Festive celebration in Davao, parish of St Matrona of Moscow
Let God arise!
Easter at the parish of St John of Shanghai in Talas
Pascha in Hanoi
Pascha is Christ the Redeemer Who opens Paradise for us…
This Easter, the Vietnamese Deanery of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese was replenished with another cleric. With the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Hegumen Micah (Selyakov) was appointed rector of the parish in honour of St. Ksenia of St. Petersburg in Hanoi and rector of the parish in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Priest Yevgeny Tsukalo will continue to take care of the parishes in Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City. Hegumen Micah arrived in Vietnam on May 3 and on the same day, together with the Embassy and the consular department of Russia in Vietnam, took part in the memorial action “Immortal Regiment”. After that, the priest met and had a friendly conversation with the Russian diplomatic corps in Vietnam.
On Easter Sunday, Hegumen Micah held his first festive divine service in the Church of St. Ksenia, which was attended by more than 50 compatriots, including Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia G. S. Bezdetko.
Thy Resurrection, O Christ Saviour
… angels hymn in the heavens; vouchsafe also us on earth with pure hearts to glorify Thee
Patronal feast at Resurrection parish in General Santos
Celebrating death of death!
Do Thou exult, O pure Theotokos, in the arising of Him Whom Thou didst bear! Pascha at the parish of the Nativity of The Theotokos in Arakan
This is the Day of Resurrection!
Feast on the parish of St Elena in Little Baguio
Si Kristo ay nabuhay!
Services of the Holy Week and Easter in Siniloan, Manila Deanery
Truly He is Risen!
Easter Joy is because we have Such A God! God Who created the Universe and dies for we would live…
Christ is RISEN!
EASTER MESSAGE OF METROPOLITAN PAVEL OF MANILA AND HANOI TO THE GOD-LOVING FLOCK 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
Paschal Message of the Metropolitan of Singapore and South-East Asia, SERGIY to the Most Reverend archpastors, the clergy, monastics and all the orthodox flock of the Patriarchal Exarchate of South-East Asia
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