On June 30, a great festivity took place in the village of Shuvoye – a Cross procession with the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Shuvoisko-Gubinskaya. This is a significant annual event, not only for the local Old-believers but for all the Old-believers in the Guslitsy area, near Moscow.
This year, the festivity was particularly special, given that an archiepiscopal liturgy was served, which is not often prayed in these parts. The church service was led by bishop Evmeniy (Mikheev) of Kishinev and all Moldavia, who is a native of the church in Shuvoe. Also serving with bishop were father Maksim Andreev (the rector of the church), archpriest Nikola Kosyrev (from Gomel, Belarus), archpriest Alexey Mikheev (from Ustyanovo), father Mikhail Rozhkov (from Kolomna), father Andrei Andreev (from Rzhev) and protodeacon Andrei Morzhakov (from Egorevsk). During the reading of the Hours, three ordinations were completed in the church of the Holy Trinity. Bishop Evmeniy ordained Nikola Kokorin to the rank of a reader and put up Peter Kokorin and Rustik Ismonov to the rank of candle-bearers.
Many were able to experience the miracle of God’s providence, when on the eve of the procession, it rained for several days and was cold, and then on Sunday, the sky was flooded with sun from the very early morning. But there was no sweltering heat, therefore, with God’s help, everyone, even the youngest representatives of the procession, reached the end point of the route.
The participants started the Cross procession from the church with the first irmos of the service of the consecration of water and walked through the entire village to the forest where there used to be monasteries. Now in the forest, there is a forest glade surrounded by tall pine trees, grass overgrown with fragrant wild strawberries and a memorial cross is installed in memory of the Old-believers ascetics.
The religious procession in the village of Shuvoe is held annually. It was on this day, June 30, in the second half of the 19th century that the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was brought here, with a procession including all the neighboring settlements of Old-believers. Residents remembered this day and to this day, it is celebrated every year, paying tribute to the Virgin, who saved the inhabitants from the pestilence. Later, replicas of the icon were done, one of which is located in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the village of Shuvoe. It is namely this icon that they call Shuvoisko-Gubinskaya.
This year was the eighth cross procession in Shuvoye. During this time, many renovations have been made to the church, the church community has grown and there are now more children and youth. We hope that this pious, annual tradition continues and that one day, our own children participate in the Cross procession.
Reader John Kosyrev and Barbara Mikheeva
