First in Russia: a church built for people with disabilities and veterans of the Northern Military District was consecrated in Belgorodtranslated

With the blessing of Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, on September 13, Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol performed the rite of consecration of the Church of the Martyr John the Warrior in the Memory Park. The church became the first completely inclusive church in Russia - everything is provided here for people with visual, hearing and musculoskeletal impairments. A separate area of ​​the church’s work is the spiritual rehabilitation of veterans of special military operations. The service was conducted with sign language translation and audio commentary. After singing “Our Father,” the bishop said in sign language the exclamation “Peace to all.” Communities of the hearing impaired from Belgorod, Gubkin and Stary Oskol, as well as the Belgorod community of the visually impaired, prayed during the service. The icon of the Mother of God “The Cup of Patience” was brought to the service for the worship of believers. Tactile icons that can be read with your fingers. Braille on prayer texts. Navigation for the blind. Wide aisles for wheelchairs. Lighting that does not blind the visually impaired.

All this was included in the project even before construction began - along with those who will come here. But the main thing is people. The rector of the church, Archpriest Georgy Vlasenko, has been caring for the community for two decades...