On the eve of the feast of St. Olga, Metropolitan Alexy led the all-night vigil in the Nativity of Christ Cathedraltranslated

On the eve of the celebration of the memory of Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, Grand Duchess of Russia, in the Holy Epiphany of Helena (969), Metropolitan Alexy of Chelyabinsk and Miass led an all-night vigil with litia in the lower church of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ. The ruling bishop was assisted by the clergy of the cathedral. The Bishop's male choir "Axios" sang during the service. During the reading of the canon, the archpastor anointed the parishioners with consecrated oil. The parishioners reverently venerated the holy relics of Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga. Equal to the Apostles Olga was the first ruler in Rus' to be baptized. This personal choice of hers largely influenced the course of history and prepared Rus' for Baptism, which was performed by her grandson, Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, in 988. The cleric of the cathedral, Hieromonk Artemy (Stupnikov), recalled in his sermon that the holy chronicler Nestor called Grand Duchess Olga “the predawn dawn” that preceded the sun. “While still a pagan, Saint Olga communicated with Christians, decided to accept Holy Baptism, for which she visited Constantinople, where Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus himself became her recipient from the font, and Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople baptized her and announced to her: “Blessed...