TOKYO: November 7, 2013
A Delegation of the Russian Church Abroad Brings the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God to the Land of the Rising Sun

On Thursday, November 7, 2013 , a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, headed by His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America brought the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" to the land of St Nicholas of Japan, Equal-to-the-Apostles. Greeted at Narita Airport by Protopriest Nikolai Katsyuban and the parishioners of the representative office of the Russian Orthodox Church, the delegation headed for the Monastery of St Sophia, where an akathist devoted to the Mother of God was performed. The delegation then headed for the ancient capital of Kyoto. Here the miracle-working icon will visit Annunciation Cathedral, where Divine Liturgy will be celebrated, after which the delegation will visit the homes of local Orthodox Christians.