On July 6-7, the Novoleushinskaya Monastery hosted the traditional monastic feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the patron saint of heaven.
The arrival of the venerated icon of the Queen of Heaven "I am with you and no one is with you" at the Leusha celebrations was a spiritual consolation for everyone. The image of the Virgin is unusual, made by the artist and icon curator Alexei Chirkov in a mosaic technique made of glass. The master worked on it for 7 years and, according to him, became related to the icon. Together with his wife Tatiana, they brought the shrine from St. Petersburg. With this amazing image, they visited many holy places associated with Leushino and St. John of Kronstadt. The couple are convinced that the Queen of Heaven Herself determines the path they should follow. She brought them to Myaksa.
At the night Divine Liturgy and during the reading of the akathists at the Leusha Cross on the shore of the Rybinsk reservoir - the traditional 28th Leusha stations. They were led by Archpriest Alexander Krayev, co-served by Priest Alexei Popovsky. There were not as many worshippers of Leushino as we would like. But from different cities of Russia- Voronezh, Ivanovo, Suzdal, Babaevo, Cherepovets, Poshekhonye, Vologda, St. Petersburg and Moscow.
The festive celebrations ended on July 7 with the Divine Liturgy, which was led by Metropolitan Archpriest Alexander Kulikov. Abbot Theodosius (Belov), Archpriest Alexander Krayev, Priest Nikolai Artyukov and, with the rank of deacon, Nikolai Sychev served him. During the feast, liturgical hymns were performed by the nuns of the monastery, Nuns Lukiya and Ambrosia.
Abbess Kirill, her sisters, and numerous worshippers took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and were invited to a meal. The Leusha celebrations were a success for the Glory of God.
***
The Leusha standing is a special prayer tradition associated with the history of the Leusha St. John the Baptist Convent. It was founded in 1875 in the town of Leushino (near the Sheksna River, between Cherepovets and Rybinsk). Under Abbot Taisiya, the monastery flourished: by the beginning of the 20th century, up to 700 nuns lived here, workshops worked, there were hermitages and farmsteads. But in 1931 the monastery was closed, and in 1941-1946 it was flooded by the waters of the Rybinsk reservoir. The buildings were not dismantled — the ruins had been standing in the water for a long time, and now the foundations are sometimes exposed when the level drops.
In 1999, the tradition of prayerful veneration of the lost monastery appeared — this is how the Leusha sites originated. The initiator was the parish of the church of the Leushinsky monastery in St. Petersburg. At first, there were few participants, but over time, local residents and pilgrims from different cities began to join them — Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Cherepovets, Rybinsk. A wooden cross of worship was erected on the shore of the reservoir.
Later, the tradition developed: in 2015, in the village of Myaksa (it is closest to the place where the monastery stood), a church was consecrated in honor of the Nativity of John the Baptist, a bishop's compound was opened and a monastic community was established. And in 2016, the Novoleushinsky St. John the Baptist Convent was founded here - now it is precisely through its efforts that the stations are organized.