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Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, sent a message to Archimandrite Jeremiah, hegumen of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos, greeting him, the brethren of the monastery and pilgrims with the commemoration day of St Panteleimon.

The Very Reverend Archimandrite Jeremiah

Hegumen of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon

Mount Athos

 

Dear in the Lord Father Jeremiah,

I greet you, all the brethren in Christ and numerous pilgrims with the patronal feast of your holy abode – the commemoration day of St Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Healer.

The Holy Church glorifies martyrs, first of all, as witnesses of faith and new life in Christ. St Panteleimon, the heavenly patron of the monastery, bore this witness and met his death as a martyr.

Christian monks, who have taken up the baton of this witness from martyrs and devoted their lives to serving God in complete obedience and to loving their neighbours, are called to work unceasingly to reveal the Kingdom of Christ to the world. Monks from the Holy Rus’ have been following this vocation for a thousand years, devoting their lives to monastic heroic deeds in this earthly domain of the Queen of Heaven.

On this feast day, I wish all the brethren of the monastery to be worthy imitators of their heavenly patron, St Panteleimon, in love, mercy, hospitality, meekness, humility, patience and other Christian virtues. And I wish you, dear Father Archimandrite, physical and spiritual strength for bearing your hegumen’s cross.

 

With love in the Lord,

+Hilarion

Metropolitan of Volokolamsk

Chairman

Department for External Church Relations

Moscow Patriarchate