THE ROUTE AND THE CALENDAR OF THE PROCESSION
July, 8 (Tuesday). The Procession starts from Voronezh Annunciation Cathedral on the day of the HOLY NOBLEBORN PETER AND FEBRONIA, WONDERWORKERS of Murom (1228), which is celebrated in our country as the Day of family, love and faithfulness. The Orthodox Church also commemorates the blessed end (1931) of the monk Nikon of Optina who suffered from atheists. He was the Confessor, a close disciple of the elder of Optina Barsanuphius.
July, 9 (Wednesday). The Procession leaves the Church of Theotokos of Kazan in Novaya Usman on the day of the celebration of Theotokos of Tikhvin (1383), which is considered to be painted by St. Luke the Evangelist and glorified by innumerable miracles.
It is also the feast-day of the icon of Theotokos of Neamt, which was given to the Moldavian ruler Alexander the Governor by the Greek Emperor Andronicus Paleologos as a gift in 1399. The icon was set and became famous in the Voznesenski Monastery of Neamt where many ascetics of the Russian Church, headed by the great elder schema-Archimandrite Paisius Velichkovsky. The monk Paisius bore numerous patristic testimonies of veneration of the mental prayer: «Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me», which is both a prayer and a confession of Faith. «A mental prayer is for advanced learners, while ordinary hymns are for intermediate learners, obedience, and labor are for beginners», said the elder. His translations of patristic writings from Greek into Russian were read everywhere. Just like St. Sergius, the monk Paisius revived the school of eldership in Russia, which bore fruit at Glinskaya and Optina and other monasteries of the Russian Church throughout the 19th century and later.
July, 10 (Thursday). The Procession moves from the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Rykan. This day we commemorate the uncovering of the relics of the venerable Ambrose of Optina (1998), Evgeniy Poselyanin described him as follows, «I was amazed by the Holiness and unfathomable abyss of love he had. Looking at him, I began to understand that the value of the elders is to bless and to approve of life and joy that God sends us to teach us to live happily and to help us cope with all troubles and misery we have to face».
July, 11 (Friday). The procession starts from Rozhdestvenskaya Khava from the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos on the day of commemoration of St. Sergius and Herman of Valaam. The fraternity they founded in the 14th century on the Valaam Island was the light of Orthodoxy in this region. Karelians began to trust Christianity again, the reputation of which was exploded by the Swedes that spread Catholicism in the 13th century.
Jul, 12 (Saturday). The Procession moves from Nizhnyaya Katukhovka from the Church of the Protection of the Theotokos on the day of the HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL (67). In their Messages they talk about the Faith of Christ, call to struggle against temptations sent to purify us, reveal the Divine Wisdom shown to the man by the Savior.
It is also the feast-day of the icon of the Theotokos of Kasperov, which protected Odessa from invading the city of the enemy troops during the Crimean war of 1853-1855 with Turkey.
July, 13 (Sunday). The Procession moves from the Kazan Church in Panino on the feast-day of the Synaxis of the Glorious and All-laudable twelve Apostles.
Jul, 14 (Monday). The Procession leaves Pervaya Mikhailovka from the Church of Andrew «the Fool-in-Christ», on the day of commemoration of the Holy martyrs, Wonderworkers and unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian (284). Brothers the faith-healers fearlessly confessed their Faith in Christ in front of the Roman Emperor and the court. Explaining the success of their healing art and their unwillingness to get money from the sick, they declared: "We heal diseases by the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and we do not take any payment from the sick because Lord told His disciples: «freely ye have received, freely give» [Matt. 10, 8].
July, 15 (Tuesday). The Procession leaves Anna from the Cathedral of Nativity on the day of the Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, which is also the feast of the canonical Foundation of the Russian Orthodox Metropolia in Kyiv. The blessing of the Mother of God and the miracle of Her Holy Robe saved Tsargrad from the most terrible siege in its history and released Russians from the darkness of pagan superstitions for eternal life. In 860, Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conduct an agreement of «love and peace». According to the terms of the Peace Treaty Kievan Rus' was to be Christianized, Byzantium was to pay annual tribute to the Russians, Russians were allowed to join the Byzantine army, trade on the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople) and send diplomatic missions to Byzantium.
July, 16 (Wednesday). The Procession moves from the Church of St. Nicholas in Nikolskoe to the final part of the way on the day of the translation of the relics of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and the Wonderworker of all Russia. It took place in 1652. After the meeting with the Patriarch Joseph and all Consecrated Cathedral, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovitch ordered to transfer the incorruptible relics of the saint from the Solovetsky monastery to Moscow. A delegation of churchmen and laity was headed by Nikon, the Metropolitan of Novgorod (later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia). At the Liturgy in the Church, where the relics of the Saint rested, Archbishop Nikon announced the letter of the king, in which Alexei begged the Holy Martyr to take the blame off his great-grandfather Ivan the Terrible «For his sake I bow down my kingship for one sinner. Absolve his sins by your coming».
It is in the evening that the Procession passes the icon of Sergius of Radonezh to the Monastery of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
July, 17 (Thursday). The members of The Procession spend this day in the monastery of St. Seraphim of Sarov. It is the Commemoration Day of St. Regal Martyrs Of Russia. There is a service held in the church consecrated in their name. This day we also commemorate St. Andrew, Archbishop of Crete (712-726) – a Byzantine hymnography, author of the Great Canon of Repentance, and of the St. Andrew Rublev. The iconographic original of Stroganov says: «St. Andrew of Radonezh, icon painter, nicknamed Rublev, painted many holy icons, all of which are miracle-working». We also commemorate St. Nobleborn Prince Andrei Bogoliubsky – the Great Prince, the participant of military campaigns of his father Yuri Dolgoruky, who combined military valor and care about the improvement of the Russian Land with peacekeeping and prayer gift and great humility.
July, 18 (Friday). THE UNCOVERING OF THE RELICS OF ST. SERGIUS OF RADONEZH (1422) is celebrated in The Monastery of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
Thou didst receive Christ in thy soul from thy youth, O Saint, /and above all didst desire to be quit of the turmoil of the world. / Thou didst courageously settle in the wilds, / and there thou didst raise children of obedience, fruits of humility. / Thus as an abode of the Trinity, thou didst enlighten with thy miracles all who came to thee with faith, / and didst grant healing abundantly to all. // O our Father Sergius, pray to Christ our God that He save our souls [Troparia, Tone 8].
It is also a day of memory of the Holy martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara, who were thrown alive into the mine in the Siberian city of Alapaevsk in 1918. Today their relics rest in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene at the foot of the Mount of the Olives.
St. Athanasius the Athonite (1000) is also commemorated this day. Thanks to his work, the monastery was established on the Holy mount Athos and the monks offer up thanksgiving prayers to the icon of the Virgin Mary and the Guardian of Athos — the Theotokos of «Economissa».