Today on August 23 in Simferopol the celebration for the glorification of St Gury (Karpov), Archbishop of Tauris was held.
The grand celebration for the glorification of St Gury (Karpov) Archbishop of Tauris was headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine.
The grand celebration for the glorification of St Gury in Simferopol was attended by delegations of clergymen from a number of eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church led by their ruling bishops, all the clergy of the Simferopol and Crimean eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and thousands of believers.
The celebration started on August 22 with the all-night vigil at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Simferopol near the shrine with the Archbishop's relics.
On August 23 at the Cathedral His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine served the Divine Liturgy concelebrated with Metropolitan Lazarus of Simferopol and Crimea, Metropolitan Iriney of Dnipropetrovsk and Pavlohrad, Archbishop Pavel of Vyshhorod, Archbishop Luka of Konotop and Hlukhiv, Archbishop Sofroniy of Cherkasy and Kaniv, Archbishop Yefrem of Kryvoriz and Nikopol, Archbishop Ioann of Kherson and Tavria, Archbishop Ionafan of Tulchyn and Bratslav, Bishop Ioasaf of Novokahovsk and Berislavsk, Bishop Alexander of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Bishop Meletiy of Khotyn.
The last prayers for the repose of Archbishop Gury of Tauris were offered up. Then they proclaimed the resolution of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on glorification of Gury (Karpov) Archbishop of Tauris as a locally venerated saint and fixed his commemoration on March 17/30. They also spoke about the life of the newly glorified Saint Gury. The icon of St Gury of Tauris was carried out from the Holy Altar and put near the shrine with his relics.
The Primate, the archpastors of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and other clergymen venerated the relics and the icon of St Gury.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir addressed the people with a sermon about the essence of the holy life in Christ.
After the Divine Liturgy for the first time the Akathist service to the St Gury was held.
Then the pious started venerating the holy relics of this new holy God-pleaser, who shone forth in Orthodox Tauris land. It is the second time in more than a thousand years when the Crimean land gave us relics of a Great God-pleaser - St Gury Archbishop of Tauris. These days thousands of people in Simferopol became the witnesses of the great triumph of Orthodox faith.
In 1930 the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the capital of Crimea, where the bishop's cathedra of St Gury (Karpov) Archbishop of Tauris was located was bombed. May God bless the efforts of the Crimean authorities, the ruling hierarch and those who made efforts to restore this cathedral.
At the end of the solemn glorification of Holy Archbishop Gury, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine and all the attendees, ruling bishops of eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the representatives of the Ukrainian clergymen accompanied by the Crimean leaders visited the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is being reconstructed in the center of Simferopol, not far from the Verkhovna Rada building of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
We would remind you that the resolution on the glorification of St Archbishop Gury as a locally venerated saint was passed by the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on May 18, 2008.
The Finding of the Venerable Relics of glorified St Gury (Karpov) Archbishop of Tauris and the solemn translation of his relics (anakomide) from everlasting rest to the church took place in Simferopol in the beginning of July.
Our Holy and glorious Hierarch, O Father Gury, the glory of the town of Simferopol and the Crimean land!
Abiding in vigils and fasting, thou, married thy soul to the Heavenly Bridegroom and hast been made an abode of the Holy Trinity and now stand facing Him together with the angels.
Following St. Innocent of Irkutsk, thou didst bring new people to Christ and to the church of God among the pagan darkness in the land of the Hins, which thou hast strengthened in the East.
Afterwards in the blessed land of Tauris, thou workest hard at building up churches and monasteries, giving a wise example of charity, gentleness and love to all.
O Holy Gury, lookest thou upon us thy children from the All Holy and Venerable Throne of the Trinity, before which thou dost boldly intercede for thy flock. See our infirmity, cure our distressed souls and ease the weight of our sins, accept thou our prayer that goeth forth from warm-hearted love offered to thee.
Grant unto us thy children, in the fatherland and in the diaspora, who offereth unto thee this prayer, that we may worthily labor on earth and maintain an unshakable Orthodox faith in our heart unto the last day. And at the fearsome judgment seat of Christ, stand on the right hand of the righteous judge and pray unceasingly for the salvation of our souls. Amen.
Troparion, Tone 3
O holy Father Gury with the Spirit of God hast thou enlightened the land of China by the light of the Gospel, thou hast conquered heresy and dissidence in the land of Tauris, to spread there the Words of Christ, so pray thou unto Christ for us who venerate thy healing relics, to grant us wisdom and the grace of God unto our souls.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Our godly wise mentor of meekness and humility, a glorious proponent of mercy and the non-possessing, who dost enlighten thy faithful people with the light of the teachings of Christ, O Holy Father Gury, leave us not who honor thy memory.