Zhirovichi, Belarus, August 29, 2019
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His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl celebrated the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Divine Liturgy, a procession with the burial shroud of the Mother of God, and the consecration of a miraculous spring at the Holy Dormition Monastery in the village of Zhirovichi, Belarus.
Met. Pavel was concelebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Guriy of Novogrudok and Slonim and His Grace Bishop Porphyry of Lida and Smarhon, and the clergy of the monastery and the Minsk Theological Seminary in the monastery’s Dormition Cathedral, reports the press service of the Belarusian Church.
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Following the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, a procession with the burial shroud of the Mother of God was held from the cathedral to the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, erected on the site of the second miraculous finding of the Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God. A moleben with the akathist to the Dormition of the Mother of God was celebrated in front of the church.
At the end of the akathist, Met. Pavel greeted everyone with the joy of the feast and addressed them with a word of edification. He also thanked all the pilgrims who came to celebrate the monastery’s patronal feast day and wished the Heavenly intercession of the Mother of God for all.
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The Patriarchal Exarch then went to consecrate the holy spring on the outskirts of Zhirovichi, following repairs to the founts where pilgrims jump into the waters, long believed to bring healing of bodily and spiritual ailments, reports belta.by.
“There was a fount here more than 30 years ago, but the structure fell into disrepair over time. It was decided to reconstruct it. Now it is equipped with two fonts, for men and women … and the surrounding territory has been landscaped,” a representative from the monastery reported.
The opening of the spring is one of the stages in the preparation for the celebration of the 550th anniversary of the appearance of the Zhirorvchi icon and the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the monastery.
