Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin on the Feast day of the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God

On 28 August 2005, the feast day of the Assumption of our Most Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Kremlin Cathedral of the Assumption.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church were Archbishops Arseny of Istra and Alexy of Orekhovo-Zuevo.

Praying at the Divine service were many believers living in the capital city. Present were representatives of the public and Corps Diplomatique.

After the Divine Liturgy the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church congratulated all those present on the feast and delivered his primatial address, in which he said:

‘We have completed the Assumption fast, which prepared us for the spiritual celebration of the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God. I believe that we all have worthily prepared for this beneficial feast of the Heavenly Queen. While celebrating it, we feel that we are not orphans here on earth, that the Most Pure Mother of God is with us. She hears our prayers and lamentations and helps us as a caring Mother.

Let us recall our childhood, when we ran to our own mothers bringing them our joys and sorrows, grieves and difficulties, and they always shielded us with their caring love. Many of us have lost our mothers, and those who have not, must cherish their presence in our earthly life as a gift of God, as there is no one on earth more close and dear to us than our mothers.

Let us recall the awful minutes of the expiatory deed of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus said to His Mother from the Cross: ‘Woman, behold, your son!‘ pointing at the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. Then the Lord said to the disciple: ‘Behold, your mother!‘ (Jn 19:26-27). Since them the Mother of God has become our Heavenly Mother.

We open our hearts standing before Her icons imbued with prayers, we come to Her with our sorrows, joys and ordeals, and the Most Pure Mother of God, our Heavenly Mother warms our hearts with Her maternal love and help us bear the cross of our lives.

Today we clearly feel how close the Most Holy Mother of God is to the world, which ‘She did not forsake’. Let us always hope for the intercession of the Heavenly Queen, let us be worthy of Her prayers, let us ask Her to intercede for us, with our joys and sorrows, before the Throne of Her beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us offer up our prayers to the Most Holy Mother of God and ask Her to protect our Fatherland and our suffering people by Her intercession. She is always with us warming our cold hearts and gives us Christ’s love, of which we must be worthy throughout our earthly life’.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia led procession with the cross round the Cathedral of the Assumptions and celebrated a prayer service on the Cathedral Square in the Kremlin.