On February 4, 2023, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi , the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of St. Matrona of Moscow in Davao. His Eminence was co-served by: Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Dean of the Nizhnevartovsk Deanery of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese, Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, Priest Oleg Gordeev, Priest Joachim Gonzalez. The diaconal rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nikodim (Pirkhovsky). During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained Deacon Alexy Bergado, a cleric of the Church of St. Isidore of Rostov in Alabel, to the priesthood, and reader Agustin Ponferrada was ordained a deacon. At the end of the Service, Metropolitan Pavel addressed the audience: “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, allow me to congratulate you on the holiday and thank you for the common prayer that we have made today. We have celebrated the Divine Liturgy and 2 ordinations – diaconal and priestly. Our church is being multiplied with the clergy and parishioners, and thus right hand of God leads us to salvation. There is no greater glory than to glorify our Heavenly Creator together. I pray to God that He will bless this land with His Divine blessing and send down the Holy Spirit on those who take holy orders today. It is impossible to love God without loving the flock, it is impossible to serve God without serving one’s neighbor. And today, congratulating and admonishing Deacon Agustin, Priest Alexy, I want to say: to serve God means to serve people. To love God means to love your neighbor. God grant that our parishes, and there are already 30 of them, develop, and it is desirable that each parish has its own priest. Most recently, the birth of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese took place, parishes and flocks are being multiplied, priests are being ordained and trained. I pray to the All-merciful God that He will accomplish His work of salvation, for He desires salvation for all, as it is said in the Holy Scriptures. The Lord calls us, all Orthodox Christians, and says: “You are the Light of the world and the salt of the Earth.” We will bring this Light to those around us, for St. Seraphim of Sarov said: “Acquire the spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.” I invoke God’s blessing on everyone: help us, Lord!”
Parish News
Divine Liturgy for Lazarus Saturday at the parish in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Banate, Philippines. The divine service was performed by priests Juventinus Bulaqueña and Joachim Gonzales.
Sunday in Vietnam. Divine Liturgy on the 5th Sunday of Lent, of the Venerable Mary of Egypt in Nha Trang, parish of St Nicolas the Wonderworker
Telegram channel “Diary of a Filipino priest” During this Lent we managed to visit the remote island of Tubabao, where St. John of Shanghai arrived with Russian refugees a few days before Easter in the middle of the 20th century, and where they found shelter for the next three years. […]
Presanctified Liturgy at the parish of Iveron icon of the Mother of God in Manila on Thursday of the 5th week of Lent. The longest Divine service of this day – “Standing of St Mary of Egypt” – is the culmination of the Lenten prayer feat.
The Department of Charity and Social Ministry of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, together with the Sisterhood of Mercy in General Santos City, continue the feeding program for low-income families and those in need on the islands of Mindanao and Luzon, in the Republic of the Philippines. The chairman of the department, […]
In General Santos (Mindanao) a Sacrament of Baptism was performed by priest Roman Buniel. Taisya, Sofia, Mary and Michael entered the Holy Church
Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Cross, the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the parish in honor of Christ the Savior in Tagaytay, Philippines. After the service, families with children were presented with complex vitamins necessary for the proper growth and development of the […]
On March 29, the secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev) and the chairman of the missionary department of the diocese, Priest Moses Kahilig, celebrated a prayer service to St. John of Shanghai on Tubabao Island, where the saint stayed from 1949 to 1951 together with Russian refugees. On […]