On the 17th Week of Pentecost, October 20, 2024, Archbishop Tikhon of Ruza, the administrator of the Berlin-German Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" of the parish in the name of the Holy Martyrs Valentine and Pasikrates in Ulm (Germany) and led the celebrations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the parish.
On the eve of the all-night vigil, Archbishop Tikhon performed a prayer service with the rank of ordination to the sisters of mercy. At the arrival of Ulm, the sisterhood began its activities in the name of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elisaveta. The archpastor addressed the ordained sisters of mercy with a word of edification, after which he performed an all-night vigil. The ruling bishop was co-served by Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, who handed over to the parish an icon with fragments of the relics of the New Martyrs and confessors of Kazakhstan.
Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk and Bishop Job of Stuttgart (Russian Church Abroad) also took part in the Divine Liturgy together with Archbishop Tikhon. Among the colleagues were the dean of the Eastern District, Archpriest George Antonyuk, the dean of the Bavarian-Hessian District, Archpriest Peter Stepanov, rector of the parish, Abbot Maxim (Schmidt), Archpriest Nikolai Zabelich, Archpriest Slobodan Milunovich (Serbian Orthodox Church), Hieromonk Moses (Vasilchenko), Priest Maxim Sorokin, Priest Valentin Usachev, Protodeacon Vitaly Sadakov, Protodeacon Archil Chkhikvadze, Deacon Sergiy Gofset, Deacon Yevgeny Kik.
The service was performed in Church Slavonic and German, according to the website of the Berlin-German Diocese.
At the funeral litany, prayers were offered for the repose of the founder of the parish, Archimandrite Mitrofan (Hauser), deceased benefactors, builders and parishioners.
After the service, the archpastors, clergy and guests visited the historical chapel of the Holy Martyrs Valentine and Pasikrat.
Then a solemn act and a festive concert took place at the Kornhaus city cultural center. Among the participants of the event were representatives of the city government and non-Orthodox Christian churches.
Mayor Martin Ansbacher, Archbishop Tikhon, governor of the Berlin-German Diocese, Dr. Torsten Kranich (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany) and Abbot Maxim (Schmidt), rector of the parish, addressed welcoming words to the guests of the festive celebrations.
The musical part of the event was attended by the choirs "Sound Vocation" (Ulm), the festive and male choirs of the parish of the Holy Martyrs Valentine and Pasikrat of Ulm, the children's and youth choir of the Resurrection Parish of Munich, Projektchor (Munich, Ulm). Church hymns were performed in the program.
At the end of the solemn act, the centennial was sung.