7 December 2012. A Joyful Place… Photography by Vladimir Yeshtokin

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27 November 2012. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words… THIS is What Orthodoxy’s All About

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This is a Belarusian soldier lighting a candle at liturgy. That’s what Orthodox people do… we DON’T badger others, we DON’T preach at them, and we DON’T make absolute pests of ourselves with Nosey Parker meddling in other’s lives. We pray for them and give them genuine good will. We save our own souls, knowing that God will lead others as He sees fit… not as we think that He should. There’s a difference! Those who want to ape Evangelicals and their “Have you heard the Word of the Lord Today” rubbish are all wet. It’s good enough to pray for others and to be decent to all, believers and unbelievers alike. I’m not God… I don’t have omniscience… I doubt that you’re any different. Keep it focused… our first duty is to save our souls… not the souls of others. “Save your own soul and thousands will be saved about you”… St Serafim Sarovsky said that, and it’s as true today as when he said it in the 19th century. That’s why I don’t preach at others… and the older that I get, the more irritating such jumped-up frauds get for me. “Love God… and do as you will”. Think on that…

Let’s keep to our traditions… what’s ours is ours, and what’s theirs is theirs, and I think that everyone can say “Amen” to that…

BMD

12 July 2011. Patriarch Kirill Served Liturgy for the 450th Anniversary of the Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God (Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed) in Moscow

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In Moscow, Patriarch of Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias served Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God, better known as the Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed, on its 450th anniversary, on 12 July (29 June OS) 2011. His Holiness noted that the cathedral isn’t only an outstanding medieval cultural artefact; it’s also a testimony to the inviolability of both the Russian spirit and the Church. He reminded us that the cathedral was almost destroyed on two different occasions… the first was at the time of Napoleon’s occupation of Moscow, and the second was during the Soviet era. After the service, the Patriarch said, “There are many legends about how this happened. You can believe them, or not believe them, as you will. However, when we see this cathedral standing firmly on the main square of Russia, it does so through the spirit of our people, because of their faith”.

During his remarks, the patriarch remembered the victims of the sinking of the cruise ship Bulgariya. His Holiness made interpolations in the service to pray for the souls of the victims of this disaster. The festival of bell-ringing and the other commemorative events planned for the 450th anniversary of the cathedral were cancelled, due to the day of mourning called by the RF authorities. The Liturgy was held in the central chapel of the cathedral (Chapel of the Protection of the Mother of God). Despite the fact that the cathedral looks impressively large from the outside, on the inside, it’s a warren of small chambers, so a relatively small number of people attended the service. One of those attending the service was the cinematographer Nikita Mikhalkov. After serving the Liturgy, the patriarch visited the restored sections of the cathedral. As a part of the 450th anniversary of the church, work on two of the chapels inside the cathedral is now complete.

12 July 2011

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/photolents/20110712/400483850.html

Patriarchia.ru

Official MP Website

http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/1564025.html