On June 28, 2024 hieromonk John (Gondayao), a clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, had successfully completed his seminary studies at Saint Petersburg Theological Academy in Perfect Honors. He was also awarded the right to wear the Nabedrennik in recognition of his academic exploits. He will return home, to the Philippines, this week

Congratulations to the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Sergius of Singapore and Southeast Asia on the 50th anniversary of his birth.

Your Eminence, dear Vladyka! On this solemn day, when you celebrate your 50th anniversary, we cordially congratulate you on this significant date of your life. Having chosen the field of service to Christ the Savior, you firmly remain faithful to this path – thorny and narrow, but gracious and blessed. With your life, you show that there is nothing more important than the works for the benefit of the Mother Church, which you do with full dedication of your mental and bodily strength, with a sincere desire to bring as many souls to the Lord as possible and the desire to do everything in your power for the glorification of the name of God. We are glad to be your co-workers and contribute as much as possible to the implementation of the mission of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia. We appreciate your kind and sympathetic attitude towards us, fatherly love, understanding and condescension, and try to imitate you in diligence and responsibility.Your Eminence! On this significant day, we wholeheartedly wish you mental and physical strength, patience and spiritual vigor, well-being and generous help from God in fulfilling the important obedience of the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia. 

With sincere love and heartfelt appreciation for your unceasing care, Clergy, monastics, staff and the Orthodox flock of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia

On June 17, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi and Dmitry Nikolaevich Chernyshenko, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation for Digital Economy and Innovation, Communications, Media, Culture, Tourism and Sports, met at the Russian Government House in Moscow. Leonid Eduardovich Slutsky, Chairman of the LDPR Political Party, took part in the meeting. During the conversation, Metropolitan Pavel told Dmitry Nikolaevich and Leonid Eduardovich about church life in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region-Yugra and the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese entrusted to him. During the conversation, an exchange of views took place on a number of issues of mutual interest.

Your Eminence, dear Vladyka!

We congratulate you on the anniversary of your personal Pentecost! 13 years ago, you were elected to the high episcopal ministry to be the pastor of pastors. And today it is impossible even to list all your labors in the field of Christ in the Siberian land. But they do not hide a burning candle, and 5 years ago, by the decision of the Holy Synod, the Lord appointed you to enlighten the distant countries – the Philippines and Vietnam. And we, seeing the good fruits of your deeds here, will exclaim with joy: “Such is the bishop befitting us!” You tirelessly call people to repentance, kindness and salvation not only by word, but also by life, faith, spirit, purity. You set a visible example and a model for your numerous flock.

Your Eminence, dear Vladyka and Father! On this day, we especially pray for you and wish you God’s all-powerful help in your episcopal ministry, joy in the Risen Christ, good health and long life!

IS POLLA ETI DESPOTA!

With filial love in the Lord – clergy, monastics and laity of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese.

“Today every creature rejoices and is triumphant, for Christ is risen, and hell is captured.” (9th song of the Canon of Easter)

