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ST PETERSBURG: July 13, 2018
Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan participates in feast-day celebrations at SS Peter and Paul Fortress

On the feast day of the patron saint of St Petersburg, His Eminence Metropolitan Varsonofy of St Petersburg and Ladoga officiated at divine services at SS Peter and Paul Fortress.

Joining His Eminence were His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan; His Grace Bishop Ignaty of Armavir and Labinsk; Protopriest Vladimir Sorokin, Dean of the Petrograd Deanery; Archimandrite Alexander (Fedorov), Rector of the church, and other clergymen.

Among the worshipers present were Vice Governor Igor Albin; Vladimir Ivanov, Head of the City Department on Relations with Religious Organizations, and Alexander Kalyakin, Director of the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg.

SS Peter and Paul Cathedral’s Deacon Mikhail Senik was awarded the kamilavka for his fervent service to the Holy Church.

Prayers were then lifted for the reposed of the Russian Tsars buried in the cathedral, after which Metropolitan Varsonofy delivered a sermon:

Today we honor two Apostles, pillars of the Church, who made the greatest contribution to Christianity throughout the world, ensuring that the work of Christ would not be extinguished but bring forth many fruits. They came to the Lord in different ways, about which we read in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. After the Pentecost, Apostle Peter emerged into the city of Jerusalem to preach, and thousands were converted to Christ. Some the Apostles convinced of the Divinity of Christ, others of His Resurrection. They were all brought to Christ, the Church was established, and communities formed.

Apostle Paul writes that we should emulate him as he emulated Christ. Of course, we are not able to perform such spiritual works. But we must learn from his zeal for the Lord, his love for his brethren, the love of which he writes in his epistles. Nothing could separate him from the Lord, not the present nor the future, neither height nor depth. We must learn to love from Apostle Paul, so that no one of us is ever separated from the Lord, that we always be with Him.

We should ask ourselves: what have I done for Christianity? I tend to the salvation of my soul, I go to church, I partake of the Holy Gifts—and that is all. Where is our apostolic service? We must at least be witnesses for Christ before our neighbors, to lead them to Him. So that they see our lives, our good deeds, and would say: How much have you changed, you are a completely different person, I don’t recognize you. If we transform ourselves in such a way, then St Petersburg will likewise be transformed. The city’s population must give thanks to God that we have such a heavenly patron saint, Apostle Peter.

The cathedral was given a Gospel, and the Fr Alexander was awarded a medal of the 100th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Patriarchate. The rector thanked the Metropolitan for their joint prayers and gave him a painted icon of the Royal Family.

SS Peter and Paul Cathedral was founded by Emperor Peter I in 1712, with construction completed in 1728 according to the design of Domenico Trezzini. It was consecrated on July 9, 1733 by Archbishop Feofan (Prokopovich) in the presence of the members of the Holy Synod and the Royal Family. It has been designated a federal landmark, but was not returned to the Diocese, but is under the administration of the Museum of the History of the City. Divine services are regularly held there.

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Voda Zhivaya, July 12, 2018


 

 
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