Spiritual Support of Convicts

Last year Sergey Nesterov, the churchwarden of the orthodox community of the Seeking of the Lost Mother of God’s icon church attached to penal colony #13 addressed to the St Nickolas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation asking to send them orthodox literature and audio records.

The Church of St Nicholas in Bari was given to the Russian Orthodox Church

Bari, Italy • January, 23, 2012

In the Russian St Nicholas Church in Bari the architectural complex of the Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker which for many years had been shared with one of the local administration’s departments, was officially finally transferred to the possession of the Russian Orthodox Church in the end of this January.

The 400th anniversary of Saint Sophia of Slutsk passing away

Minsk, Belarus • March, 30 – April, 1, 2012

In 2012 the Belarusian Orthodox Church celebrates the 400th anniversary of St Sophia of Slutsk passing away. This event has a high cultural, historical and spiritual significance. St Sophia of Slutsk is the patroness of the Orthodoxy in Belarus. The people venerate her as a protectress of expectant mothers, babies and orphans. Numerous believers came pay homage to the Saint’s relics which are held in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk.

The Russian Chamber Orchestra Jubilee

January 26th, 2012 • the city of Kursk

On January 26th, in the Assembly Hall of the Kursk State University, the celebratory performance dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Russian Chamber Orchestra was held.

Congratulations to Bishop Maximus on the tenth anniversary of his chirotony

Barnaul • January, 20, 2012

January, 20, 2012 Eminent Maxim, Bishop of Barnaul and the Altai Krai celebrated the 10th anniversary of his consecration as a bishop.

The Mitch Big Band of Yeisk City

The Mitch Big Band group was created on May 31, 2009 at the Yeisk City Center of National Culture, a Municipal cultural institution. During this period the group has turned out a large program. The repertoire of the orchestra has more than sixty works, it is first of all jazz classic, but significant part of the repertoire consists of works of the famous Melody band the founder and head of which was the mentor of Russian jazz G.A.Garanyan.

Christmas Liturgy in the church of the Patriarch’s residence of the Russian Orthodox Church in the city of Bari

Bari, Italy • January, 7, 2012

Many believers gathered for the Divine Christmas Liturgy in the Russian church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in the city of Bari. The liturgy was conducted by the dean of the church archpriest Andrey Boytsov. A lot of orthodox believers came from other Italian cities (Naples, Rome and others) to participate in the solemn ceremony.

Helping the orphan children

Pskov • December 17th, 2011

On December 17th, 2011, in the city of Pskov, the Foundation held its annual action of help to the orphan children, whose parents perished in the performance of soldier’s duty. Many military units of the Pskov Oblast took part in combat activities in the hotspots, where they suffered considerable losses. Caring for children of the soldiers who have fallen for the Motherland in the times of peace is a most important task of the Orthodox charity.

Avtograph Children’s Creativity Centre

the town of Nerekhta • December 16, 2011

Source: RIA Novosti

Russian Opera Singers Took Part In Divine Service In Thailand

Pattaya, Thailand • January 7, 2012

Russian opera singers performed as choristers during the Christmas service at the Orthodox Church of All Saints in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, RIA Novosti reports.

International prize-winners and Russkaya Opera Theatre soloists Nadezhda Nivinskaya and Alina Shakirova, Russian Bolshoi Theatre soloists Sergey Moskalkov and Yury Baranov, Russkaya Opera soloists Lyudmila Vorobyova and Yekaterina Kalagina as well as Japanese pianist Sidzuka Toritani were among those who had come to Thailand to participate in the holiday Christmas liturgy.

That was the 2nd time the same cast arrived in Thailand. Last year, they came to Pattaya to sing in the Easter service at the same church and gave a charity concert at the 5-star Royal Cliff Hotel.


“The most difficult about being a church choir singer is to learn Church Slavonic texts,” said Toritani to RIA Novosti in perfect Russian. The 27-year-old Japanese had her postgraduate studies at Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatoire and is currently working as an official Russkaya Opera theatre concertmaster.

