Thousands of Penza citizens celebrated Orthodox Christmas in churches
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Penza, 7 January 2015. PenzaNews. Several thousands of religious people have celebrated the Orthodox Christmas in Penza churches in the night of Wednesday, January 7. Bishop Seraphim of Penza and Nizhnelomovsk has led the holy communion service at the Assumption Cathedral.
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He was helped by Mitred Archpriest Sergiy Loskutov, hegumen of the Assumption Cathedral and secretary of the Penza diocese; Joann Yavorsky, hegumen of the Pokrovsky Hegumen Cathedral and chairman of the construction department of the Penza diocese; as well as priests Ilya Popkov and Vitaly Zorin, protodeacon Vladimir Krasnenkov, deacons, Konstantin Kuzminykh, Sergiy Surkov and Alexiy Karasev, and celibate deacon Sergiy (Zaychikov).
The communion service was graced by the choir of the Assumption Cathedral led by Olga Gorsheneva.
The three-sacrarium confession ceremony was led by the clerics of the Assumption Cathedral – Mitred Archpriest Alexander Trofimov and priest Victor Storozhev.
Among the officials who attended the prayer of the communion service were Sergey Pulikovsky, deputy chairman of the Penza region government; Alexander Elatontsev, head of internal policy deparment of the regional government; and Alexander Biryukov, church wadern of the Tikhvin hermitage of the Seven Springs, former head of the regional tax department.
On the lesser entrance of the Cathedral, Bishop Seraphim has graced deacon Sergiy Surkov with the right to wear a double orarion, the first praised reward for a religious servant of his standing.
After the Cherubicon, the bishop has elevated celibate deacon Sergiy (secular name – Evgeny Zaychikov) to the rank of celibate priest.
Priest Vitaly Zorin has read the Christmas address of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus. Before the Eucharist ceremony, deacon Sergiy Surkov has read the Christmas address of Bishop Seraphim of Penza and Nizhny Lomov.
After the service, Bishop Seraphim has wished all the gathering a happy Orthodox Christmas and wished them peace in their families, sound health and good well-being.
