Belgrade, June 17, 2024
Photo: spc.rs
Even heavy rain couldn’t stop tens of thousands of Orthodox faithful from joining the annual procession in Belgrade in honor of the feast of Ascension of the Lord—the capital city’s Slava (patronal feast).
This year, the procession was enhanced by the presence of the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, brought by a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia led by His Eminence Metroplitan Nicholas, the First Hierarch of ROCOR.
Photo: spc.rs
The Kursk Root Icon has been connected with a number of saints over the centuries, including St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco. Today, it is considered the patron of the Russian diaspora pastored by ROCOR.
Photo: spc.rs
In addition to the Icon, the relics of the great St. Justin Popović also arrived in Belgrade on the eve of the feast, both of which drew thousands of Orthodox faithful. Both sacred treasures were carried in a prominent place in the procession, reports the Serbian Orthodox Church.
During a stop on Slavija Square, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church read the Holy Gospel. When the procession reached the massive St. Sava’s Church, the akathist to St. Justin was read.
Photo: spc.rs
Then His Holiness addressed the procession, noting the importance of the feast of the Ascension, when Christ placed human nature on the right hand of God, and the great blessing of the presence of the Kursk Root Icon and the relics of St. Justin.
The Patriarch exhorted his flock, saying:
Let the Lord our Savior always be our mirror and measure. If Christ is our point of reference and criterion, if He is the goal and meaning, if He is in the first place, we can be sure that everything else will be in its place. Therefore, let us always remember the resounding words of St. Abba Justin, which he used to remind and comfort his people, and which remind and comfort us even today: “Everything for Christ, Christ above all!”
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