On Wednesday of the 5th week of Lent the Church celebrates a special service known as St. Mary’s Standing. Great penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read in its entirety during that service. This Canon is composed as a conversation of a person with his own soul. It reveals that often we imitate sinners mentioned in the Scripture but do not wish to follow the steps of the righteous ones. It also calls us to bring the fruits of repentance and not to exalt ourselves.

For the first time in our parish practice we held such a celebration at St. George Church on Wednesday, March 29. Our Rector, Archpriest Igor Tarasov led the service reading the Canon.

Following the service the Rector preached a short sermon stressing the importance of our spiritual life of prayer and repentance, as well as of the awareness of our sinful state.