Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi was awarded the main prize of the International Slavic Literary Forum “Golden Knight”
On January 22, 2024, as part of the XXXII International Christmas Educational Readings, a round table “The Cultural Front of Russia and the space of the Russian literary word” was held under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk. The event was co-chaired by the President of the International Slavic Arts Forum “Golden Knight”, Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for the Development of Civil Society, issues of public and religious associations N.P. Burlyaev. The event was attended by: Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese; Director of the International Slavic Literary Forum “Golden Knight” A.V. Orlov; laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize V.N. Khairyuzov, K.P. Kovalev-Sluchevsky and V.Y. Malyagin; editor-in-chief of the magazine “Moscow” V.V. Artemov; the editor-in-chief of the magazine “Day and Night” M.O. Savvinykh (Krasnoyarsk); deputy editor-in-chief of the literary and artistic magazine “Rise” V.D. Lyutyj (Voronezh); The president of the Literary Fund “The Road of Life”, nominee of the Patriarchal Literary Prize D.A. Mizgulin (St. Petersburg); Chairman of the Poetry Council of the Union of Writers of Russia V.F. Kiryushin, as well as employees of the Publishing Council Hieromonk Makariy (Komogorov), priest Zachary Saveliev and others. Before the discussion, the Chairman of the Publishing Council presented Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi with a diploma of the winner of the Enlightenment through the Book competition for his work “Russian Golgotha: Political Repression in Ugra”, and N.P. Burlyaev with a Golden Knight statuette for a book about the life of Archbishop Antonin (Pokrovsky) of Washington and Alaska.
Congratulations from the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese.
Your Eminence! Dear Vladyka!
We congratulate you on the Day of the Heavenly Patron Saint — St. Pavel of Komel!
By God’s Providence, several large dioceses in different countries of the world are under your control at the same time, and you find time for everyone, without forgetting anyone! Despite your love of solitary prayer, you never refuse spiritual comfort and guidance. Imitating St. Paul of Komel, you pay special attention to the works of mercy to the poor and the suffering, and by word and deed teaching this to your flock.
And today, turning to the intercession of St. Paul, we especially ask the Lord to grant you strength in carrying out difficult obediences, cheerfulness of spirit, true joy in Christ and many and good summers!
With love and prayer,
clergy and flock of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese.
Congratulations to Metropolitan Pavel on the Day of the Angel.
Your Eminence! Dear Vladyka!
The staff of the diocesan administration, the clergy and parishioners of the churches of the Khanty-Mansiysk Metropolia congratulate you on the day of your heavenly patron, the Venerable Pavel Obnorsky, the Miracleworker of Komel! It is gratifying to see that the Yugra land under your administration is being decorated with new temples and monasteries. All these are the fruits of your tireless labors, prayers and reflections on the welfare of the church at the Khanty-Mansiysk See entrusted to you by God! You are carrying out God-given high archpastoral service for the benefit of the Church in the Yugra land, giving all your bodily and mental strength for this. You guide the flock entrusted to you by the Lord on the right path, taking care of the beauty and splendor of the parishes, edifying and helping all those working in the field of the Church with fatherly love. On the day of your Angel, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you God’s help in your archpastoral ministry, good health, and inexhaustible energy, which may the Lord grant you through the prayers of St. Pavel! Many happy years to you!
On January 19, on the feast of the Holy Theophany (Baptism of the Lord), according to the tradition of the Iveron parish of the Mother of God in Manila, the rite of the Great Consecration of waters was performed on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. On this day, three new parishioners were baptized in the sea. Many years to Vladimir, Anna, baby Mark and all Orthodox Christians!🙏
The patronal feast at the mission in honor of the St. Seraphim of Sarov in Lawigue, Tayabas (Manila Deanery) on January 15. At the end of the liturgy, Bibles and humanitarian aid were distributed to parishioners in need, and the sacrament of Baptism was performed over handmaid of God Irina.
In December 2023, with the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, in Kinabalan, Mindanao, the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese organized an Orthodox youth camp. The program of events included lectures on faith, as well as sports competitions and talent presentations. During the week, the participants expanded their knowledge of the Church, strengthened their ties and camaraderie. On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the youth participated in divine services, during which they sang, read and helped the clergy. The camp ended with a Divine Liturgy led by the Secretary of the diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), who was co-served by Priest Joachim Gonzalez and Deacon Juventinus Bulaqueña. We express our heartfelt gratitude to those who supported the event, especially the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle, Kinabalan, the LGU of Kinabalan and the staff of Salasang Elementary School, which served as the site of the camp.
