On October 8, on the feast of the repose of St. Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh, Wonderworker of all Russia, His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the United States and Canada, served at the Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, at the Church of the Descent of Holy Spirit on the Apostles at the Holy Trinity - St. Sergius Lavra.

After the Augmented litany, a prayer was offered for peace in Ukraine.

After the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and all Archpastors who, on that day, celebrated , with his blessing, hierarchical services at the churches of the monastery, went out with a procession, carrying the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh, to the Lavra Square, where the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church served a moleben.

After the moleben, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill addressed the participants in the festivities — bishops, clergy, monks and laity, from the balcony of the Patriarchal chambers:

“Once again, my dears, I greet all of you with the feast, with the memory of St. Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh!

Even the sun has appeared by the end of the service.  We were told by everyone that it would rain, bad weather, cold, we were told to warm ourselves ... Well, maybe it’s not as warm as we would like it to be, but it’s not cold either, so the mercy of Venerable Sergius is with us even in these simple things, as well as in all the ways of our life, everyone knows this.  Sometimes we ask the Lord and His holy Saints for the simplest things.  One can say, how can we turn to the Lord with all this things, but we do turn!  And our loving Father responds to all our prayers.

May St. Sergius incline his grace to us and intercede in the presence of God for our needs, both big and small, which concern us as a nation, as the Church, which concern each of us.  May the Lord protect, by his prayers, the Russian Church, our pious people and all of you, my dears.  Happy feast! ”

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