Metropolitan John celebrated the liturgy in the Church of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelatestranslated

With the blessing of Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol On Saturday, October 3, Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates in the city of Stary Oskol. The clergy and parishioners gathered for a divine service to prayerfully celebrate the 40th anniversary of the birth of the rector of the church, Priest Nikolai Dubinin. Concelebrating with His Eminence were the dean of the First Stary Oskol District, Archpriest Alexey Babanin, the rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy" Archpriest Vasily Istomin, the rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Peschanka, Archpriest Maxim Gorozhankin, and the rector of the Feodorovsky Church, Priest Nikolai Dubinin. After reading the Holy Gospel, the bishop addressed the believers with a sermon in which he spoke about gratitude as the most important Christian virtue. The archpastor emphasized that sincere heartfelt gratitude is a reliable protection against bitterness and loneliness.

“When a person perceives life with gratitude and gives thanks for everything that happens to him, then he has a future. Thanksgiving is not just an internal state, it is also our protection from...