On July 21, 2024, in the Week of the 4th Pentecost, the Feast of the Apparition of the Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God in the City of Kazan (1579), a Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Patriarchal Cathedral in honor of the Resurrection of Christ — the main church of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The Divine Liturgy was led by Archpriest Alexander Soldatenkov, the cathedral's clergyman, accompanied by the deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies archimandrite Alexei (Ganzhin), clerics of the cathedral and military clergy.
Archimandrite Alexei (Ganzhin).
The same day marked the 15th anniversary of the restoration of the institute of military clergy in Russia.
After the Liturgy, a thanksgiving service was held.
Afterwards, Oleg Veselkov, deputy head of the Main Military and Political Department of the Russian Armed Forces — head of the Department for Cooperation with Religious Associations, presented medals «For Faith and Service to the Fatherland» to clergymen and employees of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The awards were given for merits shown in the cause of spiritual and moral and military-patriotic education.
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Spiritual mentoring in the army and navy — important a factor in the patriotic and spiritual and moral education of servicemen, in strengthening their combat cooperation, and in enhancing the defense capability of our country. Faithful to their duty, military priests are always with the troops, support servicemen in the zone of special military operations, in the performance of combat training tasks and in difficult life situations, educate them in the sense of patriotism, respect for comrades and military traditions, and form readiness to defend the Fatherland.
Pobeda.ru/Patriarchy.ru
