MOSCOW : February 25, 2013
Bishop John of Caracas and South America Celebrates Old-Rite Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Protection of the Most-Holy Mother of God in Rubtsovo

On February 10, 2013, the 36 th Sunday of Pentecost, the feast day of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of the Protection of the Most-Holy Mother of God in Rubtsovo, Russia, by His Grace Bishop John of Caracas and South America, along with the Dean of the Bogoyavlensky Deanery, Archimandrite Dionisy; Priest Ioan Mirolyubov, Director of the Patriarchal Center of Ancient Russian Liturgical Tradition; Priest Andrei Fastov of Protection Church; Priest Georgy Dekhtyarev and Deacon Vadim Lebedev of St Nicholas Church in Pokrovsky. The service was performed according to the Old Rite tradition.

After the Eucharistic sticheron, Fr Dionisy read the Epistle of the Holy Council to the Clergy, Monastics and Laity of the Russian Orthodox Church.

After the services, parish rector Archimandrite Dionisy welcomed Vladyka John, saying that this Divine Liturgy, celebrated in accordance with the Old Rite, is one of the most significant moments of the year for the Old Rite community of Protection Church. On January 12, His Eminence Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsa and Kolomensk celebrated Divine Liturgy in the ancient rite in Uspensky Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow’s Kremlin on the feast day of St Makary, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, to mark the hundredth anniversary of the First All-Russian Old Rite Conference. The 21 st International Nativity Readings included a conference called “The Old Rite in the Life of the Russian Orthodox Church,” drawing a great deal of interest within church circles. Finally, on February 2-5, the Holy Council of Bishops convened, at which attention was paid to the work of Old-Rite parishes. To mark the occasion of their joint prayer, Fr Dionisy gave Vladyka John an episcopal censer.

In his response, Bishop John thanked His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for giving his blessing to celebrate Divine Liturgy in this ancient Russian church. He said that it always brings him joy to perform divine services here, he loves, remembers and prays for the clergymen and parishioners of this church. Vladyka John praised the work of the Patriarchal Center of Ancient Russian Liturgical Tradition, which is headquartered at this church, and talked about his participation in the Holy Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. Vladyka gave everyone in attendance his blessing, offering his congratulations on the feast day of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia and wished them all God’s help in maintaining their faith.

Vladyka John then posed for photographs with the clergymen and parishioners.