Patriarch of Moscow: Calling on Priests to Continue Religious Services Without the Presence of Faithful

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ called on the holy clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church to continue to perform the religious services in the churches and to continue the Mystery of the Holy Communion even if the faithful are not present in the churches because of the instructions given by the authorities regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Patriarch Kirill, according to ANA-MPA, also called on the clergy and the faithful to pray more to the Lord asking Him to save the world from this deleterious pandemic, while pointing out that the flock and the clergy will be temporarily deprived of the religious services, something which is necessary to protect the life and the health of our fellow humans.”

At the same time, the Patriarch of Moscow presided over the procession of the holy icon of Virgin Mary Eleusa in Moscow after presiding over the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral in Elochov.

Τhe Russian Orthodox Church is calling on the faithful at this time to read the Akathist Hymn and the prayerful supplications for deliverance from the harmful coronavirus infection.

The icon of Eleusa is the same miraculous image in front of which Saint Seraphim of Sarov was praying. The holy icon was kept secretly by devout people after the closure of the Diveevsky Monastery in 1927, Vladimir Negoyda wrote on his page on the Russian social networking service, Telegram

Just put it up on video.
Russian Orthodox are the most beautiful of services.

***Yes, it is beautiful.

1. It's WAY too long.

2. Priests are hidden behind screens so it's almost impossible to join in.

3. Standing that long is TORTURE.

Have you seen a traditional Catholic Mass?
Full procession, choir, pomp?
they are rare now days. quite rare.

Yes. There a cathedral in our town and they do BIG stuff. I've attended an ordination and that's a big deal. Three men entered the priesthood.
I've attended a funeral for a red hat.

Weddings, funerals, baptisms...the whole nine yards.

I traveled all over the world when I was younger and my husband and I traveled to even MORE places. Mass in Cairo, Greece, all over Europe, eastern and western, Middle East, Israel and over some of the USA.

I can remember going to Mass in Belgrade. The Mass was in Serbian and the ONLY words I got were "Jesus Christ" in Serbian. It sounded like "Yay-zu Kristo."
The priest looked to be in his late 40's and he spotted me immediately...a newcomer. I am so American looking that I might as well have a BIG "A" on my forehead.
I had been Mass so often that I knew what was happening and what was next, but the priest kept his eye on me...and he would glance over a lot.

I had my confession heard in Rome in St. Peter's and they had a dozen confessionals...in any language. The one I went to said "English and Cantonese." ALL the priests were, at least, bilingual.

I was ASTOUNDED and AWED by St. Peter's Basilica. They have MANY side altars and often there are six or seven Masses going on at the same time.

*Down below St. Peter's, which was ground level 2000 years ago, are the bones of St. Peter. It doesn't get better than that for a humble Catholic.
Our history goes back...way back.

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