On November 14, the participants of the conference for the monastics visited the Holy Dormition Sarov monastery and prayerfully attended the Divine Liturgy at the restored Dormition Cathedral.

The service was headed by Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas. Met. Met. John of Yoshkar-Ola and Mary, Met. Joseph of Simbirsk and Novospassk, Met. Zinovius of Saransk and Mordovia, Bishop Nikolay of Salavat and Kumertau, Bishop Filaret of Dalnekonstantinov, Bishop Alexiy of Buzuluk and Sorochinsk,  Bishop Barnabas of Vyksun and Pavlovsk, Bishop Methodius of Almetyevsk and Bugulmin, Bishop Paisius of Yaransk and Luzsk, Bishop Mitrofan of Serdobsk and Spassk, Bishop Silouan of Lyskov and Lukoyanov, Bishop Ignaty of Mariinsky Posad, concelebrated. Bishop Mark of Vyatka and Slobodsk prayed at the cathedral.

Bishop Filaret of Dalnekonstantinov, Vicar of Nizhny Novrogod Diocese, offered the homily before the communion. In his preaching, His Grace touched on the daily Scripture reading. His Grace admonished to steer clear of the leaven of the Pharisees that is inherently the hypocrisy. Prayer as a means of conversation with God must stay pure.

Hegumens and hegumenias, the monastics from the monasteries of the Nizhny Novgorod and Saransk Metropolitanates, students from the Sarov Orthodox school, and numerous faithful prayed at the cathedral.

At the end of the service, Met. Georgiy addressed the gathering and said that the Diveyevo monastery is hosting a monastic conference and its participants took part in today’s service. “The Nizhny Novgorod lands welcome yet another important event,” continued His Eminence. “On this blessed day, we lay to rest the righteous remnants of the Sarov monastery’s brethren discovered during the restoration of the Dormition cathedral. Today is the day when all the brethren of the Sarov monastery, glorified by their monastic deeds, rejoice in heaven.  Let us seek their intercession before the Lord so that our monasteries not only added new buildings and domes but also grew in numbers of their monks and nuns who would take after the renowned ascetics of the Sarov monastery.”

Twenty-one coffins holding the remains of the Sarov’s abbots and brethren from previous centuries were placed in the middle of the cathedral. The faithful present at the service had an opportunity to seek their heavenly intercession to themselves and their families, as well as to pray for the repose of the souls of the deceased monastics.