The trip to Thailand wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation that is the founder of the Russkaya Opera Theatre, said theatre general director and soloist Nadezhda Nivinskaya.

Father Superior of the St. Nicholas Church in Bangkok and representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Thailand Archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin) addressed the congregation of the Church of All Saints after the Christmas service was over.
He wished them a merry Christmas and spoke about the assistance the Russian Orthodox church in Thailand rendered to the victims of the Thailand’s worst flood in 50 years that hit the country in July-November last year. The Orthodox community raised a donation of 1,200,000 roubles for that purpose. The Archimandrite also called upon the believers to donate money to buy a piece of land for a new Orthodox church in Bangkok.

The Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Thailand was established in 1999. Since then the monastery in the province of Ratchaburi as well as the churches in Pattaya and Phuket have been erected thanks to Archimandrite Oleg’s tireless efforts. The Church in Phuket with the height of more than 25 metres that was opened in December 2011 is the largest Orthodox church in Thailand. There are plans to erect a church on the island of Ko Samui and a second church in the beach resort of Pattaya.

The Saint Nicholas The Wonderworker Charitable Foundation Congratulates Metropolitan Varnava On His 35th Anniversary As Hierarch

Cheboksary, the Chuvash Republic, December 1, 2011

Head of the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation regional department Nikolay Igorevich Goryachkin congratulated December 1, 2011 Metropolitan Varnava of Cheboksary and Chuvashia on his 35th Anniversary as hierarch that had been marked November 30.

GIFT FOR THE CATHEDRAL

The Dormition Cathedral reopening ceremony

Omsk • July 15, 2007

Orthodox missionary work

Maykop and Adygea Eparchy
November, 2011

With the blessing of the Right Reverend Bishop Tikhon of Maykop and Adygea, the reliquary with a particle of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker’s relics was brought to Maykop and Adygea Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Awarding ceremony of the doctors in the Russia’s Ministry of the Interior Chief Clinical Hospital

Moscow • November, 10, 2011

On November, 10, the Day of the Russia’s Ministry of the Interior officers, the delegation of the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation together with actors of the Russkaya Opera Theatre visited the Rassia’s Ministry of the Interior Chief Clinical Hospital that hosted the ceremony of conferring the Foundation medals and orders upon the hospital doctors for outstanding charity service.

Consecration of the Hospital Church – Photo exhibition

Yeysk • October, 23, 2011

On October, 23, a new orthodox church, built on the territory of the Yeysk Central District Hospital, was consecrated. Its construction was financed by the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation. The church was built in honour of great Orthodox zealot St Luka Voino-Yasenetsky, who besides his ministry and devotion to the Orthodox Church, was a distinguished surgeon and scholar, known all over the world. The church built in his honour and his small monument set up near the church symbolize fundamentals of mercy and deliverance from sufferings of body and spirit, which are to guide medicine in its service to people.

The Reliquary Pilgrimage Charter

The Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation is implementing the missionary program of transporting the reliquary with a particle of St. Nicholas’s relics throughout Russia’s regions.

Anniversary of Establishing the Pavlovsky District

October 1st, 2011 • Pavlovskaya village • Krasnodar Krai

On October 1st, 2011, the Pavlovsky District in the Krasnodar Krai celebrated the 87th anniversary of its establishing and the 189th anniversary of founding the stanitsa of Pavlovskaya.

The RUSSIAN OPERA Theatre

The Askold’s Grave Stage Opera

The RUSSIAN OPERA Theatre is busy with a new project of restoring the Askold’s Grave romantic opera by Alexey Verstovsky, that is to be opened at the stage of the Maly National Academic Theatre in April 2012.

Anniversary Celebration Concerts • Yeysk

July, 29 and 30, 2011

On July, 29 and 30, 2011, Yeisk city hosted anniversary celebration concert dedicated to the fifth anniversary since Mikhail I. Chepel, General Manager of the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation was awarded with Honourable citizen of Yeysk and Honourable citizen of Yeysk district titles.

