of Kydonia and Apokoronon addressed himself to its rector, Archpriest Basilios, and the congregation.

The hierarch announced that the diocese had made a decision to begin construction of a new Church in honor of the newly-canonized Venerable Paisios the Athonite, reports Agionoros.ru. It will be built on the parcel of land that was donated to the community of St. Christopher’s Church.