Beloved, in the Risen Christ the Savior, venerable fathers, dear brothers and sisters! Spiritually triumphant on this great and glorious feast of the Resurrection of Christ the Savior of the world, mentally contemplating His rising from the tomb, I address to you the life-affirming exclamation full of strength, irresistible truth and joy: Christ is Risen! Both in the distant days of the apostolic times and in our days, these words of the Easter greeting express the unshakable foundation of the Christian faith. The brevity of this creed contains the meaning of earthly time as well as it expresses the essence of eternal life, which was revealed to the human race in the Three-day Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of Christ is a central moment in the history of mankind. And therefore it is a celebration of great joy. Our Christian faith is based on the Resurrection of Christ, the essence of which is expressed in the brief words of the Paschal liturgy: “Ye are baptized in Christ, clothed in Christ” (Gal.3:27). We are clothed in the risen Christ, and therefore in immortality. Christianity proclaimed faith in immortality from the very beginning. Only the hope of the Resurrection gave the strength of the First Christian Church to withstand the period of fiery trials and shine to the world as a beacon of hope and salvation for many millions of people. The good news of Easter, which changed the entire subsequent course of world history, encourages us to moral transformation and spiritual renewal, which are so necessary for modern society. We all gathered in the holy temple to share with each other the joy of saving Easter and it makes our joy complete. In these bright days of the Easter celebration, we are called upon to share our joy with our relatives and friends, to show them active love and mercy. May Easter of Christ comes to our homes, illuminating them with Divine light, banishing sorrows, reminding us of the triumph of life over death, of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that if our Lord has risen, then everyone who believes in Him will rise and live with Him forever. Because Christ Himself said, “He who believes in Me, even if he dies, he will live” (John 11:25). Beloved brothers and sisters! Keep the joy of the Resurrection of Christ in all the days of your life! Bring it to people and generously share its fruits with them! After all, Christ has risen for all, and we should remember that only He has the right to choose His inheritance from among people. May this Day of the Resurrection of Christ be a day of joy for us. Beloved pastors in Christ, monks and nuns, young people, dear brothers and sisters! I sincerely congratulate you on this great and bright Easter Holiday! May the eternal and unchangeable joy of Easter remain in each of us, despite the grieves and sorrows, everyday difficulties and adversities, which, unfortunately, are companions in the earthly life of every person. May the risen Christ, the Life–Giver, strengthen each of you in faith and love, give His all-powerful help, give strength to the old and sick, be a joy and comfort to widows and orphans, send peace and harmony to families, purity and chastity to youth and children. May the Bright Resurrection of Christ always be for us a feast of joy, a celebration of the victory of life over death. And may it help us patiently, uncomplainingly endure all the hardships of earthly life in the hope that the time will come when we will hear the longed-for voice of our Savior: “Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Amen. Christ is Risen! HE IS TRULY RISEN!

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, PAVEL, METROPOLITAN OF MANILA AND HANOI

Easter of Christ 2024

Most Reverend Archpastors, Venerable Fathers, beloved brothers and sisters! CHRIST IS RISEN! It is with joy that I extend this ancient salutation to you and cordially greet all of you on the great Feast of the Pascha of the Lord! Every year, believers wait in awe for this festive day to come, preparing for it with utmost diligence and pinning their special hopes on it. To all of us, Pascha is a new starting point, the beginning of a new period in our life, in which, as we hope, there will be more joy and light, more goodness and love. It is a kind of a lighthouse that enlightens our path towards salvation, leading to the outstretched arms of our Heavenly Father. Why is it that this feast is so dear to us? Why is it that the words “Christ is Risen!” are said by the faithful with such inspiration? The answer may be the promise of the Lord Himself that after His Resurrection no one will take our joy from us (Jn 16:22). Joy is an essential prerequisite to a truly happy life, for without joy we can neither work nor create fruitfully; without joy our prayers and participation in the sacraments of the Church may become a formality; without joy it is hard to be a kind and delicate person and it is even harder to help others and to perform the works of mercy as God commanded us. There is nothing fleeting or unsteady in the joy that Christ grants unto us in His Resurrection. It is the joy that reaches unto eternity. Our Lord rose from the tomb – and gave us hope that such resurrection awaits every one of us and that, therefore, death has no dominion over us because it becomes not the end of existence, but the beginning of eternal life with God. On these radiant days I wish all of you, my dears, to remain in good health and with cheered spirit, in joy and peace, that each of you, in word and in deed, in solitude and among others, in church and at home, with firm trust in God’s mercy bear this witness: CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!

