On November 2, 2022, there was a memorial worship service in Smolenskoye Lutheran Cemetery in St. Petersburg in remembrance of all who were laid to rest in this old necropolis. In Christian unity and prayer, Fr. Roman from the Russian Orthodox Church of the Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God and the ministers and laypeople from several Lutheran churches came together. Rev. Dmitri Petrov, senior pastor of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church led a prayer service at the tomb of Alexander von Böckmann, a 19th-century member of St. Michael. Dean Pavel Krylov read out loud Psalm 23. On the same day, they visited the tombs of several noted Christian clergymen. Many thanks to Elvira Zhejds from St. Catherine’s Church of the ELCR for organizing this ecumenical activity and to cemetery expert Tatiana Zhiltsova for her interesting sharing!
Photo credit: Tatiana Ryumina