NEWS

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
August 4, 2003

CELEBRATION OF 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF CANONISATION
OF SAINT SERAPHIM OF SAROV

On Thursday, July 31, 2003, after the molebny that His Holiness Alexey II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia served at the square in the city of Sarov in the presence of the Russian Federation President Mr Putin and representatives of the local Orthodox Churches, the Holy Relics of Saint Seraphim were carried in arms for some 20km, to the Monastery of Diveyevo, where some 20 000 people welcomed them. His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow served together with several hundreds of bishops from all the local Orthodox Churches all-night vigils in the honour of Venerable Seraphim.

On Friday, August 1, 2003 the solemn collective Holy Hieararchal Liturgy was served, headed by Their Holinesses Alexey – Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and Pavle – Serbian Patriarch, and by Their Eminences Amfilohije – Metropolitan of Montenegro&the Littoral and German – Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America, with the participation of numerous faithful. The Holy Liturgy was served before the renovated Church of the Holy Transfiguration. The choir of Diveyevo sisters – nuns – accompanied the Liturgy. After the Holy Liturgy, at lunch, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle greeted His Holiness Patriarch Alexey and the authorised envoy of the Russian Federation President Mr Kyrenko, as well as other eminent officials. Then His Holiness Pavle gifted the icon of the Saint Basil of Ostrog to the mother Sergia, Abbess of the Diveyevo Monastery, telling that Saint Seraphim of Sarov and Saint Basil of Ostrog are spiritual brothers inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Thus the celebration of the canonisation of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov ended.

For all 3 days thousands and thousands people approached the Holy Relics of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov feeling happy for his sanctification, and for the fact that two great shrines which Venerable Seraphim founded – monasteries of Sarov and Diveyevo respectively – were returned to the Church, having served for decades as jail and theatre and thus being desecrated. That same day, around 19:00, Patriarch Alexey received the representatives of the local Churches headed by Patriarch Pavle for a farewell visit in the Monastery of Diveyevo.