Patriarch Alexy sends a message of greeting on the occasion of the 75the anniversary of the representation church of Three Holy Hierarchs in Paris

TO: His Eminence Innokenty of Korsun,
Clergymen and God-loving flock of the Diocese of Korsun of the Russian Orthodox Church

Your Eminence Dear Archbishop Innokenty,
archpastors, pastors, dear brothers and sisters,
faithful children of the Diocese of Korsun and all guests!

We remember the historic way of this church in Petel street in Paris and it is dear to us. The church was founded in 1931 by a small group of Russian Orthodox emigrants who considered canonical relations with the Russian Orthodox Church, their Mother Church, an indispensable condition of their church life.

The Church of Three Hierarchs in Paris was established when the Church in Russia went up to her Golgotha. Russian Orthodox emigrants never stopped praying for ‘our suffering Motherland’ on those days terrible for Russia. These feelings of grief and compassion for everything that happened in Russia, shared by the entire Russian emigration and all parishioners of the Three Hierarchs Church, made up their life as they remained an integral part of the Russian Orthodox Church. As they said it was impossible for them ‘to leave their Church crucified’. It was their choice. Thus, they expressed their living faith in saving Providence of God and unconquerable hope for inevitable victory of Christ over evil forces in their Motherland. This faith strengthened the parish and helped them overcome all divisions among Russians, hardships and troubles of their life in a foreign country.

The Representation Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris was dedicated to the Three Great Hierarchs and Teachers of the Church and it has a special spiritual meaning. Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov), who served in this church for a long time, noted it in his letter to Metropolitan Sergy (Stragorodsky):

‘Three groups of Orthodox Christians contended for the priority of their head – Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, but finally they united giving the equal honor to the hierarchs. Thus, through the prayers of these hierarchs our foreign division will reunite with our Patriarchal Church’.

Blessed unity of the Russian Orthodox Church is still our actual task. It requires wisdom, humbleness, aspiration for mutual understanding and great prayerful work.

Today, the Church of Three Hierarchs is a cathedral church of the Diocese of Korsun of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Diocese develops dynamically and unites the parishes of our Church not only in France, but also in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland. It is joyful that the Diocese opens new parishes every year, it means that the number of Orthodox believers, of those who have sought and found the way to the church, increases.

I heartily congratulate you on the 75^th anniversary of the church of Three Holy Hierarchs and wish you help of God in your work for the welfare of the Church of Christ.

May the blessing of God be with all of you.

+ALEXY,
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA

• Concert of Russian religious and folk music in the Notre Dame de Paris on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Three Hierarchs church in Paris
• Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad officiated celebrations in Paris on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Church of Three Hierarchs
• Patriarch Alexy sends a message of greeting on the occasion of the 75the anniversary of the representation church of Three Holy Hierarchs in Paris
• Homily by Metropolitan Kirill during the divine Liturgy at the Cathedral Church of the Three Hierarchs in Paris on February 12, 2006, the Commemoration Day of St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom