On December 23, 2022, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi met with Igor G. Bailen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Russian Federation. The meeting was attended by: On the part of the Embassy of the Philippines — Deputy Head of Mission Robert O. Ferrer, Vice Consul Catherine Alpay. On the part of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese — Secretary of the Khanty-Mansi Diocese Abbot Anthony (Kirpichev). During the conversation, the parties discussed the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Philippine land and further cooperation
Blessing for podryasnik
Students from Indonesia and the Philippines studying at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy received a blessing to wear a podryasnik (cassock).
On December 9, on the eve of the day the Icon of the Mother of God “Tsarskoye Selo”, All-Night Vigil was held in the church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Before the beginning of the service, the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Bishop Siluan of Peterhof blessed the students of the 1st year of bachelor’s degree to wear podryasnik (clerical under-vestment). Among the first-year students there are also students of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Blessing from St John of Shanghai
On December 11, on the 26th Sunday of Pentecost, at the parish in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Manila, a shrine was greeted – part of the vestments of St. John of Shanghai. The relic – a gift from the Ascension Church on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street in Moscow and from its cleric, Priest Dmitry Sorokin – was delivered to the Philippines by George (Daniel) Foronda, colonel of the International Cossack Brotherhood, representative of the Cossacks in the Philippines.
St. John, as we know, was unmercenary and did not have many vestments. Probably, our parish now has a piece of the very vestments in which the saint walked around the island of Tubabao in 1949-1951. It is significant that such a greeting from the saint came to us unexpectedly, but immediately after the foundation stone of the future church in his honor was blessed on the island of Tubabao.
On the same day after the prayer service to St. John, three parishioners passed the rite of catechumens, and then the “great” blessing of 4 “chariots” was performed.
The foundation completed
The foundation of the church of the Apostle Thomas in Barangay Kinabalan has been completed. Due to the constant seismic activity, with the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, with the help of the architectural department of the Khanty-Mansi Metropolia, a special project of reinforced foundation was developed for this temple, designed for earthquakes up to 9 points. Despite the novelty of the project, local workers, with the help of the parishioners of the church and under the supervision of the clergy of the diocese, coped with the work perfectly.
Consecration of the foundation stone on Tubabao island
On December 1, events dedicated to the beginning of the construction of the church in honor of St. John of Shanghai were held on Tubabao Island. With the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), performed the rite of consecration of the foundation stone in the concelebration of the clergy of the diocese, Hieromonk Alexei (Lapshin), priests Moses Kahilig and Ambrose Sumagaysay.
Then, in the center of the island, at the monument in honor of the Russian-Philippine friendship, a ceremony was held to raise state flags and lay a wreath in memory of the Russian refugees who found refuge on the island.
The events were attended by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Philippines Marat Pavlov and his wife, Senior Consul Yaroslav Pavlov, 1st Secretary of the Embassy Nikolai Ovsyannikov, Mayor of the municipality of Guiuan Annalisa Gonzalez Kwan, Vice-Mayor Veronica Kabakaba-Ramirez and employees of the Mayor’s office, President of the organization “Philippine Combat Systems – Russia” Alexander Pisarkin and Adviser Anton Seredkin, residents and guests of Tubabao Island.
In 1949-1951, six thousand Russian refugees from among those who emigrated from Russia to Shanghai after the Civil War found temporary shelter on this island. The spiritual leader of the community was St. John of Shanghai. Filipinos gave a warm welcome and support to the refugees and Russians have made a great cultural contribution to the life of the local people who still honor their memory. In her welcoming speech, Mayor Annalisa G. Kwan, in particular, said that she was taught ballet by a disciple of a Russian emigrant.
Saint John of Shanghai is also very revered by the locals, because miracles happen through prayers to him. In particular, people miraculously escaped during typhoons, and even typhoons themselves often bypassed the island, as it was in 1949-1951. The same miracle happened in Manila on Sunday, November 1, 2020, when the strongest super typhoon Goni, which was approaching Metro Manila, suddenly lost its strength and went south from the city immediately after the prayer service to St. John at the Iveron Parish in Manila (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Goni ).
Litya for the departed Russian refugees
November 30, the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese and a delegation of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Philippines headed by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation Marat Ignatievich Pavlov visited the cemetery of the municipality of Guiuan (Samar Island), where Russian refugees are buried who lived in 1949-1951 on Tubabao Island and found their last refuge there. In memory of the deceased, the secretary of the diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev) together with the priests of the diocese performed a requiem litya.
Metropolitan Pavel awarded the honorary title
On November 24, 2022, by a resolution of the Duma of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District – Yugra, at the suggestion of the Governor of the District N.V. Komarova, the title “Honorary Citizen of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District – Yugra” was awarded to the Head of the Philippines and Vietnamese diocese metropolitan Pavel, “for active public and charitable activities, significant contribution to the preservation and development of Orthodox culture and strengthening spiritual and moral traditions in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra”.
Christmas readings
On November 16, 2022, with the blessing of His Eminence Pavel, the Metropolitan of Manila and Hanoi, the Philippines and Vietnamese diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church conducted seminar for the clergy on “Christmas Readings” in Makalangot, Arakan. The seminar was organized by the secretary of the diocese — hieromonk Kornily (Molev) and priest George Maximov, PhD in Theology, invited to be the guest speaker.
The seminar was held after the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of Saint Seraphim of Sarov in Makalangot which was celebrated by: hieromonk Kornily (Molev), priests George Maximov, Moses Cahilig, Romanus Buniel, Joachim Gonzales, Nicholas Salgado, Ambrose Sumagaysay, deacons Matthew Sale, and Alexey Bergado.
Vietnamese Deanery news
Orthodox believers in Vietnam celebrated the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
In Nha Trang, one of the most beautiful cities in Vietnam, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated for the first time during the pandemic. Now it is possible to worship there once a month. And the parishioners of the parish in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Vung Tau prayerfully celebrated also the patronal feast.
The parishes of the Vietnamese Deanery of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese are cared for by Priest Eugene Tsukalo.
The book of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi
The book of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi “RUSSIAN Golgotha” was published in the publishing house “Siberian Blagozvonnitsa”.
This book is about the terrible events in our history – about repressions, about the innocently murdered, about how this bitter memory is kept in Ugra.
The author of the book was prompted to take up the pen by the unacceptable oblivion of the holy memory of the innocently injured and murdered in the Yugra Region, who are currently rehabilitated. Only in the district capital, in the city of Khanty–Mansiysk, about 600 such people were shot.
Khanty-Mansi autonomous region — Yugra is a special territory of Russia. Its establishment coincided with the great extradition to exiles of hundreds of thousands of people who were considered as not loyal and were forced to leave their native places for unfamiliar harsh lands. The 1930s were a terrible time in the history of our Russia. In the literature, it is called the period of genocide of its own people and the years of terror, which became state policy.
From 1930 to 1933, 32,208 people were exiled to the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region, and in 1937 there were already 158,708 special settlers living here. These figures alone help to understand the anti-national essence of the totalitarian state machine and the incredible hardships of the people’s life.
The book contains both well-known and unique information about the times of political repression in Russia and Yugra, with an assessment of this period.
We must remember our history, and especially its tragic pages, no matter how bitter this memory may be. Remember and also teach our younger generation.
