DIOCESE OF BERLIN AND GERMANY: November 28, 2007
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II Will Perform a Moleben and Akathist Before the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God

On November 29, 2007, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia will perform a moleben and akathist before the main holy icon of the Russian diaspora, the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign.”

The service will be held on Thursday evening in Munich at the Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

Protopriest Nikolai Artemoff expects that bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany and his Vicar, Bishop Agapit of Stuttgart, will also attend. Clergymen of the Russian Church Abroad, the Moscow Patriarchate and the Serbian Orthodox Church will also join the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the service.

Afterwards, His Holiness will examine the frescoed adjoining chapel of St Nicholas, consecrated in May, 2005, by His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus. Fr Nikolai noted that because of its great size, the main Cathedral has not yet been frescoed.

The Kursk-Root Icon is now in London. It was brought their on the eve of the celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of the late Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh. Thursday evening, the main holy icon of the Russian diaspora will be flown to Munich.