+SERGIY, Metropolitan of Singapore and South-East Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia

Pascha of Christ 2024, Singapore

Beloved in the Lord Your Graces the archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters! On today’s “feast of feasts and solemnity of solemnities”, which, as Saint Gregory the Theologian proclaims, “is far exalted above all others – not only those which are merely human and are of the earth, but even those which are of Christ himself, and are celebrated in his honour – as the sun is above the stars” (Oration 45 on Holy Pascha), it is with great joy that I address you with the greeting that is both ancient and eternally new, which all are long accustomed to and yet which forever compels our hearts to soar aloft: CHRIST IS RISEN! These two life-affirming words contain so much power that the countenances of people shine with spiritual joy from them and the world that surrounds us is literally transfigured: “Now all things are filled with light: heaven, and earth, and the places under the earth. The seen and unseen world celebrates, for Christ who is eternal joy has risen” (Paschal Canon).The Resurrection of the Saviour is not merely a historical event of which we know from Scripture. It is the cornerstone of our faith and is, as Saint Philaret of Moscow states, “that which is eternally new, the fountain of our thoughts, of our amazement, of thanksgiving and hope” (Homily for the day of Pascha). Through his incarnation, passion and rising from the dead on the third day the Saviour renews human nature, delivers us from the power of sin and death, opens up to us the gates of the kingdom of heaven and shows us the way to oneness with the Maker. It is indeed in Christ that “God was reconciling the world to himself” (2 Cor. 5.19) so that we may become sons by adoption and are justified, that we may find life everlasting, for “there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved other than Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4.10-12).The Saviour’s rising from the tomb transforms death into immortality, sadness into joy, condemnation into hope. On the cross and in the resurrection the God of infinite goodness and perfect love is revealed to us.The awareness of this all-conquering love of God arouses within us a sense of thanksgiving towards the Maker and grants to us the strength to overcome the times when our hearts endure the greatest affliction and arduous circumstances, it elevates us above the vanity of everyday life, it helps us to correct our former errors and casts down the despondency which hinders us in living a full life and growing spiritually. People often succumb to the deceptive notion that evil reigns and triumphs, while good passes by unnoticed and is weak. Our mind hesitates in believing in the power of redemption which Christ has accomplished when it sees around us the death of those closest to us, when it hears of the eternal torments for sinners in the Gospel and contemplates “the world which lies under the power of the evil one” (1 John 5.19). Yet for thousands of years the Church of God has borne convincing witness that the Saviour has overcome sin and “annihilated death and despoiled Hades” (Saint John Chrysostom. Paschal Catechetical Homily). Christ has cast aside the inevitability of death and the universality of evil, and we look upon their defeat through the eyes of faith from the age to come, from the lofty heights of Pascha. The Lord’s rising from the tomb reminds us not only of the most important event of the past, but also testifies to the coming resurrection of all, “for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died” (1 Thess. 4.14). It is, then, vital that we observe God’s commandments, accomplish deeds of love and mercy, participate in the sacramental life of the Church in order to partake in Christ’s victory and remain faithful to him to the end, recalling the words of Scripture: “For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Heb. 10.36). For this reason, as the apostle exhorts us, dear brothers and sisters: “Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward” (Heb. 10.35). And may the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus be an unchanging reminder of these steadfast divine promises which grant to us hope and strength in even the most difficult of circumstances. May this solemnity inspire us all to live in faith and love, knowing that neither death, nor suffering, nor evil can ever overcome us if we are with Christ and in Christ, who has vanquished sin, death and all falsehood. Let us, then, “keep the feast of the Lord’s Passover by living a life of purity and virtue and by accomplishing good deeds” (Saint Athanasius the Great. 10th Paschal Letter), so that in being transformed into a new person in Christ we may “serve a living and true God, and wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming” (1 Thess. 1.9-10). Amen.

+KIRILL

PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA

Pascha 2024

On March 17, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi celebrated Vespers with the rite of forgiveness at the Resurrection Cathedral in Khanty-Mansiysk. His Eminence was co-served by the clergy of the Khanty-Mansiysk deanery. The first part of the service is performed in light vestments. After the singing of the great prokimenon the closing of the Royal Gates and the clergy changed into Lenten black robes.

