Русский | DECR Communication Service | April 18, 2015
English translation by Katherine Ilachinski

In China Celebrates Pascha of Christ

On the night of April 12, 2015 Rev. Dimitry Fedorin, dean of the first district of Vladivostok, a cleric of Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral with Orthodox compatriots, a group of residents in Harbin (China) took part in the Paschal procession and festal services, which was conducted by the Chinese community of Protection Church of this city led by Deacon Alexander Yu Chi - the first Chinese resurgent cleric of the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church.

Due to the fact that since the Nativity feast the Pokrovsky temple is closed for repairs, services were held in a nearby Catholic Cathedral. The procession proceeded from there to the Church of the Holy Protection; with the consent of the authorities the faithful were able to enter the church and light a paschal candles in front of icons. The prayerful procession was attended by 370 people, most of whom were Orthodox Chinese. In the following days of Bright Week, Deacon Alexander Yu Shi and community members conducted festal services in rooms around the church with a procession around the Holy Protection Church.

On April 12 Fr. Dimitry Fedorin served the Divine Liturgy. More than 180 Orthodox compatriots have come to share the joy of Pascha, more than eighty of them received the Holy Communion.

Over the next two days Fr. Dimitry Fedorin and members of the Russian Orthodox community have visited hospitals in Harbin, where the children from Russia and CIS countries were treated. Father Dimitry congratulated the kids and their parents with Pascha of the Lord; twenty-five children were given the Holy Communion.

 

On the Orthodox section of the Huangshan town cemetery, the priest prayed at the burial place of Rev. Gregory Zhu Shipu, the last rector of Holy Protection Church. Prayers were also conducted on the graves of Russian and Chinese Orthodox Christians buried there. Pascha Lityia was conducted on a grave of Soviet soldiers, who participated in the liberation of northeast China in 1945.

In the Holy Dormition Church on the territory of the Russian Embassy in Beijing the Paschal services were conducted by Rev. Sergey Voronin. More than 430 people prayed during the night Liturgy and morning services - parishioners from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Romania, USA, France, Germany, Ethiopia, Greece, Moldova and other countries. The church was attended by heads of diplomatic missions and diplomats from Russia, Belarus, Greece, and Serbia. Each parishioner received on Paschal night a memorable gift from the Church of the Holy Dormition.

On the feast of the Resurrection of Christ the rector of the Holy Dormition Church, visited the hospitals in the Chinese capital where there were medical treatment for the children from Russia. The Beijing Orthodox community gave young patients gifts: the gospel, children's books, cakes, sweets and Paschal souvenirs. More than 40 children and their parents received Holy Communion.

In Shanghai, the Paschal service was performed in St. Nicholas Church, which could not accommodate all those wishing to prayerfully celebrate the holiday of Christ's Resurrection. In the divine service that was conducted by the dean of the Orthodox community in Shanghai-Archpriest Alexei Kiselevich, more than 400 members of the international Orthodox community were praying there, including Russian, Ukrainians, Greeks, Germans, Dutch, Poles, Serbs, Bulgarians, Americans, and others. More than 180 of them received Holy Communion.

Church Slavonic, English and Chinese languages were heard during Paschal services that were headed by Father Dionisy Pozdnyaev from SS Peter and Paul's church of Hong Kong. At the celebration gathered more than 120 people - residents of Hong Kong, and believers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Great Britain, France, the United States and mainland China.