On Saturday, June 13, the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, the largest and most important monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church, reopened to pilgrims and parishioners after a long quarantine period due to the coronavirus pandemic. The message on the monastery’s website states: "We are very happy to inform you about the opening of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra for worshippers, which is scheduled for June 13, the Saturday before the Week of All Saints, at 6:00 AM. We hope that the difficult period of sorrows and trials for the brethren is coming to an end, and the monastery is gradually beginning to return to its usual way of life. We thank the Lord for His special visitation, which allows us to appreciate the joy of joint prayer in a new way." The use of personal protective equipment and the observance of social distancing is still required. “We sincerely hope for your understanding and look forward to seeing you at the Monastery of St. Sergius,” the message reads.

The abbot of the monastery, His Grace Bishop Paramon of Sergiev Posad, also issued a video message on the occasion of the Lavra’s reopening, emphasizing the great grief experienced by the Lavra brotherhood at having to close its gates to visitors. “But even after the removal of the main restrictions on visiting monasteries and churches, I would like to urge all of you not to take this lightly, to observe the precautions from the sanitary authorities ... in order to preserve the lives of all those around us and who are dear to us. Therefore, be attentive to each other, treat those around you with great love and care. These are the very first Christian virtues that we should show—love and care for each other,” His Grace emphasized.

A number of brothers of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra reposed in the Lord during the time of quarantine. The quarantine regime was also lifted from the Diveyevo Convent last week. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 16. Juni 2020)