On Thursday of Bright Week, the Secretary of the diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Arakan. All the priests of the North Cotabato deanery served with him: Priest Moses Cahilig, Priest Nikolai Salgado, Priest Ambrose Sumagaysay, Priest Anthony Aranko and Priest Raphael Frajillo. After the Liturgy, a meeting of the priests of the North Cotabato deanery was held.

The feast of St. Righteous Matrona of Moscow at the parish in Davao in her honor (this year postponed from May 2 due to Holy Week).

Throughout the Bright Week, the same Easter services are held in the Church as on the first day of the Feast of Holidays. These days, the constantly open Royal Gates symbolize an open paradise: the Heavenly Church rejoices together with the earthly one. According to a pious legend, even the souls of the deceased believers in these days, bypassing the ordeal, immediately go to heaven.

On Bright Monday, on the feast of St Great Martyr George, at the parish of St Matrona of Moscow in Davao two people were baptized.

Resurrection of Christ was solemnly celebrated in Vung Tau, Vietnam. Parish of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God

…Grant us more perfectly to partake of Thee!

Paschal service in Tagaytay

Festive celebration in Davao, parish of St Matrona of Moscow

Easter at the parish of St John of Shanghai in Talas

Pascha is Christ the Redeemer Who opens Paradise for us…

This Easter, the Vietnamese Deanery of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese was replenished with another cleric. With the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Hegumen Micah (Selyakov) was appointed rector of the parish in honour of St. Ksenia of St. Petersburg in Hanoi and rector of the parish in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Priest Yevgeny Tsukalo will continue to take care of the parishes in Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City. Hegumen Micah arrived in Vietnam on May 3 and on the same day, together with the Embassy and the consular department of Russia in Vietnam, took part in the memorial action “Immortal Regiment”. After that, the priest met and had a friendly conversation with the Russian diplomatic corps in Vietnam.

On Easter Sunday, Hegumen Micah held his first festive divine service in the Church of St. Ksenia, which was attended by more than 50 compatriots, including Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia G. S. Bezdetko.

… angels hymn in the heavens; vouchsafe also us on earth with pure hearts to glorify Thee

Patronal feast at Resurrection parish in General Santos

Do Thou exult, O pure Theotokos, in the arising of Him Whom Thou didst bear! Pascha at the parish of the Nativity of The Theotokos in Arakan