NARVA, Estonia, June 16 (Itar-Tass) - Patriarch Kirill has urged to set up social centres at Orthodox churches, which may become examples of active incarnation of faith. He said this on Saturday when he visited one of known charity institutions in the Estonian city of Narva - a home for lonely old people at the Cathedral of the Narva Icon of the Mother of God.
“It is an example -- near a church must be places where elderly people and orphans may live. Near a church must be a place where people do good deeds, as faith is dead without good deeds,” the Russian Orthodox Church head said.
The patriarch presented icons to the home and gifts to the residents. In response, they gave a concert for the patriarch. They sang wartime songs and recited own verses.
The social centre at the church exists for eight years. Half of the dwellers are bed patients. They are under the care of social workers, doctors and nurses, who work there on the voluntary basis.
Patriarch Kirill also visited the site of construction of a cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius, which is planned to be finished in five years. The new church will be the third in the city of more than 60,000 people, mostly Russian-speaking.
The orthodox parish of Saints Cyril and Methodius opened in Narva in 1993. Formerly, the religious community gathered in the local Orthodox school building. The stone laying ceremony that took place there in March this year was a significant event in Narva. Hundreds of residents participated in the religious procession in the city.