After the dismissal of Vespers, Metropolitan Pavel read a prayer for the beginning of the fast of the Holy Lent and addressed the faithful with the word: “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! today you and I have gathered on this Sunday evening for this short evening service in order to ask each other for forgiveness, as one big Orthodox family. We have all been communicating with you for a year, and of course somewhere we express our discontent against each other, someone may have been insulted, someone has done something bad. Sometimes, in the course of our lives, we don’t even notice when we can offend each other. Today’s gospel narrative says so bluntly that if we do not forgive, then the Lord will not forgive our sins. The Lord teaches you and me to forgive offenders, because it is hard and difficult when a person does something bad to you, but you have to love and forgive him. I remember a long time ago, a teacher told me that love can be strangled, but for many years I did not understand how this could be done. And it turns out that when they make you feel bad, you respond with love. And a person will not stand it and stop doing bad things himself, and repent. Today we have gathered to ask the Lord for forgiveness first of all, so that He would forgive us every sin, voluntary and involuntary, and of course, forgive each other’s offenses. Let us forgive, and it will be easier for us to go through the field of Lent. It’s like a load is lifted from your soul when you get joy from the fact that you have forgiven and you have been forgiven. There is no man who has lived on earth and has not sinned. Today, His Holiness the Patriarch said in his sermon that even sinners became saints only because they knew how to get rid of sins. And a person cannot sin in any way, but if he brings the fruits of repentance, he can become a saint. May God grant us to bring the good fruits of repentance in this Lenten Week, so that each of us can change our lives at least a little for the better, leave some kind of vice, some kind of sin that he lives with all his life and cannot get rid of it. But the most important thing is awareness, vision of sins and repentance. Help us, Lord! I, like any human being, having a human nature, also sin, sometimes maybe without noticing, so I ask you for Christ’s forgiveness, forgive me, a sinner!”

