The Department of Charity and Social Ministry of the Philippines-Vietnamese Diocese provided assistance to victims of Typhoon Trami on Luzon Island.

On October 30, 2024, employees of the Department of Charity and Social Ministry of the Philippines-Vietnamese diocese organized the distribution of humanitarian aid to victims of Typhoon Trami, which hit the island of Luzon and caused severe damage to residential buildings, took the lives of dozens of people, and left several areas without water and electricity.

On the territory of the parish of Christ the Savior in Tagaytay City, the rector of the church, Priest David Grubbs, together with volunteers, distributed humanitarian aid to families living near the church. Those in need received rice and other food products, as well as canvas fabric for the necessary repairs of their homes for the first time.

Tropical Storm Trami hit the Philippines in late October, killing more than 120 people before hitting the coast of Vietnam, where it dumped more than two months’ worth of rain in just 24 hours. Many residents were stranded in their homes as water levels remained high. The country had experienced flooding before, but nothing of this magnitude, according to rescuers. In total, about 25,000 people were evacuated from various counties in the Philippines because of the storm.

On October 27-28, 2024, on the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, services were held in the Assumption Church of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in English, during which foreign students studying at the Theological School prayed. The services were attended by all foreign students from different countries, including from Indonesia and the Philippines, who were sent to study by the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia. The all-night vigil and Divine Liturgy were celebrated by Archimandrite Zachariah (Mulingua), who came to study in Russia from Tanzania. The choir of foreign students was led by a student of the preparatory department of the Faculty of Church Arts, a native of Indonesia, Pavla Runkat. The singers performed most of the chants in English; some hymns were sung in Church Slavonic. Divine services in foreign languages at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy are planned to be held regularly, at least once a month.

Service on 18th Sunday after Pentecost

The Divine Liturgy on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, was celebrated at the Archangel Michael parish in Mahongok, Philippines. The service was led by priests Moses Kahilig and Raphael Frajillo. From now on, the Liturgy and other services will be celebrated regularly at the parish. From this day on, Father Raphael will become a permanent priest at St. Michael’s Church in Mahongok.

Divine Liturgy on the patronal feast day of the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in the village of Kinabalan, Mindanao Island, Philippines. After the service the parishioners went in holy procession to the place of the construction of the new temple.

Divine Liturgy was served on the day of Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos at the parish in Polomolok. After the festive service, the clergy and believers walked in a religious procession, after which a meal was held for all those gathered.

The Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of Our Lord and the Virgin Mary was prayerfully celebrated by the faithful of the Pokrovsky parish in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The service was conducted by Priest Evgeny Tsukalo.

The Lord’s Prayer at Iveron Parish in Manila is often recited not only in Tagalog, English, Russian and Cebuano, but also in Chinese, Japanese, Italian and other languages.