Moscow: Celebration in Butovo: May 15 2004

  The delegation of the the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus, visited Butov Polygon and attended the patriarchal service. Bishop Michael of Boston joined the delegation.  

His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus and the bishops of the Russian Church Abroad were ceremoniously greeted. The service was led by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia along with a multitude of bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and over 300 clergymen, with an enormous number of worshipers who came in order to honor the memory of the tens of thousands of martyrs who died at Butovo, who symbolize both the sufferings and the glory of the Russian Church.

At the end of the service, a moleben was served to the holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia along with a procession of the cross, after which His Holiness Patriarch Alexy performed the consecration of the laying of the foundation of a stone church in memory of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

  After the trapeza with the official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and His Eminence Archbishop Innokentii and Protopriest Nikolai Balashov, who accompanied them, His Eminence Vladyka greeted visitors. In the evening, a portion of the delegation headed by His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain visited Danilov Monastery and prayed during vigil at its Holy Trinity Cathedral, after which the delegation was greeted by the Prior of the Monastery, Archimandrite Aleksei (Polikarpov), who showed them the holy items of the Monastery and told them of the joys and sorrows of their community, of church life in Moscow, of the miracles and signs that had occurred within their walls and witnessed by the faithful. Another part of the delegation, which was staying at Sretensky Monastery, prayed at vigil at its cathedral church, where the relics of Archbishop Ilarion (Troitsky) are venerated.

During dinner, His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus met with Archimandrite Anthony, Prior of the podvorie of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Moscow, and Archimandrite Zaccheus, Rector of the podvorie of the Orthodox Church in America.

Photographs of the celebrations in Butovo will be posted in the next days, along with those of the visit of His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus to Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra.