On August 2, the first Divine Liturgy since the Soviet era was celebrated in the ruins of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Church in the village of Yusupovo, Nizhny Novgorod Province.
The monastery, located on Goose Chase Road near New Germany, will welcome Orthodox Christians from across the Maritime Provinces for a day of prayer, worship, and community gathering.
Beyond doctrinal concerns, the bishops cite their pastoral experience in warning that such pagan cults often pose threats to people’s physical and mental health, property, family stability, professional advancement and social integration.
The warning comes as part of a broader effort by the Greek Orthodox Church to address what it considers heretical teachings.
Pilgrims traveled from across Ukraine to venerate the sacred image, with many arriving on foot in large processions from Volyn and Kremenets.