Official delegations of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia arrived in Kiev to celebrate the Day of the Baptism of Rus. The guests will take part in a prayer service on Vladimirskaya Gorka, a cross procession and festive divine services in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
The delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church arrived in the capital of Ukraine on July 26, 2021. Bishop Stefan of Remesiana and Bishop Hierotheos of Toplich, vicars of His Holiness Patriarch of Serbia, were met at the airport by Bishop Viktor Baryshevsky, Bishop Dionysius of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky, vicars of the Kiev Metropolitanate, and Priest Vasily Pryts, an employee of the Ukrainian Department for External Church Relations (DECR), reports Vzcz.church.ua.
On the same day, a representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, Archbishop Michael of Prague, arrived in Kiev. At the airport, the hierarch was greeted by the vicar of the Kiev Metropolis, Bishop Nikolai of Vasilkovsky and an employee of the DECR of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Father Nikita Kozlov.
The delegation of the Antiochian Patriarchate, headed by Bishop Ephraim of Seleucus, secretary of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Antioch, arrived for the celebrations on July 27, 2021. At the airport, the guests were greeted by the vicar of the Kiev Metropolis, Bishop Tikhon of Gostomel and an employee of the DECR UOC, Father Vitaly Gorzov.
On July 27 and 28, 2021, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrates the 1033 anniversary of the Baptism of Rus and the day of remembrance of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir. The festivities will begin on July 27 with a thanksgiving prayer service on Vladimirskaya Gorka in Kiev. After the prayer service, the All-Ukrainian cross procession to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra will take place. At the end of the procession, an all-night vigil will begin at the monastery. On July 28, on the square in front of the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra, the Divine Liturgy will be held.
Four miraculous icons of the Mother of God – “Kasperovskaya”, “Lyubechskaya”, “Pochaevskaya” and “Zimnenskaya” – were delivered to Kiev to participate in the celebrations.
The key events of the holiday will be broadcast live by the TV channels Inter, Glas and Pershy Nezalezhny.
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