On the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, the transfer of the relics of St. John of Rila, the Head of the Don Metropolis celebrated the Divine Liturgytranslated

On November 1, 2026, on the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, the transfer of the relics of St. John of Rylsky, the Head of the Don Metropolis, Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk Mercury, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the city of Rostov-on-Don.

His Eminence was served by the chairman of the parish council of the cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Bryantsev, Archpriest Sergius Zryanin, and clergy of the church.

At the special litany, a prayer was offered for Holy Rus'.

The hymns of the service were performed by the cathedral choir under the direction of Protodeacon Vladimir Zubritsky. The sermon before Holy Communion was delivered by the cathedral cleric, Priest Alexander Slabodin.

At the end of the service, the archpastor addressed the worshipers with a sermon, in which, in particular, he said: “Today’s Gospel reading tells us about one of the most famous parables - the parable of the sower. At the end of the Gospel narrative, the Lord says: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matt. 13:9). It would seem, what are these words for? The Apostle Matthew explains that the Savior points to the coarsening of the human heart: a person sees with his eyes and hears with his ears, but does not perceive with his heart what he sees and...