On March 23-24, at the education center of Blessed Matrona of Moscow, a seminar was conducted about Lenten services for the clergy of the Davao deanery. Priest Moses Cahilig and deacons Ambrose Sumagaysay and Nikolay Salgado, after the class, together with Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), completed a full daily circle of Lenten Divine Service, ending it with the Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
Secretary of the Diocese visited N. Zamboanga
During the Cheesefare Week, hieromonk Korniliy (Molev) visited two communities of the Independent Nestorian Church in the province of Northern Zamboanga, that wish to join Orthodoxy. Last year, the priest of these communities came to the Davao Mission Center to get acquainted with the history and teachings of the Orthodox Church. Due to the pandemic, teaching the faith for these communities was remotely, but, finally, it was possible to visit them personally. Local Christians were keenly interested in the teachings of the holy fathers, asked about the nature of evil, about the danger of superstition. We hope that with God’s help, people in this region will have the opportunity to learn about the intact apostolic faith.
Forgiveness Sunday
Open to me the doors of repentance, O Giver of Life! Tomorrow let us start a new life! Already the whole year is like the Lord is waiting for our repentance, pushing us to turn our minds towards Him. And now this season is starting: if not now then when else? Last week we remembered the life in Paradise, but our ancestors didn’t last long there. And today we are reminded that we are in exile in this world for reason: to learn to obey to God and to be humble (for the proud people can’t get along with each other in eternity).As the first step, we ask all our neighbors for forgiveness…
Metropolitan Paul speech before the beginning of Great Lent
Pancakes in Vung Tau
On March 11, a tea party with pancakes for children was held at the parish in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Priest Eugene told the children about the upcoming Great Lent, gave several recommendations on how children, due to their age, could pass the field of fasting with benefit for the soul.
Visit to Cagayan
On March 9-10, the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev) at the invitation of the Russian compatriots, made a pastoral visit to Cagayan-de-Oro (northern Mindanao). The Russian Stretch Ceiling company operates in this city and its director Andrey Sayapin and his staff have been waiting for an Orthodox priest for a long time. Originally from Vladivostok, Andrey has been working in the Philippines for several years as a representative of a Japanese company, and now he has started his own small business. He is one of the few compatriots who was forced by work to spend the time of the pandemic in the Philippines, sending his family home. Being a deeply Orthodox person, he is very suffering to remain for a long time without pastoral care, so as soon as it became possible to move around the island of Mindanao, Fr.Cornelius came to Cagayan, gave communion to the Orthodox employees of the company and consecrated its office.
Sunday of the Last Judgement
The Last Judgment is the last act of history and the beginning of eternity. Today is the end of the annual cycle, because next week we remember the creation of the world and the life of the first people in paradise (meat is no longer allowed, since meat was not eaten in paradise).
At the Last Judgment, the Lord, wishing for the salvation of all, will ask only for the works of mercy. “What you have done for your neighbor-you have done for Me” – how much you need to love a man to say so! Only own children are loved in this way, that’s why we must see each other as the children of God. This is the difference between Christian charity and universal charity.
Today, the newly baptized Nicholas and Ariadne were married in Tagaytay. It is remarkable that after 21 years of living together, their love has become even stronger, and they share it with many people in need, helping the poor families of Bacoor (a suburb of Manila), showing an example of evangelical charity and selflessness.
Saturday of the dead
Yesterday, March 6, in the church of the Kazan Icon of Mother of God in Vung Tau (Vietnam), the Divine Liturgy was held. On the universal day of the commemoration of the departed, many parishioners gathered in the church to prayerfully remember all the Orthodox Christians who have died from time immemorial.
Saint Athanasius (Sakharov) wrote: “If all Orthodox Christians began to pray exclusively only for their relatives and friends, what would be their grace?.. In this order, when everyone would pray only for their own, the prayer for our beloved relatives and friends and for ourselves would continue only for a few years or decades after the death, only as long as those who knew and loved them are still alive and have not forgotten them, and then there would be no one to remember them.”
After the service, the parishioners, together with the rector, Priest Yevgeny Tsukalo, gathered in the refectory for a memorial dinner.
Feast of Church in Manila
Today is probably our main Feast of Church. The finding of the Iveron icon of the Mother of God on Mt Athos was on the Bright Tuesday, and in Russian Church we celebrate this icon also in October (bringing of its copy to Moscow) and now (bringing of another copy to Valday Iveron monastery). But only today this feast falls to a public holiday of the “Yellow revolution” in the Philippines, so our parishioners and guests can attend the service.
The Divine liturgy and moleben were led by thrice international clergy: Filipino, American and Russian priests and the flock from all Luzon gathered same as exactly one year ago when Metropolitan Pavel paid his visit to our parish.
Address of Patriarch Kirill on the Day of Orthodox Youth
Dear brothers and sisters!
Wholeheartedly, I congratulate all of you on the great feast of the Meeting of the Lord, on which, according to the tradition that has developed in our Church, we also celebrate the Day of Orthodox Youth. Today we remember a significant event, which has not only historical, but also great spiritual significance. On the one hand, a symbolic meeting of the Old and New Testaments takes place in the person of the righteous elder Simeon and the Divine Infant Jesus. On the other hand, this is a meeting of a man with God.
Meeting God takes a very special place in our life. Together with faith, we acquire the true meaning of being and a solid moral foundation, and when we strive to actively embody the Gospel words in our daily exploits, the Lord grants us spiritual vision and the ability to look at many things with reasoning. These valuable qualities, as we can see, are in great demand today, because it is sometimes extremely difficult to understand the flow of information. How difficult it can be to resist attempts by malicious forces to drag us into reckless adventures, dubious and even dangerous enterprises.
Spiritual vision is not at all the lot of the gray-haired elders, as it might seem at first glance. You probably remember well from the history lessons about the heroic deeds of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevskiy, whom the Russian Orthodox Church venerates as a saint. I would like to remind you that at the age of 19 he already won the Crusaders on the Neva, and he defeated the Livonian knights on the ice of Chudskoe Lake, before reaching the age of 21. Despite his youth, he was endowed by God with amazing wisdom and spiritual strength, as well as a deep understanding of what is beneficial for the country and people. This year we are celebrating the 800th anniversary of the birth of the blessed prince. In commemoration of the church and state celebrations timed to this date, I am glad to declare this jubilee year «The Year of Alexander Nevsky». May the life feat of this wonderful Russian saint inspire you to serve as an example to follow, and to help someone to meet God and join the rich spiritual treasury of Orthodox culture.
Calling the blessing of Christ upon all of you.
