To dispose of the hierarch, the Bolsheviks led him into a forest and ordered him to dig his own grave. After completing the task, the archbishop prayed to the Lord and lay down in the freshly dug pit. His tormentors immediately began burying him alive.
The icon stopped in Kazan on June 14-16 as part of the All-Russian procession that began from the Moscow Kremlin on May 6.
Fr. Lawrence Farley
The Ascension also means that Christ is still with us—and in fact is nearer to us than ever.
Irina Ushakova
On a small rise amid the swamp, the son of a peasant built his cell for seclusion and prayerful work. This was the beginning of the monastery.
In addition to the Icon, the relics of the great St. Justin Popović also arrived in Belgrade on the eve of the feast, both of which drew thousands of Orthodox faithful.