On December 22, the 26th Sunday after Pentecost, at the parish of Blessed Matrona of Moscow in Davao (Philippines), the secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), after the Divine Liturgy, performed the rite of catechism. In Russia, this rite is usually performed together with the sacrament of Baptism, because as presumed, people there are familiar with Orthodox culture. But in the Philippines, people know little about the doctrine, worship, history and traditions of the Orthodox Church, so the process of catechism can stretch out up to six months. This rite here is performed on those preparing to be baptized in advance, but only on those who are studying the Orthodox faith and have already confirmed their intention to become members of the Orthodox Church. Today, 12 people, both adults and children, underwent the rite of catechumenate. Among them were three families. “Several people from this group were brought to Orthodoxy by another catechumen, who has been preparing for baptism for about six months and is already actively preaching,” the priest said.
