Metropolitan Kirill in the Kaliningrad Region

METROPOLITAN KIRILL IN THE KALININGRAD REGION

Metropolitan Kirill in concelebration with Bishop Seraphim of the Baltics and diocesan clergy conducted All-Night Vigil at the Lesser Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Kaliningrad on July 2002.

After the service Metropolitan Kirill visited a building site of the Greater Cathedral, which is under construction now and is one of the most important edifices to be erected in the Kaliningrad region. Kaliningrad’s citizens attach a great importance to this Cathedral as a spiritual outpost in the extreme West of the country. Therefore the ruling bishop of the Diocese of Smolensk and Kaliningrad always visits the building site of the future cathedral to watch the construction progress. Accompanied by Rev. Vladimir Kuzmin, sacristan of the Cathedral, Metropolitan Kirill inspected the stylobate part of the building to see the construction of monolith ferroconcrete arcs and brick walls.

Metropolitan Kirill consecrated a new church in the town of Neman during the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, June 9. After the divine service the Metropolitan awarded diplomas to those who worked hard to build the church of God. ‘It is extremely important for our future that the churches are built now, after long decades of state theomachy all over Russia. If Russian churches disappeared at once, both Russia and her people and any of us would vanish that very moment’, said Metropolitan Kirill in his speech addressed to the faithful.

Bishop Seraphim of the Baltics celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the patronal feast of the Church of St. John the Baptist in the town of Gvardeisk on July 10.

On the same day Metropolitan Kirill met with leadership and cadets of the Kaliningrad College of the Russian Federal Frontier Guards. Officers and cadets – frontier guards have built a chapel of St. Iliah of Murom on its territory. Before the consecration of the chapel the Metropolitan addressed himself to students and professors with a pastoral word. He said: ‘Why are there those who celebrate victory and those who leave a battlefield in fear and disgrace during war? The history of wars shows that it is not weapons or numbers that matter. Let us turn to the example of our warriors in the Great Patriotic War. We had but one advantage before the invaders. Our country held out and won only because her spirit was stronger. For those with strong spirit win victories, while defeats are in store for the spiritually weak. But, just as physical strength demands everyday exercise, so to acquire spiritual strength one has to exercise and develop one’s soul. I hope and believe that the chapel consecrated today will be a place to where every one of you will haste to clean your soul and strengthen your spirit’.

After His Eminence Kirill consecrated the chapel, he talked to officers lecturing at the Kaliningrad College of Federal Frontier Guards.

Communication Department
Diocese of Kaliningrad