From February 13 to March 3, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, paid an archpastoral visit to the republics of the Philippines and Vietnam.On February 13, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel arrived in the city of General Santos, Mindanao Island, Republic of the Philippines. At the airport, Metropolitan Pavel and representatives of the delegation of the Khanty-Mansiysk diocese were met by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese. On the trip, His Eminence was accompanied by: Archpriest Anthony Isakov, dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, dean of the Nizhnevartovsk City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Priest Konstantin Memyachkin, chairman of the architectural and Construction Department of the Khanty—Mansiysk Diocese, Hierodeacon Nikodim Pirkhovsky, resident of the Dimitrievsky Monastery of Khanty-Mansiysk, General Director of SC “Yuv and With” Vladimir Yurievich Bashkov.As part of the archpastoral visit, parishes were visited in various provinces of the Republic of the Philippines. The archpastor visited a number of Orthodox communities on the island of Mindanao, where he performed divine services and ordinations of clerics of the Philippine–Vietnamese diocese.On February 14, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, visited the parish in honor of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer of Lambayon (Philippines). The administrator of the diocese performed a prayer service at the parish and gave the archpastoral blessing to the parishioners.Also on the eve of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, held an all-night vigil in the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in Lake Cebu.On February 15, 2024, on the feast of the Presentation of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Metropolitan Pavel celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Polomolok, South Cotabato province of Mindanao Island (Philippines). His Eminence was co-served by: Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Archpriest Anthony Isakov, Dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, Dean of the Nizhnevartovsk City Deanery of the Khanty—Mansiysk Diocese, Priest Konstantin Memyachkin, Chairman of the Architectural and Construction Department of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese. The deaconess rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nicodemus (Pirkhovsky). During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained Deacon Anthony Aranko as priest and reader Gabriel Hermudo as deacon.After the service, a diocesan meeting of the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese was held. During the meeting, reports from the deaneries of the diocese and the heads of the educational, youth, information and missionary departments were presented, plans for diocesan events and economic and construction works for 2024 were approved. Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, made a report summarizing the results of the diocese’s work for 2023.On February 15, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel inspected the construction site of a new church in honor of the Apostle Thomas in the Kinabalan settlement of Mindanao Island (Philippines), the construction of which is nearing completion. The opportunity to carry out construction work on the construction of the temple appeared only a year after the outbreak of the pandemic. In 2021, the site was prepared and piles were driven. Despite the complexity of the project, local workers, with the help of parishioners and under the supervision of clerics, coped with the work. The temple project was developed by the architectural department of the Khanty-Mansiysk Metropolia specifically for the conditions of the Philippines, characterized by high seismic activity and humidity. According to the project, the temple must withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of 9 points.On the same day, the Administrator of the diocese visited the churches of the Assumption of the Virgin in Banat and the Epiphany in Talas, gave his archpastoral blessing to the parishioners, held meetings with the clergy and the flock of the parishes.On February 17, 2024, on the eve of the 37th Week of Pentecost, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, held an all-night vigil in the church in honor of St. Matrona of Moscow in Davao City in the Philippines (Mindanao Island).On February 18, 2024, in the 37th Week of Pentecost, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of St. Matrona of Moscow in Davao City in the Philippines (Mindanao Island). During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained Deacon Raphael Frajillo to the priesthood.On February 19, 2024, His Eminence celebrated a prayer service at the site of the future temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “The Quick-Hearer” on Panglao Island (Philippines).On February 25, 2024, the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee, the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the temple in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Manila, Philippines. The divine service was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines M.I. Pavlov. During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained Deacon Juventinus Bulaquenya to the priesthood.On February 26, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated a prayer service in the church in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord in Siniloan, Laguna Province, Philippines.On the same day, Metropolitan Pavel met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines M.I. Pavlov. The meeting was attended by: Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), General Director of LLC SC “Yuv and S” Vladimir Bashkov, President of the Literary Fund “Road of Life” Dmitry Mizgulin. During the meeting, the parties discussed various issues of cooperation between the Russian diplomatic mission and the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese.On February 27, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, arrived in the Republic of Vietnam. At Ho Chi Minh City airport, Vladyka was met by the dean of the Vietnamese Deanery, Priest Yevgeny Tsukalo and Consul-Counselor of the Russian Embassy D.A. Repkov. On a trip to the Republic of Vietnam, Metropolitan Pavel is accompanied by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev) and the president of the Literary Foundation “The Road of Life” Dmitry Mizgulin.On February 27, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, performed the rite of minor consecration of the house church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Vung Tau, Vietnam. His Eminence was co-served by: Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Priest Eugene Tsukalo, dean of the Vietnamese Deanery, Priest John Obrembalsky, cleric of the Balashikha Diocese.On the same day, the Archpastor in Vung Tau of the Republic of Vietnam held a working meeting with Oleg Petrovich Saraev, First Deputy General Director of Vietsovpetro Joint Venture. During the meeting, issues of interaction between the Philippine—Vietnamese Diocese and the Vietsovpetro enterprise were discussed.On February 28, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine—Vietnamese Diocese, held a parish meeting in the city of Nyangchang of the Republic of Vietnam.The faithful Russian citizens living in Nyanchang asked the bishop about the possibility of opening an Orthodox parish in the city. During the meeting, the Nha Trang parish was established in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, a parish council consisting of 15 people was elected, and members of the audit commission were also elected. At the end of the parish meeting, Bishop Pavel answered the questions of the parishioners.On March 1, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel met with the leadership of the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Government of the Republic of Vietnam. On the Vietnamese side, the meeting was attended by: Deputy Head of the Committee Nguyen Anh Tic, Head of the Department of Faiths and Other Religions Chan Thi Minh Thu, Deputy Head of the Personnel and International Relations Department of Ngo Thi Xuan Lan. The Russian Federation was represented by the Counselor-Envoy of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Vietnam E.N. Bakeeva, Counselor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Vietnam K.V. Lunev, Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev) and dean of the Vietnamese Deanery, Priest Eugene Tsukalo. Mr. Nguyen Anh Thik warmly thanked Bishop Pavel for the opportunity to take part in an important meeting, noting that in the Republic of Vietnam there is freedom of religion, 95% of citizens profess some kind of faith, they are allowed to pray and perform religious rites. Metropolitan Pavel spoke about the history and development of the Orthodox Church in Russia, focusing on the fact that there are many communities of Russian citizens in the Republic of Vietnam, mainly in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Vung Tau, who need spiritual care. The participants of the meeting discussed the issues of the registration process of Orthodox communities in accordance with the legislation of the Republic. They also discussed the construction of a temple in Vung Tau, Vietnam.On March 1, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , Administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, met with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Vietnam, G.S. Bezdetko. During the meeting, the parties discussed various issues of cooperation between the Russian diplomatic mission and the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese.On March 2, 2024, on the memorial day of St. Leo, Bishop of Rome, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the house church in honor of the blj. Ksenia Peterburgskaya in Hanoi, Vietnam.On March 3, 2024, the Week of the Prodigal Son, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the parish in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His Eminence was co-served by Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, and Priest Eugene Tsukalo, Dean of the Vietnamese Deanery.After the Divine Liturgy at the parish in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, headed to Ho Chi Minh City Airport. At the airport, His Eminence was escorted by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), the dean of the Vietnamese Deanery, Priest Eugene Tsukalo. His Eminence cordially thanked the clergy and parishioners of the diocese for organizing the visit.

