A reliquary containing the right arm of the Holy New Martyr Grand Princess Elisabeth and a particle of the relics of Nun Barbara will stay in Minsk till June 6. The holy object was brought to Minsk from the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign, New York.
The reliquary was delivered by Archpriest Andrei Sommer, cathedral senior priest, and representatives of Prince Vladimir Youth Association. The relics were greeted in the Holy Spirit Cathedral by the faithful and the clergy, led by Bishop Ignatius of Baraūliany, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Minsk.
The reliquary with the right arm of Saint Elisabeth and a particle of the relics of Nun Barbara has been stored in the USA since 1981. The reliquary was brought to the US from Gethsemane soon after the relics of Grand Princess Elisabeth and Nun Barbara had been uncovered and the saints had been canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (they were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992).
Grand Princess Elisabeth (1864 — 1918), born Princess of Hesse, was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter. She married Grand Prince Sergey Alexandrovich Romanov and went on to live in Russia. Her husband was assassinated by a terrorist in 1905. After his tragic death, the Grand Princess devoted herself to serving God and people. She established Ss. Martha and Mary Convent in Moscow in 1909. Bolsheviks executed Grand Princess Elisabeth, Nun Barbara, other members of the Romanov House and their servants by throwing them into a mineshaft near Alapayevsk in the Urals. The remains of Martyrs Elisabeth and Barbara were brought to Jerusalem in 1921 and have stayed in St. Mary Magdalene Church ever since.
Saint Elisabeth is one of the greatest saints of the 20th century. Physicians, social workers, and benefactors regard her as their heavenly patroness. Believers pray to her for their children and for blessing of their families. People ask for her intercession when they’re ill or in trouble.
The reliquary with the right arm of Saint Elisabeth is brought to Minsk with the blessing of the Most Reverend Pavel, Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl, the Patriarch’s Exarch of All Belarus and with the support of the Synodal Youth Department of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
Young Orthodox Americans also brought to Minsk some money they had collected in support of the less able children who undergo treatment in the Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Center in Pinsk. Last year, Prince Vladimir Youth Association helped the Boarding Home for Children with Special Needs in Minsk. Their money were instrumental in building a sensory garden and a contact zoo on the Boarding Home’s grounds.
