DECR chairman greets His Beatitude Metropolitan Rostislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia with his Name Day
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, sent a message of greetings to the Primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia on his Name Day. The text of the letter is given below.
Your Beatitude,
Please accept my cordial greetings with the commemoration day of your heavenly patron, Holy Prince Rostislav of Great Moravia, Equal-to-the-Apostles.
The prince’s zeal for the spiritual enlightenment of his people, as well as his patience and willingness to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) to this day glorify and adorn the spiritual house of Orthodoxy in the Czech lands and Slovakia, built up by the God-wise labourers, first among which were Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles.
The example of pious life of the Holy Prince Rostislav helps Your Beatitude bear a heavy cross of Primatial ministry which you carry out in pureness, in knowledge, in long suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Ghost, in love unfeigned (cf. 2 Cor 6:6) by the unceasing prayers of your Angel.
On this day of celebration I am lifting up my ardent prayers unto God that He grant you peace, good health and His all-generous gifts.
With respectful love in the Lord,
| /+Hilarion/
Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Chairman Department for External Church Relations Moscow Patriarchate |