Congratulations from Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and Southeast Asia to Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi on his birthday.
Your Eminence, dear Vladyka! Kindly accept my sincere congratulations on your birthday. For many years you have been diligently and reverently serving God and His Holy Church, trying to set a good example to clergy and laity, to be attentive, responsive and sensitive towards them. Taking care of the spiritual growth of the children entrusted to you, you encourage them to watch over themselves so that they do not lose what they have worked for, but receive full reward (2 John 1, 8). I prayerfully wish you strength of mind and body, joy in the Lord and His generous help in further archpastoral labors.
With love in Christ,
SERGIY, Metropolitan of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE from METROPOLITAN PAVEL OF MANILA AND HANOI.
TO THE GOD-LOVING FLOCK OF THE PHILIPPINE – VIETNAMESE DIOCESE.
“We magnify You, O Life-giver Christ, Who for our sake is now born in the flesh.”
Beloved pastors of the Lord, dear brothers and sisters! Another year has passed, and we are once again entering into the joy of the Christmas holiday. On the same days, we celebrate the New Year, according to custom, summing up the results of the year that has passed and thinking about the future. The Holy Church now calls us to spiritual rejoicing, remembering that great and unforgettable day when “The Great mystery of piety was realized: God appeared in the flesh” (1 Tim.3:16). St. Gregory the Theologian, in a sermon on this holiday, showing its greatness, exclaims: “I will proclaim the power of the day. The Bodiless incarnates, the Word solidifies, the Invisible becomes visible, the Intangible is touchable. The Son of God becomes the son of man.” (St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. part 1, p. 522). The feast of the Nativity of Christ contains everything that can animate us and give us hope, but at the same time it contains everything that can awaken the careless and frighten the unworthy. Today, no one can justify himself by ignorance of God and salvation through Jesus Christ. It is not the first time that we have heard the angelic gospel that “the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born in the city of David” (Luke 2:11), and it is not the first year that we celebrate Christmas, and we already know the meaning of this Holy Day. And here the question arises: What does this holiday bring to our lives? Or, how do we perceive it, are we changing in our lives for the better, refraining from evil and eradicating sinful habits from our lives? Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, our life has an endless opposition: evil to good, darkness to light, sin to virtue… Our high and sacred duty as Orthodox Christians is to resist evil with good in every possible way. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” the Apostle Paul urges (Romans 12:21). A religious view of life helps to draw the right conclusions from everything that happens to us. And “the fruit of spirit”, according to the Apostle Paul, is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23). Do we perform these virtues in our lives? On the contrary, evil deeds, called by the same apostle the works of the flesh, literally overwhelm our society. “They are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, magic, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreements, (temptations,) heresies, hatred, murders, drunkenness, outrages and so on” (Gal. 5, 19-21). A nation in which such vices flourish cannot become a welfare society. Our sorrows and our disorder are the natural result of the evil that we commit, convincing evidence of the inevitability of the consequences of violation of the moral law by man. By the grace of God, we now see that more people are beginning to see the connection that exists between the moral crisis of the individual and the tragic consequences in society. More people are turning their hearts and minds to God, seeking to find the support of their lives in Him. And if there is a spiritual rebirth of our people, then, undoubtedly, the society will be reborn in all its spiritual beauty and strength.Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! I wholeheartedly thank the clergy and laity of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese for their hard work for the glory of God, for the benefit of the Holy Mother Church. I believe that the Lord will help us to pass all the trials that have fallen on our time and grant us a prosperous and peaceful life. As we enter the New Year 2024, let us offer our prayers to the Lord for fraternal unity and mutual understanding, for patience and mutual respect in society, and for peace between peoples. “Your Nativity, O Christ our God, raised up the light of knowledge in the world…”, we sing in the tropar of the holiday. Indeed, the feast of Christmas is a feast of knowledge, for in Christ we are clothed with knowledge and learn the way to true happiness. In these joyful Christmas days, we sincerely wish each other to find the light of knowledge that Christ the Savior, born in Bethlehem, brought to us, so that this light illuminates the path of life ahead of us. Happy great holiday, congratulations to all of you, my dear!
