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On November 6, 2016, the Day of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘The Joy to All the Afflicted’, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR), celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church in Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow, dedicated to this icon.

Among his numerous concelebrants were Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos and Orinis (Orthodox Church of Cyprus), Archbishop Jacob of Bialystok and Gdansk (Polish Orthodox Church).

The Moscow Synodal Choir conducted by Russia’s Honoured Artist A. Puzakov sang hymns by Petr Tchaikovsky from his Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the anniversary of the composer’s demise.

After the Prayer of Fervent Supplication, Metropolitan Hilarion lifted up a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

During the service, a praise was sung at the church’s main shrine – the miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God ‘The Joy to All the Afflicted’.

In his address to the congregation after the liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion said that the wonder-working icon, which has been in the church in Bolshaya Ordynka since the late 17th century, attracted thousands of people, who keep coming to it to pray to the Most Holy Mary for healing and consolation in their afflictions. He also spoke on the reading of the day – the Lord’s parable about the rich man and Lazarus, saying, ‘While people pay attention to the external merits of each other, God looks at one’s soul and heart. And very often the Lord sees in the soul of a simple person the treasures that He does not find in the soul of a rich and famous man… Many spiritual treasures hidden today behind the surface of poverty and affliction will be revealed and will shine forth whereas what looks bright today will turn out to be dust and ashes’.

His Eminence also greeted Metropolitan Isaiah and Archbishop Jacob as well as all the guests and expressed the wish that the veil of the Most Holy Virgin May protect them against every evil.

DECR Communications Service