September 25, 2009
Kursk, Russia: Tens of thousands of Kurskans triumphantly and joyously greet the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God

On September 23, Archbishop Arseny of Istra (vicar of the Moscow Diocese) celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, co-served by Archpriests Vladimir Divakov and Michael Ryazantsev, clerics of the capital city. Present at the service were His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, and other reverend archpastors of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). Upon completion of the Divine Liturgy and joined by a multitude of archpastors and pastors, His Holiness Kyrill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, led a farewell moleben, after which the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora left for Kursk. Upon the triumphant greeting of the Kursk Root Icon at Kursk Airport, a crucession made its way from Perekalsky Square to the Cathedral of the Sign, where a moleben was served and the miraculous icon presented for veneration to the public. That evening, the Governor of the Kursk Province, A.N. Mikhailov, held a reception in honor of His Holiness, Patriarch Kyrill, and those accompanying him, including members of the ROCOR delegation.

On the following day, in the presence of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, Patriarch Kyrill performed the Great Consecration of the reconstructed Kursk Root Hermitage Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, afterwards celebrating the Divine Liturgy. After the liturgy, His Holiness delivered a moving address and presented commemorative gifts and awards to those whose special efforts aided in the reconstruction of that holy church.

In his response, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, emphasized the importance of realization of homeland and love for Russia, especially on the part of those who have spent their entire lives abroad. His Eminence then awarded His Holiness the highest award of the Russian Church Abroad, the Synodal Order of the Sign 1^st Class, as well as icons of St. John (Maximovitch) and of St. Seraphim of Sarov holding the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.

Turning to the Presidential Plenipotentiary to the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation, G.S. Poltavchenko, also the Chairman of the Benevolent Fund for the Rebirth of the Kursk-Root Hermitage, His Eminence offered words of gratitude, granting him the Synodal Order of the Sign 1^st Class and a commemorative icon. Metropolitan Hilarion also donated an icon of St. John of Shanghai, with a piece of the hierarch’s relics, to the newly blessed church.

Translated by the
Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese
from the Official Website of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws