On October 8, 2020, the day of the passing away of St. Sergius the Abbot of Radonezh, the Chinese Patriarchal Metochion community visited the church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia at the Zdekhovo village, Moscow Region (Patriarchal Metochion) to participate in the Divine Liturgy. One of the side-altars in this church is dedicated to St. Sergius.
During the liturgy the choir of the Chinese Metochion sang several hymns in Chinese. The Apostle reading in this language was done by the secretary of the metochion, Father Alexiy Yusupov, and Hieromonk Kirill (Peregudin), a staff member of the Department for External Church Relations and a novice of the St. Daniel Monastery, read the festive Gospel in Chinese.
In his homily after the procession with the cross, the rector of the St. Nicholas church at Zdekhovo, Archpriest Sergiy Kiselev thanked the Chinese Metochion representatives for their participation in the festivities and wished them God’s help in their work. He also shared impressions of his visit to China in 2010 together with the youth choir of the Patriarchal Metochion at the Sviblovo estate and of the liturgical celebration at the St. Nicholas church in Shanghai when the EXPO-2010 was held in it.
In his response, Father Alexiy Yusupov greeted the rector of the church on the occasion of his name day and presented him with an icon of Chinese martyrs.
During the festive repast, the palette of Russian songs was adorned with a Chinese folk song ‘Jasmine’ and Many Years sung in Chinese by the Chinese Metochion choir.
Website of the Chinese Patriarchal Metochion
DECR Communication Service