Netherlands and Belgium to offer prayers for the children killed in Donbass

On 25 March at the nunnery of St. John the Baptist in the Hague (Netherlands) a cleric of Zaporozhye UOC eparchy transferred lists with the children’s names who were killed during the hostilities in Donbass and who are going to be prayed for in the Hague and Netherlandish eparchy, writes the press-service of Zaporozhye eparchy

At the nunnery a festive Divine Liturgy was held on the occasion of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary holiday. The service was led by His Eminence Simon, Archbishop of Brussels and Belgium, Chancellor of the Hague and Netherlandish eparchy.

Upon the end of the worship a ceremonial reception took place on the occasion of the above holiday.

Cleric of Zaporozhye eparchy protopriest Konstantin Maksimov participated in the festivities, who addressed fraternal words of greeting on behalf of Metropolitan Luke and the request to pray for the Ukrainian land being “in sorrow and distress”. Besides, there were transferred lists with the children’s names having been killed during the hostilities in Donbass.

Upon the blessing of His Eminence Luke, Metropolitan of Zaporozhye and Melitopol, the priest also gifted the Belgian and Netherlandish eparchy with the icons of Saints from Zaporozhye and Melitopol, as well as a liturgical book and an icon of Saint Righteous Peter Kalnyshevsky.

The Hague monastery of St. John the Baptist was founded in 1954 within the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and consecrated by Saint John (Maksimovich), Archbishop of Shanghai and San-Francisco, born in Adamovka village of Donetsk region.

A considerable part of Orthodox parishes in Europe live by the Gregorian calendar.