Solovki, August 18, 2014
On August 17, 2014, the 10th Sunday after Pentecost, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated a Divine Liturgy at the Church of Crucifixion of the Lord of the Golgotha Crucifixion Skete (Hermitage) on the Anzer island (the Solovetsky archipelago).
Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Theognost of Sergiyev Posad, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism; Archimandrite Porfiry (Shutov), Father-Superior of the Transfiguration Stavropegic Solovetsky Monastery; Igumen Evlogy (Struchalin), head of the Golgotha Crucifixion Skete on Anzer; Hieromonk George (Kurdoglo), head of the Holy Trinity Skete of Anzer concelebrated with His Holiness.
Metropolitan German of Kursk and Rylsk; Metropolitan Zinovy of Saransk and Mordovia; Bishop Seraphim of Baltiysk; Bishop Sergy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Administrative Secretariat; Bishop Lazar of Narva and Prichudje; Bishop Yakov (James) of Naryan-Mar and Mezen; Bishop Vasily of Kotlas and Velsk; Archimandrite Paisy (Yurkov), Bishop-Elect of Shchigry and Manturovo; chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and the Society Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin; executive secretary of the Executive Office of the Moscow Patriarchate Hieromonk Misail (Sarafanov) prayed at the service.
Minister for the Regional Development of the Russian Federation Igor Slyunyayev and governor of the Arkhangelsk region Igor Orlov were present at the church.
The chants at the service were performed by members of the monks’ choir of the Solovetsky Monastery (choirmaster – Hierodeacon Afanasy Savelyev).
After the Litany of fervent Supplication, head of the Russian Orthodox Church offered up a prayer for peace in the Ukraine.
After the Liturgy head of the Golgotha Crucifixion Skete Igumen Evlogy (Struchalin) greeted the patriarch and presented His Holiness with an Icon of the Guardian Angel.
His Holiness gave a homily to the worshippers and donated an Icon of Venerable Varnava of Gethsemane (the former Gethsemane Skete near the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra; †1906) with a portion of his relics to the skete.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia greeted governor of the Arkhangelsk region I. Orlov on his 50th anniversary and gave him an Icon of the Saviour as a blessing for his labours. Father-Superior of the Solovetsky Monastery Archimandrite Porfiry (Shutov) greeted head of the region as well and presented him with an Icon of Venerable Zosimus and Sabbatius of Solovki.
Patriarch Kirill visited the wooden Church of the Resurrection, built on the site of the apparition of the Mother of God and St. Eleazar of Anzer to founder of the Golgotha Crucifixion Skete Venerable Iov (Job) of Anzer.
Then head of the Russian Church visited the Holy Trinity Skete on the Anzer island and St. Sergius Skete on Bolshaya Muksalma island.
