Hierarchs of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and of the Serbian Church came together on Saturday, February 8, to liturgically celebrate the glorification among the saints of several New Martyrs of the Czech-Slovak Church.
Frs. Vladimír Petřek and Václav Čikl, as well as Ján Sonnevend, Václav Ornest, and Karel Louda and their families, who were companions of the highly-venerated Hieromartyr St. Gorazd (Pavlik), were canonized by the Holy Synod of the Czech-Slovak Church on October 10.
On Saturday, February 8, this decision was liturgically celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Michael of Prague, His Eminence Archbishop Juraj of Michalovce and Košice, and His Grace Bishop Isihije of Mohács of the Serbian Orthodox Church at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Prague.
The group of New Martyrs will be celebrated annually on September 5, the date of the martyrdom of Ján Sonnevend.
St. Gorazd was canonized by the Serbian Church in 1961 and by the Czech-Slovak Church in 1987. In June of last year, the Czech-Slovak Church celebrated the canonization of New Martyr Fr. Stanislav Nasadil with the participation of hierarchs from the Serbian and Polish Churches. He was previously canonized by the Serbian Church in 1961.
Translated by Orthochristian.com
Photo courtesy of Orthochristian.com