On March 3, 2024, the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the parish in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His Eminence was co-served by Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, and Priest Eugene Tsukalo, Dean of the Vietnamese Deanery. At the end of the Liturgy, His Eminence addressed the audience: “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, I am very glad to share the joy of liturgical communion with you this Sunday. This is the day when the Holy Church remembers the parable of the prodigal son. You and I have heard in the gospel narrative how one of the father’s sons asked for his share, which belonged to his son. The father agreed and gave this part. And the son did not spend much time with this share of his estate, which he received from his father, and quickly dissolved it, because he lived prodigally. And he decided to return to his father and repent, saying that I have no right to call you father, because I have sinned before Heaven and before you. And when the father saw his son returning, he dressed him in his best clothes, organized a holiday, “stabbed a fat calf,” and invited the guests to celebrate this event. As it is said: “He was dead and came to life, was lost and was found.” And the older brother, who always obeyed his father, was offended. Returning from the field, he heard festive singing in the house and asked what was going on in my house? And I got the answer: “Your brother is back, and your father is having a party.” But he did not even want to enter the house, and his father begged him to accept his brother. This parable has 2 important contents for us: the fall and repentance, return to the father. Like a Christian, accepting pure Faith from baptism, then lives in fornication, sins, but realizes and returns to the bosom of God. It shows the fall and the fruits of repentance, awareness and return to the truth. And the other side: through the elder brother, it is shown that it is necessary to forgive the sinner. On this Sunday before Lent, the Church prepares us for it so that each of us can look at our lives: am I living right, am I doing everything to save my soul, and what do I need to do to improve? We are standing on the eve of Lent to change our lives for the better, get rid of sins and worthily meet the risen Christ the Savior, who came to earth for the salvation of the human race to give all the saving means. We will learn to forgive, we will carry love so that the Lord forgives us and recognizes us. Once again, my dear ones, I thank you all for your common prayers, may God grant God’s help to all of us. I would like to share my joy about the meeting with the leadership of the Committee on Religious Affairs, which was successful and useful, because now we have the opportunity to register our communities, and we will legally hold our services in this country.This is indeed the grace of God. Once again, I congratulate everyone on the holiday, God bless everyone!”