Alexander Subbotin congratulated Archbishop Dmitry of Vitebsk and Orsha on his 70th birthday
His Eminence was concelebrated by: Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha, Archbishop Sofroniy of Mogilev and Mstislavl, Archbishop Stefan of Gomel and Zhlobin, Bishop Sergey of Velikie Luki and Nevel, Bishop Serafim of Bobruisk and Bykhov, Bishop Leonid of Turov and Mozyr, Bishop Ignatiy of Polotsk and Glubokoye; Bishop Amvrosiy of Svetlogorsk, vicar of the Gomel Diocese; Bishop Evseviy of Drutsk, vicar of the Vitebsk Diocese, and Bishop Georgy of Pinsk and Luninets.
The archpastors were concelebrated by: Secretary of the Vitebsk Diocesan Administration Archpriest Vladimir Rezanovich, Secretary of the Minsk Diocese Archpriest Andrey Volkov, Dean of the Holy Assumption Cathedral Archpriest Mikhail Martynovich, First Vice-Rector of the Vitebsk Theological Seminary Archpriest Konstantin Izofatov, and the clergy of the Vitebsk Diocese.
The diaconal service was led by Protodeacon Vladimir Nazarov.
The liturgical chants were performed by: the choir of the Holy Assumption Cathedral under the direction of Raisa Bulavko and the choir of the Vitebsk Theological Seminary under the direction of 5th-year student Nikita Deyneka.
After the augmented litany, the Patriarchal Exarch offered a prayer for the restoration of peace.
A sermon on the post-communion verse was delivered by the Director of the Vitebsk Women's Theological School, Archpriest Alexander Lesovoy.
At the conclusion of the service, a glorification was performed, after which the archpastors, clergy, and laity congratulated Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha on his 70th birthday.
Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavye, in recognition of diligent labors for the glory of the Holy Church of Christ and on the occasion of a significant date, awarded Archbishop Dimitry the Order of Saint Sophia, Princess of Slutsk, and also presented the ruling bishop of the Vitebsk Diocese with an Archbishop's Staff.
Then, the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Mikhailovich Subbotin, addressed Archbishop Dimitry with congratulations.
To congratulate the bishop at the Cathedral of the city of Vitebsk also came: Assistant to the President of the Republic of Belarus, Inspector for the Vitebsk Region Anatoly Konstantinovich Linevich, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Vyacheslav Viktorovich Durnov, Chairman of the Committee for State Control of the Vitebsk Region Vladimir Vladimirovich Godyatsky, Head of the Vitebsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus Sergey Nikolaevich Meshkin, Head of the Department of Culture of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Petr Nikolaevich Podgursky, Chief Specialist of the Office of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Sergey Nikolaevich Fadeenkov, Head of the Main Department of Ideological Work and Youth Affairs of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Marina Vladimirovna Novitskaya, Head of the Department for Public Relations and Media Interaction of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Anatoly Nikolaevich Gutsulyak, Head of the Main Department for Education of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Dmitry Leonidovich Khoma, Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee Nikolay Valerievich Orlov, Chairman of the Vitebsk City Council of Deputies Vladimir Iosifovich Beleevich, Rector of the Educational Institution "Vitebsk State University named after P.M. Masherov" Valentina Vasilievna Bogatyreva, and Chairman of the Council of the Public Association "Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan" Valery Vladimirovich Gaydukevich.
On behalf of the clergy, monastics, and laity of the Vitebsk Diocese, Archbishop Dimitry was congratulated by Archpriest Vladimir Rezanovich. The Secretary of the Vitebsk Diocesan Administration presented the bishop with an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Orshanskaya" as a gift.
At the conclusion of the service, Archbishop Dimitry thanked those gathered for their joint prayer and congratulations, and also bestowed his archpastoral blessing upon everyone.
"Vitebsk Diocese"