Belgrade Holds Massive Procession for Ascension Day and City’s Patron Saint Day
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OCP News Service – 14/06/2024
Belgrade-Serbia: Tens of thousands of Belgrade residents braved heavy rain to participate in a prayer procession on June 14, 2024, celebrating both Ascension Day and the city’s patron saint day, St. Sava.
The procession followed the arrival of relics belonging to Saint Justin of Celie and the miraculous Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign” at the Church of the Ascension the night before. Large crowds gathered to venerate the holy items throughout the day. The procession itself included hundreds of priests, religious figures, government officials, and representatives of Belgrade’s cultural and artistic communities. It winded through central Belgrade, with the chanting of hymns and the ringing of church bells filling the air.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfiry of Serbia led the procession and delivered a sermon at the Saint Sava Church. He emphasized the importance of spiritual unity in overcoming contemporary challenges.
The presence of Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, leading a delegation from the Russian Church Abroad, was seen as a sign of strengthening ties between the two Orthodox Churches.
Patriarch Porfiry urged those gathered to follow the teachings of the Gospel and to live according to God’s commandments. He emphasized the importance of resisting contemporary ideologies that diverge from Christian values.
The procession served as a powerful display of faith and cultural heritage for Belgrade. It also highlighted the city’s role as a spiritual center for Orthodox Christianity.
Source:
OCP News Services
