Icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov with a part of the remains of the saint has been gifted to the Hong  Kong parish

On the 28th of May, the church of holy apostles Peter and Paul in Hong Kong has received a precious gift – an icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, sent to us by His Reverendness Georgy, the mitropolit of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas. The pilgrimage to the Niznhy Novgorod metropolitan parish was undertaken by the priest Anatoly Kung, who brought the relic to the Hong Kong church.

In the days of the Holy Easter, on the 21st of May, in the Old Staroyarmorochny cathedral, Georgy, the Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas mitropolit, led the holy liturgy in front of a large congregation, after which he gave the priest Anatoly Kung, who helped him with the service, a gift for the orthodox believers of Hong Kong – an iconic image of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, containing a part of his Holy Hallows.

This analoy icon of the Venerable Saint was created specifically for the parish of the Church of the Chief Apostles Peter and Paul in Hong Kong by an inhabitant of the Diveevo Convent, the nun Theophania (Averyanova). In it, the Saint is depicted standing in front of the Sarov Monastery, where he served as a monk for many decades of his earthly life.

In his greeting speech, Vladyka Georgy expressed hope that the image of this great Servant of God will serve to console the orthodox believers of Hong Kong, strengthen the faith of those of the orthodox faith in China, will bring aid and healing to the sufferers. “We will pray, that with the presence of Saint Seraphim, the Lord will strengthen and widen the presence of orthodoxy in China”. In his response, the priest Anatoly Kung thanked His Reverendness for the image of father Seraphim, and noted the joyfulness of his soul at arriving to the Nizhny Novgorod land. As a return gift the the mitropolit, the cleric of the Church of the Chief Apostles Peter and Paul gave him an intricate china plate, depicting one of the classic Easter motifs – “Angel brings the Myrrhbearers the news of the Christ’s Ressurection”, created in the style of traditional Chinese paintings.

At the end of the holy lithurgy, the priest Anatoly Kung took part in the memorial service for the saviour of the Fatherland, Kozma Minin, as the 400th anniversary of his passing was commemorated on that day.

On the day before, the priest Anatoly Kung, accompanied by the assistant director of the cultural office of the Nozhny Novgorod diocese, Roman Gogolev, took part in a pilgrimage to the Holy Trinity-Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery itself, where he kissed the Holy Hallows of Saint Seraphim in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, walked and prayed at the famous Holy Canal of the Theotokos, and visited the churches and museums of the Monastery.