This year commemorates 300 years since the founding of the first Ecclesiastical Mission. Fr. Maxim Leontiev, the first Orthodox priest that was brought along with the Albazinians to serve under the prestigious imperial banner in Beijing, reposed in 1712 that year. The Albazinian flock was left without a pastor and this was petitioned to the Lifan Yuan which was the Qing's government office of minority affairs. This culminated in a royal decree by Emperor Kangxi at the request of Tsar Peter the Great which opened Russia's first official Mission in Beijing to serve the spiritual needs of the Orthodox Faithful.
A series of celebratory events in December 2012 marking this special occasion in Hong Kong is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Institute of Sino-Christian Studies (http://www.iscs.org.hk/home_eng.htm), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/english/) and The Orthodox Brotherhood of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul (http://www.orthodoxy.hk/).
The venue of events opened to the public includes:
6 Dec, 9 AM: Round Table discussion on various topics related to the theme “Orthodoxy in China” at Tao Fung Shan Conference Hall, No. 33 Tao Fung Shan Road, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
7 Dec, 8 AM: Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at SS Peter & Paul Church
#701, 7/F, Arion Commercial Centre, 2-12 Queen's Rd West, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
7 Dec, 12:30 PM: Thanksgiving prayer service and Book Fair at CUHK
Ground Floor of the College Chapel, Chung Chi College Chaplaincy, Chung Chi College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
Special honored guests include Bishop Ephraim of Bikin, Provost of Khabarovsk Theological Seminary, and Mitred Archpriest Michael Li, accompanied by his Matushka and Fr Vladimir Boikov. Being one of the last surviving original elderly clergy and one of the only living links to the original Mission, Fr Michael immigrated in 1999 to serve the Chinese Orthodox Faithful overseas in Australia. Your generous donation will make it possible for him to participate in this historic celebration, as he steps back on Chinese soil where he himself is a living testament to the spiritual fruit of the Mission in China.