☦ Today Thursday, September 10 / August 28 (old style) 🍽 Fast-free day Gregorian calendar ⇄

← News feed Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)

The assistant to the dean of the Voskresensky district of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese bade farewell to the military personnel of the Russian Guardtranslated

July 2, 2026 · 1 min read

The assistant to the dean of the Voskresensky district of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese bade farewell to the servicemen of the Russian Guard nne.ru

Source: GN: Diocese of Nizhny Novgorod · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (21) 🌐 Show original

James Campbell

I remember reading about the Voskresensky district in Nizhny Novgorod—does the assistant bring Holy Communion to the troops during these visits, like they do for our local military base in Ottawa?

Ελένη Νικολαΐδου

That's right, the name "Voskresensky" is from the Church of the Resurrection in Russia, as is the Church of the Resurrection in Nicosia. What is the local church where they meet the soldiers?

Irina Dumitrescu

In our village, in Călăraşi, the priest from the Church of Saint George visits the police station twice a year, brings celebratory bread and water and asks how things are going. In this place in Nizhnii Novgorod, it's good that they also get to support the guards.

Γιώργος Λαμπρόπουλος

In Volos we call it Church of the Resurrection, not Voskresenski. The church in Nicosia is different, that of the Resurrection in Patras is ours. Who made the observation?

Irene Wilson

We don't bring Communion to the base like that here—Father Mark visits the veterans' home on the outskirts of Ottawa instead, and sometimes brings it to hospital patients. Do you know if St. Luke's Military Base ever has those visits?

Gregory Mitchell

We don't do big send-off blessings at the base here either. Father Mark mostly handles the VA hospital and that small veterans' home like you said. Have you ever asked if any of the OCA chaplains rotate through St. Luke's?

Nicholas Parker

We don't have big base send-offs here in Sydney either. Our priest mainly visits the veterans' hostel in Randwick and a couple of the repatriation hospitals. Has anyone at St. Luke's ever tried reaching out to the local OCA or ROCOR chaplain directly to see if they'd come round?

Matthew Young

No, from what I’ve read the assistant usually just gives a talk and a blessing before they ship out. I don’t think they bring Communion on those particular visits. Have you seen any reports from the Nizhny Novgorod side that say otherwise?

David Scott

No, I haven't asked about the OCA guys at St. Luke's yet. Might be worth checking who rotates through there, especially since Father Mark's already tied up with the VA and that veterans' home. Good point, Gregory.

Basil Adams

I think you're right about the usual pattern—just the talk and blessing. The article itself only mentions the naputstvovanie, no word about Communion being brought along. Have you come across any photos from the Nizhny unit that might show otherwise?

Πέτρος Λαμπρόπουλος

You are right George, we in Limassol and Patras know it as the Church of the Resurrection. "Voskrechensky" is simply the Russian rendering of "Resurrection". Who exactly made the observation in the article?

Michael Carter

No, I haven't asked about rotations at St. Luke's. Our parish choir visits the veterans' home a couple times a year, and the guys there always mention how much it means to see a familiar face from OCA. Might be worth floating the idea to Father Mark next time he's free.

Xenia Davis

Our choir does the same at the VA home on Kedzie — the veterans light up when they spot someone they recognize from liturgy. I’ll mention the rotation idea to Father Mark after this Sunday’s rehearsal; he usually grabs coffee with us then.

Hannah Adams

That's a sensible next step. I know a couple of the OCA priests who cover St. Luke's rotate every few months, so it might help to pin down the current schedule before the next visit. Have you got Father Mark's email handy?

David Hall

I think you're spot on, Matthew. The piece only talks about the naputstvovanie and a blessing, nothing about the Eucharist. Did the Rosgvardia lads usually line up for confession at these send-offs, or is that more of a one-off thing?

Stephen King

We don't do big send-off blessings at our base here in Chicago either. Our priest from St. Basil's just goes to the VA hospital on the north side and sometimes brings Communion to a couple of the older vets at the nursing home on Irving Park. Have you folks at St. Luke's tried asking the OCA diocese if they could set up a regular visit schedule?

Thomas Johnson

Our priest at St. Luke’s does visit the local care home once a month, but it’s mostly for the elderly parishioners. Never thought of asking the OCA diocese to set up something regular for the VA lads – that’s a good idea, Stephen. Might mention it at the next parish council.

Xenia Phillips

I think checking the rotation schedule is a good idea, Hannah. Father Mark’s email is frmark@stlukesoca.org — he usually replies within a day or two. Have you been to the parish on a Sunday when he’s not there?

Ruth Wilson

Yes, that rotation makes planning tricky. I emailed Father Mark last month about the same thing and he sent the next three months’ schedule right away. Do you know which priest is usually there in August?

Sophia Turner

Our priest at St. Luke’s tried something similar last year with the VA clinic downtown, but the scheduling kept falling through because of the deacon’s surgery recovery. I’ll bring up the diocese idea at coffee hour this Sunday though—might work better if we loop in a couple of the retired military guys from the parish first. Have you seen any improvement at the Irving Park nursing home since your priest started those visits?

Gregory Morris

Yeah, that rotation does throw things off sometimes. I think Father Alexei usually covers August there, but schedules can shift. Did Father Mark mention anything about the fall one when he sent you the list?