Hierarchs of the Russian Church Abroad celebrate Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ

At midnight early Friday morning on June 17, clergy and pilgrims gathered in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Church of the Holy Sepulcher) in Jerusalem. Archbishop Theodosius of Sebastia officiated Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by Bishops Theodosius of Seattle and Nicholas of Manhattan.

Liturgy was celebrated on the altar at the site of Christ’s Crucifixion – on the holy mountain of Golgotha, the place of the saving crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, in five languages: Greek, Arabic, Church Slavonic, English, and Romanian. The church was filled with pilgrims, many of whom received Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Singing at Divine Liturgy was the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute (PaTRAM) male choir, under the direction of Elias Dubelsten from Ottawa, Canada. The choristers proclaimed the sacred words of the service with special trepidation, conscious of the holiness of the place where they stood.

Archbishop Theodosius of Sevastia was present at the service and was especially touched by the singing of the Russian choir. At the conclusion of the service, Archbishop Theodosius expressed his gratitude to the visiting archpastors, as well as to all the singers for beautifying the service in the holy places.
After service, Vl. Theodosius invited Bp. Theodosius and Nicholas with the singers for coffee.