On 2 December 2019, the day of memory of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the Central Asian Metropolitan District, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Dormition Cathedral. A polyeleos service was served there the evening before.
Concelebrating with His Eminence were Hieromonk Spiridon (Pozdeev), Deacon Feodor Burakov and Deacon Mikhail Mezhovikov.
After the Liturgy a hymn of glorification was sung to St. Philaret, and Metropolitan Vikenty then addressed the faithful with his word of instruction.
“Metropolitan Philaret was a very learned, very capable and influential man. He took an active part in the life of the Church and of secular society. Emperors reckoned with him and sought his advice, and so he was drawn into certain political affairs. Yet despite such activity and the variety of his work, he was a most zealous servant of God, of Christ the Saviour. He was a man of prayer, he followed Christ and desired to do the will of God. He knew the truths of theology deeply and left us many books for our edification. He was not only a theorist. This was the practice of his spiritual life, for everything he said, preached and taught, all the guidance he sought to give others, was what he himself had passed through on his personal path of spiritual life. On the basis of his experience he left us his written legacy, which we can read to receive the instruction with which he guided his flock.
Therefore, in these days of the Nativity Fast, we can attune ourselves to the fast, for before our eyes are the holy saints of God who walked various paths of service to the Church and to society.”
