Orthodox Churches

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy heads celebrations commemorating the Pochayiv Icon of the Holy Theotokos

Thousands of pilgrims from different regions of Ukraine as well as from other countries prayed at the festal service.

On August 5, 2019, on the feast day commemorating the Pochayiv Icon of the Holy Theotokos , His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra. Reports  the UOC Department of Information and Education.

Metropolitan Panteleimon of Tyroloi and Serention reposed in the Lord

The Metropolitan of Tyroloi and Serention, exarch of Thrace, passed away today, August 7, at the age of 90.  The late Hierarch reposed in the Lord peacefully at the Monastery of the Vlatades (Moni Vlatadon), of which he was the abbot for a long time, having by his side his successor Bishop Nikephoros of Amorion. The funeral service of the late Hierarch will be held on Friday, August 9, at 11 am at the Monastery of the Vlatades, where he will also be buried.

The feast of the Dormition of St. Anna i n Jerusalem

The commemoration of the Dormition of St. Anna was celebrated by the Patriarchate, at her Holy Monastery by St. Stephen’s Gate inside the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, on Wednesday July 25/ August 7, 2019. On this feast the Church while honouring the Dormition of St. Anna, commemorates also her life, which was according to God’s Will, her faith to God and that of her husband Joachim, which evoked God’s mercy and gave her, the former barren woman, Mary, the Most Holy Theotokos, and by the Holy Spirit the Mother of our God, to be the fruit of her womb.

Sarov cathedral, blown up 1951 in closed soviet nuclear city, rebuilt, re-consecrated during feast of St. Seraphim

St. Seraphim of Sarov is one of the most beloved saints of not only the Russian Church, but the entire Orthodox Church.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia traveled to the Sarov and Diveyevo Monasteries for the celebration of the feast of the uncovering of the great saint’s relics (August 1) this year, which was augmented by the spiritual joy of the consecration of a new place of worship.

Ecumenical Patriarch bestowed ECOS 2019 award

The ECOS 2019 award was bestowed on Friday to Ecumenical Patriarch of the Constantinople, His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, for his exceptional leadership in environmental protection.

The Ecumenical Patriarch received the prestigious award in honor of his lifetime of environmental advocacy and global influence on environmental protection. ECOS produces what it calls «earth-friendly» products, using zero-waste guidelines, and at facilities powered by renewable energy.

58 indigenous Evenks baptized in Russian Far East

The missionary efforts of the Blagoveschensk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church among the Evenk people in the Russian Far East have borne considerable fruit lately, as more than 50 people were united to Christ in His Church in two recent mass Baptism celebrations.

The Evenks are a Tungusic people of Northern Asia, recognized as one of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North, with a population of 38,400 according to a 2010 census. Contact with the Russian Empire starting in the 17th century pushed the Evenk people eastward, and they suffered language erosion, traditional decline, and identity loss especially under the Soviet regime. Today, few people can speak the Evenki language, and they face serious issues such as suicide and alcoholism.