Vakhromeevo, Russia, December 13, 2017
Photo: www.e-vestnik.ru The first Divine Liturgy in the hometown of St. Seraphim of Vyritsa, in a chapel built on the spot of the house in which the saint was born, was served on Saturday by His Grace Bishop Benjamin of Rybinsk and Danilov, reports e-vestnik.ru.
Today the village of Vakhromeevo consists of a single building—the recently erected chapel, which is an exact copy of the chapel in Vyritsa in the Leningrad Province, where the saint’s relics are located. To overcome the distance of about 6 miles from the path to the church is not so easy. The trip took 5.5 hours in one direction, even though the pilgrims were in cars. When the 5 SUVs eventually sunk into a rut, they had to finish the trek on foot, through the marshy terrain.
23 people took part in the expedition, including priests, the choir, parishioners, journalists, and Rybinsk mayor Denis Dobryakov. The place of the hut of St. Seraphim’s parents was established ten years ago, with the help of the memories of some elderly from the area, who had preserved the memory of its location from generation to generation, using an old linden tree as a landmark. A large wooden cross with an image of the saint was immediately erected, and now there is a chapel on the spot.
Bp. Benjamin was joined by three priests in serving the Divine Liturgy. After the Liturgy, the hierarch thanked all who braved the thorny path to pray the Liturgy together, saying,
Let us hope that the Lord will help us in our ministry and in our labors by the prayers of the saint, because the most important thing in our lives is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, that there would always be peace, joy, truth, holiness, and piety in our souls. If we thus live and act, then others around us will be saved. The Lord will instruct us and we will make fewer mistakes. I hope that St. Seraphim of Vyritsa will strengthen us by his prayers, and we, beholding his feat of service to God, the Church, and the Fatherland, will also be accounted worthy of nearness to Christ.
The initiative for building the chapel in Vakhromeevo belongs to the rector of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Vyritsa Archpriest George Preobrazhensky. Fr. George made the first donation for the construction in 2016, the remainder of the funds being added by Mayor Denis Dobryakov. Preparations began in 2015 and construction was completed in October 20, 2017.
