On Sunday, 21 July, in the Week of the 4th Pentecost, the Feast of the Apparition of the Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God in the City of Kazan, the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh was celebrated by the rector of the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Bloemfontein, Priest John Rossouw.
A special feature of the day was that for the first time in Johannesburg an Orthodox service was held in Afrikaans.
The St Thomas the Apostle parish choir sang during the service and sang church hymns in Afrikaans and Church Slavonic, which helped those present to better understand the texts of the prayers. On this day, both parishioners from both parishes and those who are new to the Orthodox faith prayed in the church.
Participants in this special worship service then continued fellowship over a shared meal.
This joyful event served to strengthen fraternal relations between the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in South Africa.
Archpriest Daniel Lugovoi, rector of St Sergius Parish and dean of parishes in South Africa, took part in the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on this day. The service was led by Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, the clergyman of the Cathedral.