Epiphany in Siberia

The day of the Epiphany of the Lord turned out to be a magnificent day. The Sun provided, by Siberian standards, warmth-- minus 15 degrees. Because the holiday fell on a Sunday, there were more worshipers than usual. Bishop Evtikhii of Siberia and Ishim concelebrated at the Epiphany Cathedral in Ishim with Hieromonk Savva, Deacon Mikhail Buryakov and Deacon Andrei Sikoeff, visiting from Germany. The service was solemn and joyful. At the end of Divine Liturgy, Vladyka Evtikhii gave a sermon in which he underscored the importance of correct belief in God--the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for if a person does not possess this proper belief, he is incapable of accepting the Gospel teachings and is like a closed vessel, which cannot be filled with water no matter how deeply the vessel is submerged. After the Great Blessing of the water at Ishim's "Jordan," while the faithful approached the cross in the church, Bishop Evtikhii said that today he saw many people in church for the first time, though many had come before--on Epiphany the year before. "Do not be ashamed of your faith," said Vladyka, "I know that you have it; show it and bolster it: pray, do good deeds. I hope that the water of the Epiphany will touch your hearts, will make your hearts open to accepting the Gospel teachings of Jesus Christ."

After service at the cathedral, Bishop Evtikhii visited the local prison, where he performed the Great Blessing of the water for the incarcerated, and then a home for the elderly, where there has been a chapel for several months.

Some of the sisters of St. John's Convent in Ishim departed on the monastery horse to the wooded skete of St. John the Forerunner to conduct a service for St. John on the second day of Epiphany with Hieromonk Ermogen.