The translation into the Waray-Waray language of the church services of Hours and Typika have been completed in the training center of St Matrona of Moscow in Davao. This language is spoken in Visayas. Now the parishioners of St.Nicholas of Serbia in Palo, Leyte, can start Orthodox prayers in their native language. English or Tagalog languages were previously used for praying there. It is noteworthy that this language is spoken on the Tubabao island, where 6000 Russians together with St. John of Shanghai found temporary shelter 70 years ago. Now, by the prayers of St. John of Shanghai, Orthodox sermon came to the descendants of those Filipinos who had showed generous hospitality to Russian refugees.

On June 1, the parish of st. Matrona of Moscow in Davao city, with the support of the Synodal Department for charity and social service and private donors, distributed food packages to two hundred of the poorest families of Barangay 9 in Davao city.
The local administration provided assistance in organizing the distribution of food packages.

On St Nicholas day, May 22, Orthodox parish of St Matrona of Moscow organized the distribution of humanitarian aid to the needy families of Barangay Bukan in Davao city. More than seventy poorest families received food packages. Quarantined for more than two months, people in poor neighborhoods, unable to work or grow vegetables, are in a critical situation; many families have nothing to eat at all.
Before the action, the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, hieromonk Cornelius (Molev) read the prayer for the end of the destructive plague and sprinkled the food and the area with Holy water.
Same action took place in Kiamba, Sarangani, by priest Roman Buniel and volonteers.

… let’s greet our Good Samaritans from the Department of Charity and Social Ministry of our diocese, who never tire of helping all those in need in these difficult times. May the giving hands never be empty as charity covers all sins (see Matthew 25: 34-40)

In the middle of the journey from Easter to Pentecost, we begin to prepare for the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit into the world. The visible symbol of His life-giving grace is water, the basis of organic life. Christ Himself compared It to living water that quenches thirst forever. Therefore, on this day, water is blessed in Orthodox churches, and the gospel stories of the 4th and 5th weeks after Easter are associated with water sources.