EKATERINBURG: June 19, 2018
Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada participates in the celebration of Divine Liturgy at the Righteous Royal Passion-Bearers Monastery in Ekaterinburg

On June 17, 2018, the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost and feast day of St Mitrophan, First Patriarch of Constantinople, His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursk, His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and His Grace Bishop Evgeny of Nizhnetagilsk and Neviansk celebrated Divine Liturgy at the “Reigning” Icon of the Mother of God Church in the Righteous Royal Passion-Bearers Monastery at Ganina Yama.

The hierarchs were joined by Hieromonk Kirill (Korytko), Secretary of the Diocesan Administration; Hieromonk Iov (Chumachenkov), Prior of the monastery; the monastery’s priestly monastics and clergy of the local diocese.

Praying at the service were delegates of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia making a pilgrimage to Russia on the 100th anniversary of the podvig of the Royal Family, headed by Vladyka Gabriel.

Metropolitan Kirill delivered a sermon during which he welcomed the pilgrims from the Russian Church Abroad who hail from various countries to venerate holy relics in the Russian land, who will be visiting Alapaevsk in addition to Ekaterinburg and Ganina Yama.

“For us it is very important that Russians, descendants and in a way heirs of a once-divided people who fled their Homeland are now all together, so that we can present the image of a united Russian nation, gathered around the Orthodox faith. And when the people are united, when the people are whole again, a real, genuine nation, then no evil, neither human nor demonic, can touch the individual soul, the individual life,” noted the hierarch.

Vladyka Gabriel and his pilgrims were given a painted icon of the Royal Family as a memento of their trip.

Vladyka Gabriel responded by thanking Metropolitan Kirill for granting them the opportunity visit the sacred ground of the Ural region and to pray on this important anniversary at the holy sites devoted to the memory of the Royal Family and Romanov Dynasty. The head of the delegation of the Church Abroad gave Metropolitan Kirill an icon of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco.

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