On January 6, 2018, on Christmas Eve, the Head of the Don Metropolis, Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk, Mercury, led the Divine Liturgy in the Army Cathedral of Christ’s Resurrection.

His Eminence was co-served by the Head of the Department for Relations between the Church and Society of the Rostov-on-Don Diocese, the rector of the Resurrection Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Voloschuk, the Chairman of the Saints Canonization Commission of the Don Metropolis, Archpriest Aleksiy Lysikov, the Head of the Protocol of the Don Metropolis, Priest Vladimir Osyak, acting the vicar of the Holy Don Starocherkassk Efremov Monastery, hieromonk Sergius (Kolomits), the senior priest of the restored Preobrazhensky (Ratnensky) church of Starocherkassk priest Igor Milyaev, the clergy of the cathedral.

Representatives of the Cossacks together with the ataman of the Aksai district, Sergei Markov, parishioners and pilgrims prayed together with the clergy.

The chants of the Liturgy were performed by the male choir of the Resurrection Cathedral.

During the divine service, the Head of the Don Metropolis ordained deacon Panteleimon Sheremetyev to presbyter. After the augmented litany of Divine Liturgy, His Eminence Vladyka offered a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

The sermon before Communion was delivered by the clergyman of the cathedral priest Alexander Oreshin.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan was greeted by the senior priest of the Resurrection Cathedral, Valery Voloschuk. The priest, on behalf of the clergy and parishioners, thanked His Eminence for joint prayer in the oldest church of the Don Metropolis and the South of Russia and wished the strength and God’s help in archpastoral service.

The Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk, Mercury addressed to all participants of the service with the preach, wished to preserve the peace of the heart in these holy days and, in particular, said:

“This peace is special – only the Lord can give it. Only in this silence, this tranquility, a man can hear the voice of God. When there is a storm in the heart, anger, of course, it is occupied … And this Bethlehem cave, about which Father John Krestyankin spoke so well, is not ready for the God-Infant Lord Jesus Christ to dwell in it. The devil does not sleep and does everything in order to destroy the peace in the human heart, so that the God-child Christ, whom we are preparing to accept, does not find shelter in our hearts. Therefore, these days I appeal to all of you: try to keep the heart of peace in every possible way so that on this holy night the baby and Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, will be born in our heart. ”