40th day of Forgiveness Sunday Dagestan martyrs marked in Kizlyar

Kizlyar, Dagestan, Russia, March 30, 2018

    

Yesterday marked 40 days since the tragedy that occurred on Forgiveness Sunday at the Cathedral of St. George in the city of Kizlyar in the Dagestan Republic.

An armed criminal with ties to ISIS opened fire on parishioners leaving the church, just after the faithful had finished the Rite of Forgiveness, resulting in the deaths of five innocent women. Two other parishioners and two security guards were also injured.

A panikhida memorial service was served yesterday in memory of the slain Faith, Hope, Lyudmila, Irina, and Faith by Archbishop Varlaam of Makhachkala and Grozny at the place of their burial, on the territory of the cathedral itself. His Eminence was assisted by clergy of the Makhachkala and Kizlyar deaneries, reports the site of the Russian Orthodox Church.

At the end of the service, Abp. Varlaam addressed the congregation with an archpastoral word:

“Today we remember our murdered sisters in Christ and we hope that that the Lord received their souls, because they left the Church, having prayed and implored forgiveness,” the hierarch noted. “Recalling the Savior’s words on the Cross, Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do (Lk. 23:34), we must lay aside all hatred and look to the Savior’s podvig, for we are given for the sake of Christ not only to believe in Him, but to suffer for Him (Phil. 1:29). I am sure that our dear sisters deserved martyric crowns, for they loved God, went to church, and accepted death on the eve of the Holy Forty Days. And today I invite you to bless those who curse you and to pray for those who offend you (Lk. 6:28), for these are the commandments of the Lord Himself. Observe them, that all-forgiving love might dwell in our hearts.

“Today we mourn and we pray that God might receive the podvig of our sisters in Christ, and that they might pray for Kizlyar, for all of us, and for the whole of the Russian land, that blood might nevermore be shed upon it,” the archbishop concluded.

To learn more about the incredible women who died on Forgiveness Sunday, see the article “The Kizlyar Martyrs, in Personal Recollections.”

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3/30/2018

See also
Lyudmila, Vera, Nadezhda, Irina, Vera Lyudmila, Vera, Nadezhda, Irina, Vera
The Memory of the Kizlyar Martyrs Lyudmila, Vera, Nadezhda, Irina, Vera The Kizlyar Martyrs, in Personal Recollections
Lyudmila, Vera, Nadezhda, Irina, Vera
Recently, on the Meeting of the Lord, one of our parishioners, running into Blessed Irina not far from the church, asked, “Irochka, how are you?” “Good,” she answered. “Where are you going?” “I’m going to church.” “There’s a service today?” “There is.” “And tomorrow too?” “Yes,” and then, after a pause, she added, “You know, Pelagia Vasilievna, I’m going to leave you soon; I’m going very far and I won’t return here anymore.” They Forgave All and Were Martyred They Forgave All and Were Martyred
The five women shot on Forgiveness Sunday were buried on the grounds of the church where the tragedy occurred They Forgave All and Were Martyred They Forgave All and Were Martyred
The five women shot on Forgiveness Sunday were buried on the grounds of the church where the tragedy occurred
People began flocking to the cathedral in the morning, desiring to bid a final farewell to the women who had died at the hands of the terrorist for being Christians. About 5,000 faithful arrived to accompany the woman on their final path. Five women shot dead outside church in Dagestan immediately after Rite of Forgiveness Five women shot dead outside church in Dagestan immediately after Rite of Forgiveness Five women shot dead outside church in Dagestan immediately after Rite of Forgiveness Five women shot dead outside church in Dagestan immediately after Rite of Forgiveness
Among the victims were a well-known doctor and her sister who was a public figure who also helped a lot at the church, a former teacher who often organized pilgrimages, and a woman who would beg for alms at the church.
Comments
Vasili8/16/2018 9:18 pm
God willing, all five women should be saints!
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