God's grace flows into the Bulgarian cathedral in Berlin

published on 3/25/25 2:43 PM

The Bulgarian Cathedral "St. Tsar Boris the Baptist" in Berlin

Photo: BTA

Nearly 40 years ago, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Communities (BOCC) in Western and Central Europe were concentrated in several cities. After our country joined the European Union and with the growth of the Bulgarian diaspora, the Bulgarian church communities began to multiply.

However, years pass before a new Bulgarian church community is founded in a given city abroad, until the parish is established in its own church with regular services and a priest who serves there regularly.

"Abroad, in Germany or in any other country, there are church communities that have been created that have a desire for spiritual care. Therefore, we take on this responsibility to travel to serve these already established church communities and people," Archpriest Tsolo Krivachkov tells about the missionary activity of Bulgarian priests abroad.

Priest Tsolo Krivachkov with Bulgarians from the Orthodox community in Zagreb, Croatia

It started with a few of our compatriots who gathered for worship. Over time, a desire arose in them to have regular worship services in the place where they lived, their own church and their own priest. Gradually, with donations and the assistance of emigrant organizations and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, independent churches were established.

One of them is the Cathedral Church "St. Tsar Boris the Baptist", which became a spiritual home for Orthodox Bulgarians in Berlin and the region.

At first, services in Bulgarian in the capital of Germany were held in the hall of the Bulgarian embassy there, and today our compatriots gather in the spiritual home every Sunday and on major church holidays.

The first priest ordained for the Western and Central European Diocese in 1994, and today - one of the three priests at the Cathedral Church "St. Tsar Boris the Baptist" is Lyubomir Leontinov.

Father Lyubomir Leontinow from Berlin: Closeness is measured by the heart, not by distance

"In the early 1990s, when the reconstruction and renovation of the church "St. Tsar Boris the Baptist" began, there was a very strong Bulgarian student community in Berlin," recalls the priest. Boys and girls, with all their enthusiasm, come and help in the church with its cleaning and all the renovation activities. Cut off from their parents, from relatives and friends, in a distant country, they recognize the priests at the church as their closest people, as their fathers. Bulgarian priests later baptized their chosen foreigners and their children:

Priest Lyubomir Leontinov (in the middle) during service

"These people are here for a while, they are developing, but if the relationship with them has been preserved, and this is the case, then we are rich", says Father Leontinov. "We have extended our hands to everyone, everyone can come to us, pray together for each other and become part of our community", says Father Lyubomir and adds that even today in the Bulgarian community in the German capital there are not only Bulgarians, but also Poles, Germans, Russians, Ukrainians, Romanians...

"Our church community in Berlin gathers these people, sometimes infinitely many, when the church is "bursting at the seams". Sometimes they are not so many, because our daily work in the federal republic is currently very busy", adds Father Hristo Berov, one of the longest-standing and most zealous Christians and rector of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Community in Berlin. - We we try to reach out to people, to reassure them, to inspire them with hope and, above all, to follow Christ - our Savior, who will lead us to the salvation of our souls."

Hristo Berov notes with satisfaction that there is good and fruitful cooperation between the church community and the representations of the Bulgarian state in the German capital. He speaks with gratitude for the support provided by the Bulgarian Ambassador in Berlin Grigor Porozhanov and the head of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute Borislav Petranov. They attend the Holy Liturgy in the church, organize exhibitions of icons and a number of other events that nourish the Bulgarian spirit and make our compatriots proud to be Bulgarians. And our Orthodox Church is the one that gathers under its domes the scattered children of Bulgaria and preserves their identity.