Patronal feast celebrated at the Moscow Representation of the Serbian Orthodox Church

On 12 July 2017, commemoration day of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, the Moscow Representation of the Serbian Orthodox Church – the Church of Ss. Peter and Paul on Yauza – celebrated its patronal feast.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarchate of Antioch to the Moscow Patriarchate, officiated at the Divine Liturgy in the Church of Ss. Peter and Paul.

Concelebrating with the archpastor were Bishop Antonije of Moravicí, representative of the Patriarch of Serbia to the Moscow Patriarchate; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky), representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations; and clergy of the Church of Ss. Peter and Paul.

Among those who attended the divine service was H.E. Mr. Slavenko Terzic, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to the Russian Federation.

The procession with the cross continued the celebrations. After that Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis handed over the awards of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Mr. Andrei Khoshev, a staff member of the DECR Secretariat for Inter-Orthodox Relations, was presented with the Order of the Holy Despot Stefan Lazarević.

Bishop Antonije of Moravicí greeted all those present with the patronal feast of the Moscow Representation of the Serbian Orthodox Church, saying in particular, “Today we are commemorating the Leaders of the Apostles who founded this Church. It is an important sign for us that you, dear Vladyka Niphon, as a successor of the Apostles, have celebrated today the Divine Liturgy in our church and prayed for the longsuffering people in your homeland, for which our parishioners, as well as the peoples of Russia and Serbia, pray and with which they sympathize.”

Metropolitan Niphon expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for the opportunity to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on the patronal feast of the Serbian Representation in Moscow, noting that it was a sign of unity of the Local Orthodox Churches.

Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, also greeted the participants in the celebrations.

Source: mospat.ru