Starting June 18th regular Sunday Divine Services have been restored in Shanghai, PRC. The services are conducted by Fr. Aleksiy Kiselevich of the Moscow Patriarchate in space provided by the Russian Consulate. Employees of Russian establishments in China attend the services.
The Cathedral of Our Lady the Surety of Sinners in Shanghai, now empty
Today, the day on which St. John of Shanghai (Maximovich) is celebrated, a Matins, Divine Liturgy and Prayer Service for the Blessing of Water were held. St. John lived and worked in Shanghai from 1935 to 1949. During that period the construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady the Surety of Sinners[1] was completed. Unfortunately services still cannot be held in the cathedral because the legal status of the Orthodox Church in China remains undecided.
The 2nd of July marks the day on which Archbishop John (Maximovich) was canonized in 1994, at a cathedral of the Russian Church Abroad.
[1] Translator's Note: The name is based on a mid-19th century icon which was involved in several miraculous reliefs from epidemics. Sporuchnitsa is not a common word, which literally means Helping Hand, but Surety sounds more dignified (though if the truth be told, Spodruchnitsa is a little odd sounding in Russian, closer to 'handy in a tight spot' than 'helping hand').