Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne celebrates requiem service

13.01.2009 · Архив 2005-2009, События

On 13 January 2009, the fortieth day since His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia passed away in the Lord, the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Yelokhovo, where the late Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church is buried at the Annunciation side-chapel. Concelebrating were many archpastors of the Russian Church, representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches at the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, and Moscow clergymen.

Presidential Envoy in the Central Federal District Georgy Poltavchenko, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, and other representatives of the Russian authorities were present at the Cathedral.

The choirs of the Cathedral of the Epiphany and of the Sretensky Monastery were singing during the service.

Office for the dead was celebrated at the tomb of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia after the Liturgy. Prior to the service Metropolitan Kirill addressed the worshippers with a homily devoted to the late Patriarch.

‘Forty days have passed since the demise of His Holiness the Patriarch, but our pain has not abated, and our comprehension of what the late Primate meant for our Church and our Motherland is the same. We mourned over him for forty days, every day celebrating requiem services with fervent prayers for his soul, as when a man is undergoing ordeals nothing can help the soul but good deeds performed during his earthly life along with the prayers of those who remain on earth in the Militant Church of God that leads people to salvation.

‘Our Church has mourned over His Holiness the Patriarch in her ardent prayers for the salvation of his soul with great words: There is no man who liveth and sinneth not: for thou only art without sin, and thy righteousness is no all eternity, and thy word is true. We believe that by God’s word and through the prayers of the Church the Lord will grant His mercy to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy on the Day of Judgment and life eternal in His heavenly mansions. We shall continue to pray ardently as we have been doing during forty days. When we say Memory Eternal we turn to ourselves rather than to God; we mobilize ourselves for prayer and incessant commemoration in order to pass prayerful memory of His Holiness the Patriarch to the future generations, so that his tomb is never deserted but always visited by the believers who will offer up prayers for the soul of our late Primate.

‘We believe that the Lord will hear our prayer and grant eternal life to His Holiness in the Heavenly Kingdom heeding many good deeds during his lifetime and in response to the prayer of the Church.

‘Commemorating His Holiness Patriarch Alexy on the fortieth day since his demise, we shall proceed to his tomb to offer up special prayers. When celebrating the office for the dead, let us pray for the late Primate not only in words, but also with our mind and heart, hoping for God’s mercy and for our prayerful memory of His Holiness the Patriarch to be cherished in our hearts. Let us always pray to the Lord for His faithful servant who had done what he was destined to do as a righteous man sent by God.

‘We believe that His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia is with us today, that he hears our words and prayers and feels our spiritual support.’

Requiem services for the newly deceased His Holiness Patriarch Alexy will be celebrated at the Cathedral of the Epiphany all the day.