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
In the Philippines, prayers for the repose of the innocently murdered in the Crocus City Hall were sent up. On March 24, with the blessing of His Eminence Pavel, Metropolitan of Manila and Hanoi, funeral services were held in the parishes of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese for the innocently murdered during […]
Sunday of Orthodoxy in Tagaytay. Traditional procession with icons on this day in the parish of Nativity of our Lord.
The service in the parish of Resurrection of Christ in General Santos on Wednesday of the first week of Lent
Sacrament of baptism took place in the church in Polomolok, South Kotabato.
On March 11, 2024, the journey of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Softening of Evil Hearts” in the Philippines ended. The last parish to which it was brought was the oldest Orthodox church in the Philippines in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross […]
On March 10, 2024, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Softening of Evil Hearts” stayed at the parish in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Manila. After the Divine Liturgy, prayers were served to the Most Holy Theotokos. During the day, the temple […]
On March 9, 2024, the myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God “Softening of Evil Hearts” stayed in Tagaytay at the parish in honor of the Nativity of Christ. The priests served prayers, anointed the faithful with fragrant myrrh from the icon. At the end of the service, the towel […]
On March 8, 2024, the myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God completed a procession through the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Mindanao. On this day, it was greeted in the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in Banat and in the Church of St. […]