Farewell, Jerusalem!
At the end of our pilgrimage we had a unique event. A couple from our delegation from Russia,
Sergei and Anna Trosnin requested that Fr. Sergei perform the sacrament of Holy
Matrimony. We were fortunate to make
arrangements for this wedding at the church of St. Alexander Nevsky, also known
as the “Russian raskopki” (the Judgment Gates), and is located around the
corner from the Holy Sepulcher. The
service was conducted at the very beautiful Chapel of the Royal Martyrs of
Russia. Immediately after the ceremony, Fr.
Sergei took the newlyweds to the Holy Sepulcher to receive a special blessing
at the tomb of Christ.
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| Anna and Sergei Trosnin |
Our last evening in Jerusalem was very touching. We had a
banquet attended by two abbesses, Mother Moisseia, and Mother Elizabeth, and
our guide Sr. Fomaida. There were tearful
moments as Fr. Sergei summarized the spiritual impact of our pilgrimage today
and in our futures. Fr. Sergei thanked
the main two organizers, Alyosha Zacharin and his daughter Tata and all their
helpers for the fantastic organization of the pilgrimage. On behalf of the
pilgrims, plaques were presented to both, and in return Tata also thanked all
her helpers and thanked Fr. Sergei for his spiritual guidance with a beautiful
jeweled cross which had been placed for a blessing on the Holy Sepulcher. We
thanked Sr. Fomaida and presented her with an official OPIOP back pack. To everyone’s delight, she thanked the entire group and in the
traditional camp manner – Ura – Ura- Ura!
Fr. Sergei invited the youth to share their memories and the impact of
the pilgrimage. Many gave emotional
reflections on the pilgrimage and the holy places they visited. We
then sang the songs “Holy
Jerusalem” and “Prashalnaya”.
We also continued our wedding celebration with a cake prepared by our award-winning pastry chef from our hotel.
Our pilgrimage continued in Istanbul, Turkey. Formerly known as Constantinople and also “Tsargrad”, it is the cradle of Orthodoxy. This is where St. Olga was christened, and
many of our Orthodox Holy days such as Pokrova, took place. We toured Hagia Sophia, which contains very
early Christian mosaics from the 4th century. We also toured the Blue Mosque, Topkapi
Palace where we saw Moses’ staff and the arm of St. John the Banquet, the
church of St. Irina and shopped at the bazaar, and enjoyed many delicious shish
kebabs, baklava and other Turkish food.
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| our boat tour in Istanbul |
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| view from the boat |
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| view of Istanbul from the boat |
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| dancing during the cruise |
During our “farewell evening” in Istanbul, our youth and
adults performed “tochki” about our pilgrimage.
Fr. Sergei thanked Tata and Alyosha for their organization of the
pilgrimage and spoke to our pilgrims about the importance of taking all they
saw and experienced during the pilgrimage home and sharing it with as many
people as possible. Fr. Sergei stressed
that the pilgrimage will come back to each pilgrim many times during the
liturgical year as we celebrate each holy day, now that we have seen and walked
in all the places where these miracles and events took place. Fr. Sergei reminded everyone that the
pilgrimage should be like the red egg that Mary Magdalene carried to the
Emperor to announce that “Christ is Risen”.
That each pilgrim should carry the treasure and blessings of what they
learned and experienced during the pilgrimage home as Mary Magdalene did the
red egg, and share the good news with everyone they meet.
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