On September 15, the Orthodox community in Lausanne, Switzerland, celebrated the Feast of the Synaxis of All Saints of Helvetia. The Divine Liturgy was presided over by Archimandrite Martin (de Caflisch), dean of parishes in Switzerland, along with Fr. Sergey Kim, the parish rector, and Fr. Vladimir Khomenko, rector of the St. Alexander Nevsky parish in Varese, Italy.

The service was conducted in both French and Church Slavonic, as reported by the website of the Korsun Diocese. During the liturgy, a reliquary containing a relic of Saint Alexander Nevsky, whose feast day was celebrated a few days prior, was brought for veneration by the faithful.

After the Liturgy, the traditional glorification of the Swiss saints took place, followed by a sermon by Archimandrite Martin, addressing the parishioners and pilgrims gathered in the church.

Every third Sunday of September, Swiss parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) celebrate the Feast of All Saints of Helvetia. This holiday coincides with Switzerland’s national holiday, the Federal Day of Fasting and Repentance.

The celebration of the Synaxis of All Saints of Helvetia was established in 1982 with the blessing of Archbishop Anthony (Bartoshevich) of Geneva and Western Europe. Orthodox services in French were composed for the feast by Archbishop Ambrose (Cantacuzene). The first Liturgy in honor of All Saints of Helvetia was held in the Church of Saint Barbara in Vevey.

Archbishop John (Maximovitch) of Western Europe and San Francisco, later glorified as Saint John of Shanghai, was the first to revive the veneration of ancient Western saints. His efforts led the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia to include Western saints in its liturgical calendar. Today, the icon of the feast depicts Saint John alongside other Swiss saints.