Congratulatory Letter from His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and All Russia, to the Head of the Russian Imperial House, Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna

22 December 2003
No. 6291 

Your Highness, Dear Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna!

I send to You my heartfelt greetings on Your 50-th birthday, praying that the Lord God will send down to You, His true and fervent servant, great and rich mercies, clear and wise judgment, and abundant and selfless love for Your children—the much-suffering Russian people.

It is on this very special day of Your 50-th birthday that I want to express to You profound recognition and gratitude for Your tireless and active participation in the fate of the Russian State, in its fundamental moral and social rebirth, and in all its sorrows and joys. It is especially pleasing to see Your sincere devotion to Holy Orthodoxy, which finds expression in Your active involvement in the dedication of Orthodox churches, and in organizations devoted to the rebirth of the spiritual life of the Russian people.

It is obvious to all who know You that in Your private life, You are guided by the best traditions which are exemplified in the life of the Holy Righteous Princess Olga. In recognition of the continuity of the spirit of Russia in the person of Your Highness, I consider it supremely fitting to bestow upon you the Order of St. Olga in the First Class.

I also send my heartfelt congratulations to Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna and to Your son, Georgii Mikhailovich.

May the Lord God bless You, and may You have strength of spirit and body.

With love, in the Lord, 

Aleksei Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia