Congratulations on the celebration in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and National Unity Daytranslated

Dear brothers and sisters!

I cordially congratulate you all on the day of celebration in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God!

This is one of the most revered icons on Russian soil, and this is no coincidence: there are countless cases of help from the Mother of God, revealed through this holy image to the entire Russian people.

In the 16th century, the Kazan Icon became a special blessing from God for the Volga region, then the new lands of the Russian state.

The Zhadovskaya Kazan Icon became the guardian of the Simbirsk land - and we, with triumph and reverence, make a religious procession with it on the day of the holiday through our city.

And, of course, a memorable and great event was the intercession of the Mother of God for Russia in the 17th century: Her help in the liberation of Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, in overcoming the long, bloody Time of Troubles in Russia.

The Church has always remembered and loved this holiday - “autumn Kazan”. Several years ago it became a national church-state celebration - the Day of National Unity. Overcoming the Troubles is a truly important historical lesson and a powerful image of national unity. During that period when Russian statehood practically ceased to exist, when the invaders were in the Kremlin, the heart of Russia,...