NEW YORK: 15 October 2025
The First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad sends an address to the International Scientific and Practical Conference on the 730th anniversary of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign"

Read the greeting to the participants of the conference opening today in Kursk in PDF format by clicking here.

№ 01/10/25

To His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan HERMAN of Kursk and Rylsk, and to the Participants of the International Scientific and Practical Conference "The Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God ‘of the Sign’ in the History and Culture of the Russian World"

Your Eminence, Most Reverend Vladyka! Beloved in the Lord fathers, brothers, and sisters! I congratulate you with a sincere heart, along with the brethren of the Kursk-Root Hermitage and the Znamensky Monastery, the participants of the conference, and all God-loving residents of Kursk on the 730th anniversary of the appearance of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign,” fervently wishing you blessed success, renewed strength, and success in all the ways of our service to God and to people!

Holy icons of the Most Holy Theotokos have always been beloved by the Russian people. In Her miraculous icons, the Most-Pure first came to us in the mid-11th century as the “Hodegetria” — the Guide. She came with the Greek Princess Anna, who was married to Grand Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, and became known among us as the “Smolensk Icon.” A century later, with Holy Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky, in another of Her forms — the “Vladimir” icon, She came from Kiev to the north of Rus. After the Time of Troubles, in the form of the “Feodorovskaya-Kostroma” Icon, She blessed the young Mikhail to the Russian throne, and three centuries later, after unprecedented crises and upheavals, for more than 100 years She has guided the Russian diaspora as the Kursk-Root icon.

No matter how many miraculous icons our people may have and how different their names may be, we have never diminished the awareness that these images represent the one Most-Blessed Mother of God, who constantly extends Her prayerful Protection over us.

We are grateful for this most ancient shrine of the Russian Church – the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, through which She has shown us Her closeness to the Russian people who find themselves abroad, living with them in a shared life and sharing in their sorrows, "not abandoning us in Her Dormition." Through this image, Russian emigrants and their descendants preserve and maintain a living connection with their rich history and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has been organically connected with its people since ancient times.

We hope and believe that this icon will continue to serve as a comfort not only to us but to all Russian people, for which we will pray during these days of the conference's work, sincerely wishing everyone a fruitful time and God's help! May the Mother of God heed our joint prayers offered to Her, bless our flock, help us, through our combined efforts, to strengthen peace throughout the world, and achieve the unity of Orthodox Christians in the one flock of Christ.

Beseeching your holy prayers, I remain with you in the Lord,

+NICHOLAS
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia