On February 15, 2024, the diocesan meeting of the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese was held. During the meeting, reports of the deaneries of the diocese and heads of departments were presented, plans for diocesan events and economic and construction works for 2024 were approved. Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi made a report summarizing the results of 2023. His Eminence noted that 4 priestly and 3 deaconal ordinations were performed last year. 4 students study in St. Petersburg and 2 students study at Ugra University in Khanty-Mansiysk. Also on February 15, priestly and deaconal ordinations were performed, and 2 priestly ordinations are scheduled in the coming days. In 2023, the parish of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Polomolok was accepted into the diocese, and at the last meeting they accepted the parish of the Resurrection of Christ in Lake Cebu and opened the parish of St. Nicholas in Dipolog. The diocese is growing in churches and needs more clergy. Last year, the construction of the temple in Kinabalan continued. Other questions also have been discussed at the meeting.

On February 15, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi inspected the construction site of a new church in honor of the Apostle Thomas in the village Kinabalan. His Eminence was accompanied by Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Archpriest Anthony Isakov, dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, dean of the Nizhnevartovsk city Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Hierodeacon Nikodim (Pirkhovsky).

The architecture of the temple has the outlines of a basilica, an ancient architectural style of the first Christian churches. Construction work began in 2021, when the site was prepared and piles were driven. Despite the complexity of the project, local workers, with the help of parishioners and under the supervision of clerics, coped with the work. The temple project was developed by the architectural department of the Khanty-Mansiysk Metropolia specifically for the conditions of the Philippines, characterized by high seismic activity and humidity. According to the project, the temple must withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of 9 points.

On the same day, Metropolitan Pavel visited the churches of the Assumption of the Virgin in Banate and of the Epiphany in Talas, gave his archpastoral blessing to the parishioners, held meetings with the clergy and the flock of the parishes

On February 14, 2024, on the eve of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, held an all-night vigil in the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in Lake Cebu. His Eminence was co-served by: Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Archpriest Anthony Isakov, Dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, Dean of the Nizhnevartovsk City Deanery of the Khanty—Mansiysk Diocese, Priest Konstantin Memyachkin, Chairman of the Architectural and Construction Department of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese. The deaconess rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nicodemus (Pirkhovsky). During the divine service, Metropolitan Paul performed the consecration of the reader and subdeacon Gabriel Hermudo. At the end of the all-night vigil, His Eminence addressed the audience: “I congratulate all of you, my dear brothers and sisters, on the feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ! Simeon the righteous is called a God-receiver, because he took the Child of God into his own hands, in affirmation of his faith, and uttered the words of prayer: “Now let thy servant go, O Lord, according to thy word in peace, for my eyes have seen my salvation!” May God grant us to be worthy, to accept Christ into our hearts, into our souls, and therefore into our lives. That is why we gather for common prayer, glorifying our Heavenly Creator, receiving communion and uniting with God in the sacraments that we perform, especially during the Divine Liturgy. I congratulate everyone on this great holiday, and God grant that we meet the Lord, and when we pass from this world to another, to the eternal one, so that the Lord accepts us, and he will accept us if we accept him into our lives. Help us, Lord! Of course, I am very glad today to share with you the joy of common prayer in this temple, for the first time. I hope that God will give us more time to serve and pray together here, not once, but many times, in order for us all to establish ourselves in firm faith.Last year, I remember, we met in General Santos parish, with representatives of this community, and I promised to come here and definitely visit this community. And today, by the grace of God, the Lord has vouchsafed us to be here with you. And I rejoice with you!I know that today this community is being nurtured by Father Roman, and he still has four communities being nurtured, and of course it is difficult for him to be here with you every Sunday or every holiday. But I hope that we have students studying in St. Petersburg, in our seminary, and two graduate next year. Therefore, I will send one graduate here to you.I ask for your holy prayers so that the Lord will give us strength, opportunities, so that there will be a priest in every parish, and of course, we all wish this, so that every holiday, every Sunday there will be a rector in every community, in every church, then our communities will fully live.May the Lord help us all to walk the saving path with Him! God save us all, God save us!”

On February 14, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, visited the parish in honor of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer of Lambayon (Philippines).

The administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese performed a prayer service at the parish and gave the archpastoral blessing to the parishioners.

His Eminence was co-served by: Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, dean of the Nizhnevartovsk City Deanery, and Priest Roman Buniel.

In his speech to the audience, the archpastor noted:

“Dear fathers, Father Roman, as the rector of this temple, brothers and sisters! I am glad to share with you a common prayer to the heavenly patron of this temple, and of course, we all ask for the blessing of the Holy Martyr Ignatius so that he strengthens us in faith.

Heavenly patrons are our guides, our helpers in the Christian life. This small, modest church is dedicated to the Holy Martyr Ignatius, and we know from his life that he suffered for the faith and gave his life.

This indicates that he had a very strong and strong faith in God, and of course, he is an example for us in our faith and we try to imitate him, to be at least a little bit like this Great saint of God.

I wish all the parishioners of this temple, this city, the protection and guidance of this saint, so that not a single soul flowing to God does not perish, but he preserves and guides, helps in life everyone who prays and falls to his intercession before God.

Therefore, with hope and trust in the Lord, and of course, on the intercession of our heavenly patron, I hope that the Lord will not leave anyone, because He promised and said: “I will not reject anyone who comes and touches me.” And through the guardian angel, the patron of this temple, the Lord will hear our prayers.

I hope that it will be so! As they say, hope in God, but don’t be bad yourself. We will work, we will pray, and the Lord will not leave! I thank you all for the prayers that you took the time to pray together and meet here in this temple, may the Lord help us all in the work of our salvation!”

On February 13, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, visited the parish in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in General Santos (Philippines). The administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese performed a prayer service at the parish and gave the archpastoral blessing to the parishioners. His Eminence was co-served by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev) and Priest Roman Buniel. In his speech to the audience, Metropolitan Pavel noted: “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! First of all, I would like to offer prayers of gratitude to God that the Lord has allowed us to come here, and of course to meet with all of you! And not only to thank God, but also to pray together so that God’s mercy and help may help and accompany us in our lives. The Lord says, “You can’t do anything without me,” so we should always thank God for every day we live in our lives, for the fact that the Lord gives us the strength to move around and do something – this is already God’s Great mercy. I can say with confidence that the Lord blesses you and me today, and our diocese. It is young in its age, but it is slowly getting stronger and we see that the right hand of God is present with us. And so, with the blessing of God and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, to be a bishop on this earth, we see that the Lord helps us, does not abandon and multiplies our church, and this is God’s providence. Time flies very fast. It seemed that my appointment here took place quite recently, and it has already been 5 years. I remember coming here for the first time, I saw only the priest Father Joachim from the local priests, there were no others, but today look at how many priests we already have, and we see that our students are studying today, who are ready to become priests soon, and of course the deacons, who are preparing for today ordination. And the Lord blesses this work for us, so the right hand of God is with us, and what higher joy can there be if God is with us?When God is with us, we are not afraid of anything, no sorrow, no illness, no obstacles! And now I remember those moments when Father Roman and Father Moses were the first travelers to Russia, how they perceived, how they saw all, then Father Nicholas and Father Ambrose came, and now you look at this period of time and remember how our church is growing. I remember when I asked how you like it here, especially in winter, they said: it’s a refrigerator outside! You can imagine: today, in Khanty-Mansiysk, it’s minus 29°C, and here it’s about that much plus! But we are all children of the one God the Father, we live in different climatic conditions, but Christ unites us, so I want to thank the Lord again and again for His benefits that He shows us today, and to me and to all of us, let’s pray about it!”

On February 13, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, arrived in the city of General Santos of the Mindanao Island of the Republic of the Philippines. At the airport, Metropolitan Pavel and representatives of the delegation of the Khanty-Mansiysk diocese were met by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese. On the trip, His Eminence is accompanied by: Archpriest Anthony Isakov, dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Archpriest Sergiy Shevchenko, dean of the Nizhnevartovsk City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese, Priest Konstantin Memyachkin, chairman of the Architectural and Construction Department of the Khanty—Mansiysk Diocese, Hierodeacon Nikodim Pirkhovsky, resident of the Dimitrievsky Monastery of Khanty-Mansiysk, General Director of SC “YuviS” Vladimir Yurievich Bashkov. As part of the archpastoral visit, visits to parishes in different provinces of the Republic of the Philippines are planned. Metropolitan Pavel will visit a number of Orthodox communities on the island of Mindanao, where he will perform divine services and ordinations of clerics of the Philippine–Vietnamese diocese. Metropolitan Pavel will visit the parish of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in General Santos, perform a prayer service in Lambayon at the parish of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer and will lead the all-night vigil at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Lake Cebu settlement. On February 15, on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos of the settlement of Polomoloka. At the end of the Liturgy, a Diocesan meeting of the clergy and laity of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese will take place. On this day, an inspection of the church of the Apostle Thomas under construction in the village of Kinabalan, a visit to the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Banate, the temple of St. John of Shanghai in Santa Maria and the Church of the Epiphany in Talas are planned. On February 18, the diocesan governor will preside over the Divine Liturgy in Davao City. On February 19, His Eminence will visit the church under construction in honor of the icon of the Theotokos “Quick to Hear” on the island of Panglao, where he will perform a prayer service. On February 24, the archpastor will lead an all-night vigil at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Tagaytat. On February 25, on the patronal feast day, Metropolitan Pavel will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the temple in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. On February 26, His Eminence will visit the church in honor of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord in Siniluan, Laguna and perform a prayer service. As part of the archpastoral trip to the Republic of the Philippines, the Administrator of the Philippine—Vietnamese Diocese will also hold working meetings with representatives of the state authorities of the cities of the republic and representatives of the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation. The archpastoral visit to Vietnam will begin on February 27 and will last until March 4. During the visit of the head of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese meetings with the parishioners of Nha Trang and a prayer service in Vung Tau are planned. On March 2 and 3, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi will celebrate Divine Liturgies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Also in Hanoi, Metropolitan Pavel plans to meet with the Russian Ambassador to Vietnam and members of the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Republic of Vietnam.

Reference: By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church dated August 30, 2019 (journal No. 97), His Grace Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, in addition to his obedience, was entrusted with the administration of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia with the naming of the title within the specified diocese “Manila and Hanoi”. The Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese was established by the decision of the Holy Synod of February 26, 2019 (Journal no. 8) within the Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with the title of diocesan Bishop of Manila and Hanoi. It is included in the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia.

From February 11 to March 4, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, the administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, will pay an archpastoral visit to the republics of the Philippines and Vietnam. As part of the archpastoral visit, visits to parishes in different provinces of the Republic of the Philippines are planned. Metropolitan Pavel will visit a number of Orthodox communities on the island of Mindanao, where he will perform divine services and ordinations of clerics of the Philippine–Vietnamese diocese. Metropolitan Pavel will visit the parish of the Resurrection of Christ in General Santos, perform a prayer service in Lambayon at the parish of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer and will lead the all-night vigil at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Lake Cebu settlement. On February 15, on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Metropolitan Pavel will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Polomolok. At the end of the Liturgy, a Diocesan meeting of the clergy and laity of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese will take place. On this day, an inspection of the churches in Kinabalan, Banate, Santa Maria and Talas are planned. On February 18, the diocesan governor will head the Divine Liturgy in Davao City. On February 19, His Eminence will visit the church under construction in honor of the icon of the Theotokos “Quick to Hear” on the island of Panglao, where he will perform a prayer service. On February 24, the archpastor will lead an all-night vigil at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Tagaytay. On February 25, on the patronal feast day, Metropolitan Pavel will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. On February 26, His Eminence will visit the church in honor of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord in Siniloan, Laguna and perform a prayer service. As part of the archpastoral trip to the Republic of the Philippines, the Administrator of the Philippine—Vietnamese Diocese will also hold working meetings with representatives of the state authorities of the cities of the republic and representatives of the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation.

The archpastoral visit to Vietnam will begin on February 27 and last until March 4. During the visit, meetings with the parishioners of Nha Trang and a prayer service in Vung Tau are planned. On March 2 and 3, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi will celebrate Divine Liturgies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Also in Hanoi, Bishop Pavel plans to meet with the Russian Ambassador to Vietnam and members of the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Republic of Vietnam.

The bishops of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia concelebrated with Patriarch Kirill at the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the fifteenth anniversary of the enthronement of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On February 1, 2024, the Russian Orthodox Church prayerfully celebrated the 15th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Prayers were offered in all churches and monasteries for the Primate of the Church, who was elected to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne at the 2009 Council. On this day, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. His Holiness was co-served by bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, including: Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Sergius of Singapore and Southeast Asia; Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi; Archbishop Theophan of Korea; Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta, Vicar of the Diocese of Singapore. Among the co-servants were also clerics of the Singapore Diocese of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia, serving in the Republic of Indonesia, Hieromonk Methodius (Sugiarto) and Priest Dorotheus Gunawan. At the end of the service, the Primate of the Russian Church addressed the participants of the divine service with the Primatial word. Afterwards, a reception was held on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness.

Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi will visit the Philippines on February 12-26. Schedule of services:

Tuesday, February 13, 2024, st. Nikita the recluse. Prayer service in the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in General Santos.

Wednesday, February 14, 2023. The pre-feast of the Presentation of the Lord. All-night vigil at the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in Lake Cebu.

Thursday, February 15, 2024. Presentation of the Lord. Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos of Polomolok. The Diocesan Assembly of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese.

Saturday, February 17, 2023. St Isidore. All-night vigil in the church in honor of the Blessed Matrona of Moscow, Davao.

Sunday, February 18, 2024. Zacchaeus Sunday. Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of the Blessed Matrona of Moscow, Davao city.

February 24, 2024, Saturday, St. Dimitri Prilutsky. All-night vigil in the church in honor of the Nativity of Christ in Tagaytay.

Sunday, February 25, 2024. Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Manila.