Celebrations in honor of the appearance of the Minsk Icon of the Mother of God were held in the capital of the Republic of Belarus on August 26, 2026.
Before the start of the service, the hierarchs gathered for the celebration laid flowers at the monument of the first Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeev), after which the ever-memorable archpastor was proclaimed "Eternal Memory."
Then there was a solemn meeting of the participants of the V All-Belarusian procession from the Holy Dormition Zhirovichi Monastery. Their route passed through the Novogrudok, Pinsk, Molodechno and Minsk dioceses. The pilgrims visited 21 temples, and every day they traveled from 20 to 40 kilometers long. In just nine days, they covered 250 kilometers. In the early morning of August 26, the procession left the Zhdanovichi Church of the Ascension of the Lord to the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Minsk, and then headed to the Holy Spirit Cathedral. Numerous clergy, residents and guests of the city, including from other countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, the Netherlands and Germany, joined the prayer procession along Pobediteley Avenue in Minsk. About 800 people took part in the procession at the start, and 8,5 thousand people took part in the final stage in the city of Minsk.
The central event of the celebrations was the Cathedral Divine Liturgy at the walls of the Holy Spirit Cathedral, which was led by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl. The Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus was co-served by the clergy of the Belarusian Exarchate and the guests of the celebrations in holy orders. Numerous pilgrims and parishioners prayed in the temple.
On the Belarus 3 TV channel, as well as the official YouTube channel of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, there was a live broadcast of the divine service, which was accompanied by comments from Deacon Serafim Bashkirov and sign language translation by Valentina Chudakova and Olga Shumskaya. The broadcast was displayed on a screen installed on the square in front of the cathedral.
After a special litany, prayerful petitions were offered for the restoration of peace. The sermon before Communion was delivered by the rector of the Minsk Theological Academy, Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov). After the Divine Liturgy was over, the Mother of God was glorified.
In his speech, the Patriarchal Exarch welcomed those who arrived at the celebrations and congratulated them on the holiday: "This event brought together many people who came from many parts of Belarus, as well as other countries to participate in the procession." His Eminence noted that the procession is a strenuous prayer activity that unites people and inspires them with one common cause, love for the Lord, and the desire to ask Him for mercy for their native land, for people near and far, so that the procession sanctifies our land and God's mercy rests on it.
"The Mother of God is the patroness of our land, and there are icons of Her in every region of our Fatherland. But Minsk, as the capital, has specially gathered all of us to pray on this day. And may the joy of the holiday inspire us to do all that is good and useful," said the archpastor.
After the solemn speeches, many years were proclaimed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the bishops, the clergy and all those present. In conclusion, the Primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church congratulated the communicants on receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ and gave them all an archpastoral blessing.