The parishioners of the Moscow Church of the holy martyrs Florus and Laurus on Zatsepa, organized a feast for the homeless on the night of the Nativity of Christ. The church is located close to the Paveletsky railway station, so there are always a lot of hungry and homeless people around.  

Homeless people come to the church almost every day. They are given food, and they are allowed to warm themselves inside the church. Six months ago, the parish started to distribute hot meals and clothing on Tuesdays.

On Christmas day, these people were treated to a Christmas dinner, served for them inside the church. “On Christmas, everyone wants to stay warm, to communicate with his friends, and to have a good laugh,” said Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, rector of the Saints Florus and Laurus Church and head of the Moscow diocese social department. “The idea was to create a cheerful atmosphere. You can, of course, feed these people outdoors, give them their presents, and that's it. But it's Christmas. So we invited them in and served them a nicely cooked meal. We tried to make it a real celebration.” Hence the tablecloths, and elegant (albeit paper) dishes. Parish volunteers worked as waiters.

Invitations to Christmas dinner were handed out in advance, to those who came to the church for a bowl of hot soup. “We made a little mistake in our calculations,” Father Mikhail admits. “Eighty tickets were handed out, and 100 people came. We didn’t expect so many, but we managed to find a place for everyone.” A touching detail is that all guests arrived sober. In this way, Father Mikhail says they were showing their respect for the organizers of the feast.