On February 25, 2024, Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the temple in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Manila. His Eminence was co-served by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), rector of the temple, Hieromonk Alexei (Lapshin), Archimandrite Philemon (Castro), Priest Agustin Ponferrada. The deacon’s rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nicodemus (Pirkhovsky). The divine service was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines M.I. Pavlov. During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained Deacon Juventinus Bulaqueña to the priesthood. Metropolitan Pavel congratulated the audience on the patronal Day: “Dear fathers, dear Ambassador of the Russian Federation Marat Ignatievich, brothers and sisters! I am glad to be with you today at the patronal feast of this parish! Patronal Day is like the second Easter. The Iveron icon of the Mother of God has a long history. Tradition says that it was written by the Apostle Luke himself. And this icon was located near the city of Nicaea, at the pious widow, when in the IX century there was a persecution of icons, the iconoclasm. Soldiers, state guards came and saw this icon at the widow. One of the soldiers struck the icon with a spear, and blood flowed from the icon. The widow asked the soldiers not to break the icon, and when they left, she and her son took this icon to the sea and sent it on a journey so that the Lord would determine the place of its stay. And the icon arrived by sea to Mount Athos. Why is it called Iveron? There was a Georgian monastery nearby on Mount Athos, where the inhabitants were mostly Georgians, and Iberia is the ancient name of Georgia, and this icon was found by the monks of this monastery, and eventually the monastery became known as Iveron, and the icon of the Mother of God from that moment also became known as Iveron. It is very providential and miraculous that the Iveron icon was found at sea, but when the monks took it from the sea to land, a source of fresh water clogged here. This spring still exists today, and by the grace of God I have been there many, many times, drinking water from there. And when this icon was found and placed in the temple of the Iveron monastery, a day later this icon stood over the gate at the entrance to the monastery, and this happened several times. The monks took her away and put her in the temple, but she went back to the gate. To one of the monks, the Mother of God appeared in a dream and said: “You will not protect me, but I will protect you, and let My image stand over the entrance to the monastery.” So she began to be called by the second name: “Gatekeeper”, protecting the monastery from foreigners who very often attacked monasteries. God grant that this icon, to which this temple is dedicated, protects everyone who comes to this image, would keep it in life, would keep the gates of our soul. We will pray, we will ask her, and she will certainly be with us and will help us. I thank you all once again for the common prayers, and I would like to especially congratulate today the priest Juventinus, who took the priesthood. And of course, I would like to remind you that a clergyman bears great responsibility, he has great grace from God, and responsibility not only for himself and his salvation, but already for the salvation of the flock that will be handed to him. One of the wisest saints, His Beatitude Vladimir of Kiev, said: “You must be a strict father and a loving mother to each of your parishioners. Love the Church — and the Lord will not leave you, and the Church too,” because the Church is people united by faith in Christ, and you can serve and love God only by loving and serving your neighbor. May the Lord help you in your ministry! I would like to especially congratulate Father Anthony, who has angel Day today, for the third time during his trip to the Philippines, he has to celebrate both his birthday and angel day.

On February 19, 2024, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi celebrated a prayer service at the site of the future temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “The Quick to Hearer” on Panglao Island (Philippines). The prayer was attended by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), the dean of the Manila District Hieromonk Alexei (Lapshin), clerics of the Khanty-Mansiysk metropolia, Orthodox Christians living on the island.

On February 18, 2024, in the 37th Sunday after Pentecost, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of St. Matrona of Moscow in Davao City, Philippines. His Eminence was co-served by Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, and Archpriest Anthony Isakov, Dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese. The deacon’s rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nicodemus (Porkhovsky). During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained Deacon Raphael Frajillo to the priesthood.

On February 17, 2024, on the eve of the 37th Sunday after Pentecost, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, held an all-night vigil in the church in honor of St. Matrona of Moscow in Davao. His Eminence was co-served by Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, and Archpriest Anthony Isakov, Dean of the Surgut City Deanery of the Khanty-Mansiysk Diocese. The deacon’s rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nicodemus (Pirkhovsky). At the end of the service, Metropolitan Pavel addressed the audience: “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! I sincerely thank everyone for the common prayers, congratulations on the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! God willing, tomorrow we will serve the Divine Liturgy, at which another priest will be ordained, we will pray to the Lord that He will bless our pastors, strengthen them in faith, and that they will fulfill a saving mission on this earth. God help us, I sincerely thank you once again for reading, for singing, compared to last year I can say that you are more sung, the service is more complex, the experience is visible and noticeable from the outside. I thank everyone for the service, for the prayers, God grant that tomorrow the Lord will bless everything that we have planned: both to serve him and to perform the ordination. God’s mercy and help to all, God bless everyone!”

On February 15, 2024, on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord God and Our Savior Jesus Christ, Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, governor of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Polomolok, South Cotabato province of Mindanao Island (Philippines). 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 Liturgy, Metropolitan Paul ordained Deacon Anthony Aranko as priest and reader Gabriel Hermudo as deacon.At the end of the service, His Eminence addressed the audience:Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! Let me thank everyone from the bottom of my heart and from the bottom of my heart for the common prayers! There is no greater glory than to glorify your Creator together, it is said in the Holy Scriptures. And today we are gathered together on the day of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Child of God was brought to the temple, and Simeon the Righteous, as noted in the Holy Scriptures, came by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to this temple. For he said that until I see Christ, I will not find peace. And when he took Him in his arms, he said a prayer.: “Now let your servant depart in peace, O Lord, according to your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.”And you and I live on this earth, every believer, of course, wants to be with God, and probably, like Simeon the God-receiver, everyone wants to meet God on their way of life, so that He does not leave him here, but helps him walk the saving path. And today we are building temples, ordaining holy orders in order for the name of God and the truth of God to be glorified among the people, and if it is glorified among the people, then the people will be saved. For the Lord came to Earth, became incarnate, took human flesh, lived with us and showed us this way of salvation. And each of us seeks God in his life, longs to know God, to accept God into his life, into his heart, into his soul, and when a person is with God, everything is possible for him.Today we pray and ask the Lord to confirm us in our Orthodox faith. No matter what happens around us, we must hold on to the truth of the right faith and the Church that our Lord Jesus Christ created during the Last Supper.I rejoice with you today that our Orthodox Church in the Philippines is growing and strengthening, and you and I have a great responsibility: to preserve the faith, spread it and pass it on to our children and grandchildren. “So let us fulfill the law of Christ.” Today, I congratulate Father Anthony and Deacon Gabriel on taking holy orders! They have taken holy orders today, asserting themselves in the true faith and will affirm and carry the truth of Christ in their parishes. May the Lord strengthen us in the true Orthodox Faith! God’s help to all of us!”

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!”