Orthodox Programs in the South of Russia

The Life-Givting Trinity Chapel • Aleksandrovka township

Church in Honour of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Grower of Crops" • Vorontsovka village

Since 2004, the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation has been fulfilling its activity in the south of Russia, in towns and stanitsas of Krasnodar Krai.

Programs of the Foundation, such as construction, re-construction and equipping of churches, installation of monuments to orthodox saints and remarkable people, publication of an orthodox newspaper, rendering financial support to educational institutions, organization of photo exhibitions, concerts of classic and pop music, chess master classes, etc., were carried out in Yeysk, Krasnodar, and Novorossiysk cities, Starominskaya, Nikolayevka, Pavlovskaya, Umanskaya, Uspenskaya, Shkurinskaya, Yekaterinovka, Oktyabrskaya villages and other settlements.

Missionary cruise down the North Seaway

August, 28, – September ,16

On August, 28, 2011 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Bishop Daniil of Archangelsk and Kholmogory, Bishop Tikhon of Yuzhno-Sakhlinsk and Kuril a new missionary campaign began with assistance of the FSS Boarder Service, the Geography Institute of Russian Academy of Science and the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation.

Iconostasis Installation in the newly built Archangel Michael Cathedral

Arkhangelsk • September, 20, 2011

In September of 2011 the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation started works on installation of iconostasis in the Archangel Michael Cathedral which is currently under construction. The project is carried out with the blessing of Bishop Daniil of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory within programs of the Foundation aimed at helping the Russian Orthodox Church.

Phantom of the Opera

is making progress

Sergey Moskalkov, a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre, a soloist and art manager of the Russkaya Opera Theatre, expresses his view of the project participants’ singing.

The project is quite unusual for our TV: pop stars rehash classical arias. It aroused mixed feelings among operatic professionals. In general the jury approves of stars’ singing, and professionals who stayed out of the project only criticize them or just laugh.

You can find more on this topic at the website of the Russkaya Opera Theatre:

http://rus-opera.ru/index.php/ru/2010-05-17-09-21-41/2010-05-17-09-40-02/2011

THE RUSSKAYA OPERA THEATRE

Looking for a Prima Donna Theatrical & Musical Project

The Russkaya Opera Theatre presents to public attention a unique theatrical & musical project called Looking for a Prima Donna which is held within OPERA PLUS cycle.

Voyage on Siberia’s rivers

• July 2011

From June 17^th to July 4^th, 2011, the delegation of the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation voyaged the Siberian rivers Ob and Irtysh in the Mekhanik Kalashnikov steam-ship. The action was made within the frameworks of the Slavic Cross Procession program which has been implementing for 7 years under the direction and with the blessing of His Eminence Dimitry, the Archbishop of Tobolsk and Tyumen.

The 'Honor And Valour' All-Russian Action

Khabarovsk • July 8^th 2011

For many years the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Foundation closely co-operates with the Russian Council of Veterans of the Law-Enforcement Bodies and Internal Military Forces. For example, annually, our charitable organization supports the Honour and Valour All-Russian Action, patronazed by the Council of Veterans.

On Charity

"Provide yourselves bags which wax not old,

a treasure in the heavens that faileth not,

where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth".

The Gospel according to St. Luke (12: 33).

Charity as a property of human soul and philanthropy as an aspect of a person's behavior are settled on the religious, primarily, Christian foundation. In the times of theomachism these things were by all means kept close from the Russians, the very idea of philanthropy, in fact, was under a secret ban. Thus, in the four-volume "Russian Explanatory Dictionary", published in 1935-40 under the editorship of the USSR Academy of Sciences corresponding member, D. N. Oushakov, the Charity notion was interpreted as 'rendering material aid to the poor', with the bashful note in brackets - 'archaic'.

Акафист Святителю Николаю Чудотворцу

Кондак 1

Возбранный Чудотворче и изрядный угодниче Христов, миру всему источаяй многоценное милости миро, и неисчерпаемое чудес море, восхваляю тя любовию, Святителю Николае: ты же яко имеяй дерзновение ко Господу, от всяких мя бед свободи, да зову ти:
Радуйся, Николае, великий Чудотворче.