On July 4, a newly built Old-Rite church was consecrated in the town of Krasnokamenka in Crimea. In this picturesque place, on the coast of the Black Sea, near camp “Artek”, is located the center of the Old-believer youth pilgrimage. The new church, as with the rest of the buildings of the complex, was built under the patronage of Roman Stubblebine and his family. On July 12th, the church celebrated its first feast day – it was consecrated in the name of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul.
Visiting clergy on the day of the consecration included archpriest Vasiliy Kadochnikov (Egorevsk), father John Sevastyanov (Rostov-on-Don), father Leonid Volkov (Harkov), father Dimitri Martyshin (Samara), father Vasiliy Andronikov (Moscow) and protodeacon Victor Savelyev (Moscow). The church service was led by the head of the Old-Rite Church, His Eminence mitropolitan Korniliy. The service also included the ordainment of a candle-bearer.
“Another island of holiness has appeared in the world, where people will come to save their souls, through confession, through repentance, as they approach the Kingdom of Heaven,” mitropolitan Korniliy noted in his sermon.
Mitropolitan Korniliy expressed his gratitude to the trustees of the newly built church – the family of Roman Stubblebine and Denis Sevastyanov – and presented them with personally signed books.
“Let us invite friends here and invite here those who do not yet know the true faith, do not know the true Church. With the hope of enlightening them, this church was erected,” noted Roman Stubblebine.
Mitropolitan Korniliy arrived in Crimea before the church’s consecration on July 1, when he prayed a service for the icon of the Virgin of Bogolyubsky in Simferopol.
