Cheongju, South Korea, December 24, 2024
Photo: churchkr.com
Another parish has opened in the Russian Orthodox Church’s Korean Diocese.
The Church of All Saints in Incheon held its first Divine Liturgy on 
New parish opens in populous South Korean cityA new parish of the Korean diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church held its first Divine Liturgy over the weekend.
“>December 8, and on Sunday, December 22, the first Liturgy was held at the new parish of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Bodiless Powers in Cheongju, the capital of North Chungcheong Province, reports the Korean Diocese.
The parish was formed at the request of residents from the city and nearby towns with concentrated Russian-speaking populations. The first service gathered not only Orthodox residents of the city but also believers who traveled from Daejeon, Cheonan, and other settlements in North and South Chungcheong Provinces.
Photo: churchkr.com
The Divine Liturgy in the newly established parish was celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Theophan of Korea, concelebrating with Hierodeacon Nectary (Lima).
Before the start of the Liturgy, the Archbishop served a moleben with the blessing of water and sprinkled the walls of the premises where the service was held with holy water.
The parish doesn’t have its own facility yet, and services will temporarily be held at the Joy child development center. Parishioners participated in the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, some of them for the first time since moving to South Korea.
Concluding the service, the Archbishop addressed the gathering with a sermon, emphasizing the need for Christians to regularly participate in church Sacraments, and wished the parish continued development. After the service, the hierarch met with parishioners over a shared meal.
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