Moscow, December 8, 2023
L to R: Met. Niphon (Antiochian), Met. Gregory (Russian), Bp. Anthony (Serbian). Photo: mospat.ru
The Orthodox Church in America’s representation Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr in Moscow celebrated its patronal feast yesterday.
Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk and the clergy of St. Catherine’s were joined by the hierarchs and clergy serving in other representation churches in the Russian capital. Altogether, there were representatives from six Local Churches.
The Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate, His Eminence Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch to the Patriarch of Moscow, His Grace Bishop Anthony of Moravica, representative of the Patriarch of Serbia to the Patriarch of Moscow, as well as clergy from the Georgian and Czech-Slovak representation churches, and other local clergy, reports the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations.
Photo: mospat.ru
The service was celebrated in Slavonic, English, and Georgian.
Following the Liturgy, two new icons—St. Raphael of Brooklyn and St. Nikolai (Velimirović)—were consecrated for the OCA church. Met. Niphon of the Antiochian Church blessed the icon of St. Raphael with holy water, and Bp. Anthony blessed the icon of St. Nikolai.
The rector of the OCA church Fr. Daniel Andrejuk then read out the greetings from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington of All America and Canada.
And addressing those present, Met. Gregory of Voskresensk encouraged all to share their Orthodox faith:
Saints aren’t just intercessors to whom we turn in our need when we’re struggling and burdened. Saints are also examples for us to emulate, and our Church, in glorifying a particular saint, points us to this example… Christ calls all of us, dear brothers and sisters, to bear witness to Him, to our Orthodox faith. And each of us, praying to the holy Great Martyr Catherine, should consider this: How can we now, in this specific time, show our testimony of our faith to those who, for various reasons, are still far from Orthodoxy?
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