On the day of the commemoration of the Kaluzhskaya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God and the memory of the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, hierarchical services were held in the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas celebrated the akathist before the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov and the late-morning Divine Liturgy in the Trinity Cathedral. Concelebrating His Eminence was Bishop Innocent of Sormovo, the Vicar of the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese.

Metropolitan Georgiy arrived to the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery to attend the award ceremony for the award and prize winners of the “Seraphim’s Teacher” contest. One hundred and ninety teachers from thirty-seven regions of Russia and the Republic of Belarus participated in this year’s contest.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Hegumenia Sergia, the abbess of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, thanked Metropolitan Georgiy and Bishop Innocent for the archpastoral prayers offered on the day of the celebration of the Kaluzhskaya Icon of the Mother of God and wished that the Lord, through the prayers of His Most Holy Mother, all the saints of Diveyevo, and Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves will grant them good health to continue their archpastoral labors and presented the prosphoras.

In his hierarchical address, the head of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia congratulated the congregation with the feast day of the holy venerable fathers Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves and noted the importance of the city of Kiev to all Russian people. “Kiev is the mother of all Russian cities, and the Kiev-Caves Lavra at the heart of Kiev is the third Lot of the Most Holy Mother of God on earth. The Dormition Church in Kiev was built according to the will of the Queen of Heaven and by the measure of the belt handed by Her. Our spiritual roots extend from Kiev, and as we pray today in the Fourth Lot of the Most Holy Mother of God to the Venerable saints Anthony and Theodosius, we ask that the faith of Christ never fades away in our people’s hearts,” His Eminence said.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the ruling hierarch wished that everyone who came to pray today should try to live in godliness and purity and offered his particular blessing to the participants of the “Seraphim’s Teacher” teaching contest for their new efforts in the area of spiritual enlightenment and teaching.