On 25 February 2022 the Cathedral of St. Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the Wonderworker, in Samarkand celebrated its patronal feast. On this day the head of the Central Asian Metropolitan District, Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, celebrated the Divine Liturgy here, and the evening before, the All-Night Vigil. This day also honors the Iveron icon of the Mother of God.
Concelebrating with His Eminence were:
the dean of the Samarkand District, Archpriest Roman Zagrebelny;
the rector of the church, Priest Igor Babakov;
Priest Oleg Lin;
Priest Vladimir Matveev;
Deacon Mikhail Mezhovikov;
Deacon Fortunat Turniyazov;
Deacon Sergiy Matytsin.
The evening before, during the polyeleos, Metropolitan Vikenty presented Fr. Igor with a church award: the medal of the Holy Prophet of God Elijah in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Diocese of Tashkent and Turkestan.
After the prayer before the ambo and the dismissal of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Vikenty led a procession of the cross around the cathedral and then congratulated all the parishioners on the patronal feast, saying:
"The Lord grants us great consolation and great joy through the prayers of St. Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the Wonderworker, and through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, who is our Mother and Intercessor.
Today we remember the benefactions the Mother of God has worked through her Iveron icon, which has been known to us since the eighth century. It is now on Mount Athos in the Vatopedi Monastery, and it pours out great grace and consolation upon us. God grant that our sins do not outweigh God's mercy. This is very important and instructive.
What we are now experiencing in our world, the coronavirus infection, is evidence that God's mercy is withdrawing from us a little, that the Lord is displeased with us, that our sins are already making the cup overflow. We must take care not to let it overflow by fighting our sins. If we understand this, God's mercy will protect us from this disease, which strikes every person: adults, infants and the elderly alike. It visits everyone. If we repent and change our life for the better, as the Lord says, we must turn away from evil and do good.
The more good we do and the less evil we do, the more of God's mercy we will have."
In his archpastoral word Metropolitan Vikenty also gave the faithful instruction for the coming labor of Great Lent.
"Great Lent, as the holy fathers say, is a springtime for the soul, the resurrection of the soul, the time of our resurrection. It is a joyful time when all of us together, as a community, can offer God a small sacrifice: our abstinence. We sacrifice ourselves by abstaining from every sin. And, of course, we abstain from meat and dairy foods. This is our sacrifice, our confession of and our love for Christ."
