Pyongyang, March 20, 2020
Photo: pravoslavie.ru
Divine services have resumed in Holy Trinity Church in the capital city of North Korea after a break due to anti-epidemic measures.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the church in the Chonbek District of Pyongyang on Sunday, March 15 by Fr. Vladimir Zhang and Deacons George Yun and Paul Pak, reports the Russian Embassy in North Korea.
The Russian Ambassador to North Korea and Russian citizens living in the country prayed at the service, with many communing of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
At the end of the service, Fr. Vladimir read a message from the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, His Eminence Metropolitan Sergei of Singapore to the bishops, clergy, monastics, and God-loving flock of the Exarchate concerning the present epidemic.
Noting that this trial, allowed by God, particularly affected the countries within the territory of the Exarchate of Southeast Asia, Met. Sergei called upon all Orthodox faithful to offer continuous prayers for the overcoming of the present scourge, including special molebens for the sick to recover and that the virus might stop spreading.
The North Korean authorities imposed certain restrictions on mass events in the country, which affected the liturgical life of the Holy Trinity Church. The measures seem to be yielding results and the restrictions are gradually being lifted, though sanitary requirements remain in force. All of the parishioners and clergy have undergone quarantine and repeated medical examinations.
The Embassy also reports that permits have been obtained for the purchase and delivery of a diesel generator that will provide the church with an uninterrupted supply of electricity.
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The foundation stone for Holy Trinity Church was laid on June 24, 2003, and four North Korean students entered the Moscow Seminary the same year, two of them being ordained as deacons in 2005. The parish community of the church was officially established by the Russian Holy Synod in July 2006, and the church was consecrated on August 13, 2006, with the two deacons being ordained as priests. The parish is part of the Vladivostok Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
