Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates Divine Liturgy at the Church of “Joy to All the Afflicted” Icon on the anniversary of his episcopal consecration
On January 14th, 2011, the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord and the commemoration day of St. Basil the Great, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the “Joy to All the Afflicted” Icon of the Mother of God, Bolshaya Ordynka Str., Moscow.
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrated Bishop Hilarion at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on January 14th, 2002.
Concelebrating with Metropolitan Hilarion this year were archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR deputy chairman; archimandrite Amvrosiy (Muntianu) father confessor of the Frumos Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Moldova; hegumen Mitrofan (Shkurin), abbot of the Monastery of the Dormition in Lipetsk; Rev. Dimitry Ageyev, assistant to the DECR chairman; protodeacon Vladimir Nazarkin, DECR ordained staff members; and clerics of the church.
One of them, hegumen Filaret (Tambovsky), congratulated Metropolitan Hilarion on behalf of the clergymen and parishioners and presented him with an icon of St. Isaac the Syrian, whole theological works have been thoroughly researched by the DECR chairman.
In his word in response, Metropolitan Hilarion said, “The Church celebrates the Circumcision of the Lord and commemorates St. Basil the Great, one of the greatest saints who shone forth in the history of the Church. I am very happy as my episcopal consecration took place on his commemoration day and I have received his blessing for apostolic ministry that has been entrusted to all archpastors in succession from Christ through apostles and bishops of the Early Church up to now and will continue as long as the world and the Church live.”
Metropolitan Hilarion spoke at length about heroic deeds and labours of St. Basil in establishing the Church of Christ, saying that the saint teaches us how to live and minister. His teaching is particularly important to bishops and priests today, “as a bishop cannot be bishop or a priest cannot be priest without the firm and strong foundation of Orthodox theology.”
The DECR chairman wished the congregation to have St. Basil the Great as a loadstar, and his teachings – as a source of knowledge.
Singing at the service was the Moscow Synodal Choir conducted by Alexei Puzakov, an honoured artist of Russia.