TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN: September 20, 2019
On the last day of the visit of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God to the Mid-Asian Metropoliate, Divine Liturgy is celebrated at its cathedral

On September 19, 2019, the feast day of the Miracle of Archistrategos Michael in Khonekh, Uspensky Cathedral in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, celebrated Divine Liturgy. Officiating was His Eminence Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the Mid-Asia Metropoliate of the Russian Orthodox Church, along with His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the cathedral clergy and clergymen of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand of ROCOR.

The evening before, the archpastors had returned from Dushanbe, where the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" had been for several days. This holy image was ceremoniously brought into the cathedral before Liturgy in the capital of Uzbekistan, and placed in the middle of the temple, so that as many of the people of Central Asia could once more venerate it.

A moleben service was performed before the icon after Liturgy, after which Metropoltian Vikenty delivered a sermon in which he described how during the last two weeks, the Kursk-Root Icon, the greatest relic of the Russian diaspora, visited not only Tashkent Diocese, but those of Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan as well. The archpastor thanked His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of ROCOR, for his blessing to bring the icon to his metropoliate, and expressed gratitude to Bishop Nicholas and his fellow travelers in accompanying the icon in this arduous trip for joint prayer.

In response, Vladyka Nicholas thanked Metropolitan Vikenty for his hospitality, noting: “Every day you glorified the Mother of God and the Kursk Icon. We all sensed this, and I am confident that your flock felt it, too. In the Akathist to the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God, we sing the following words: “There is no city, no town, where Thine power is not revealed.” And we can properly say so of your dioceses, the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bishkek and even Tursunzade, the Mother of God visited them with Her motherly veil. This is simply a Divine miracle. We experience all this together with you and rejoice. Let us say the following: today we bid farewell, but we will hope for future wonderful meetings.”

Press Service of the Diocese of Tashkent and Uzbekistan.