The Holy Fire from the Tomb of the Lord will be brought to the Holy Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk

A press conference dedicated to the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ was held at the residence of Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha. The head of the diocese shared his impressions of visiting the Holy Land: he had just returned from Jerusalem, where he celebrated Palm Sunday with a group of priests from Russia.

– The pre-Easter days in Jerusalem are felt especially. I have had the opportunity to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and witness the descent of the Holy Fire, when everything around is filled with divine light. It is not by chance that Easter is called the feast of feasts, the triumph of triumphs, – noted the владыка.

The Holy Fire from the Holy Sepulchre will be brought to Vitebsk on the night of April 11-12, for the beginning of the Easter Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where Archbishop Dimitry will preside over the service. Later, the fire will be delivered to all churches of the diocese. In the morning of the holiday, services will be held in all 38 churches of the regional center, and in 22 of them, solemn services will be held on Easter night.

Traditionally, the Easter Festival will be held in Vitebsk, which includes exhibitions of children's creativity and festive performances prepared by students of Sunday schools. The youth Orthodox club "Synaxis" invites everyone to the Easter celebration, which will take place on April 12 at 2:00 PM at the central entrance to the Vitebsk Church of the Resurrection of Christ. The program includes Easter chants, entertainment for children and adults, and much more.

Clergy will visit the Velikolechansky orphanage, hospitals, and correctional facilities. A charity marathon to raise funds for the revival of the Holy Epiphany Kuteinsky Monastery will last throughout Easter week. This year, it is already planned to build a gate bell tower. In parallel, documentation for the construction of a brotherhood building and a refectory church will be prepared. The completion of the work, which is planned for 9 years, will be the restoration of the Epiphany Cathedral.

Archbishop Dimitry presented the blueprints for the future Saint Sophia Cathedral; permission for its design has been obtained from the Head of State. According to the Archbishop, the church in the name of the Wisdom of God will become a spiritual pearl, uniting the Orthodox people of Slavic countries.

The Archbishop emphasized the importance of spiritual education for the younger generation. A new cooperation program between the Ministry of Education and the Belarusian Orthodox Church for 2015-2020 has recently been approved; a similar document will be signed in the near future between the Vitebsk Diocese and the Regional Executive Committee.

In conclusion, the Archbishop wished everyone to meet the bright holiday with good deeds and pure thoughts.

Tatyana Pasternak, "Vitebskiye Vesti"