From Diocese of Sourozh
Bishop Elisey heads a pilgrimage to the Monastery of St John the Baptist in Essex
7th June 2008
On 7th June, a group of pilgrims from the London Cathedral headed by Bishop Elisey of Sourozh visited the Stavropegic Monastery of St John the Baptist (Patriarchate of Constantinople) in Essex. The group also included two Cathedral clergymen, Archpriest Maxim Nikolsky and Protodeacon Dimitri Nedostupenko.
The pilgrims were solemnly met at the gates of the monastery by the brethren. Bishop Elisey served a moleben with an akathist to St Silouan the Athonite in the monastery church. The brethren presented Bishop Elisey with an icon of St Silouan as a gift for the London Cathedral which the Bishop blessed after the moleben.
Vladyka Elisey thanked the brethren for their gift and in turn, presented a donation of the recently published books by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh for the monastery library. Vladyka also stressed that the new icon of St Slouan will be enshrined in an accessible place in the Cathedral to facilitate its veneration by the Cathedral’s large congregation.
Bishop Elisey then served a memorial litia at the tomb of Schema-Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) the founder of the community, in the crypt of the Resurrection Chapel.
After the service, the pilgrims were invited to a common meal at the monastery refectory.
