A charity event to help schoolchildren was held at the parish of Archangel Michael in the village of Mahongok, Philippines. Sunday, June 16, at the Archangel Michael Parish in Mahongok Village, Cotabato, Philippines, began with the Divine Liturgy. The divine service was performed by Priest Moses Cahilig, co-served by Deacons Anthony Aranco and Raphael Fragillo. After that, the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese distributed stationery sets for the new school year to students in need. A charity event to collect stationery for children has been held by the diocese for several years.

On June 14, 2024, the Russian Embassy in Manila hosted a state reception on the occasion of the National Day of Russia, which gathered over 200 people – officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the business circles and media, among others. The event was graced by Hon. Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, President of the Philippine-Russian Friendship association in the Senate, and H.E. Charles John Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. The visiting delegation of the Moscow City Government attended the reception as special guests. In his opening remarks, the Ambassador of Russia, H.E. Marat Pavlov emphasized the recent progress in building mutually beneficial cooperation with the Philippines across a broad range of areas – trade and economy, culture and education, inter-regional and inter-parliamentary ties, people-to-people exchanges. The Guest of honor, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines Hon. Antonio Morales in his speech confirmed the rich traditions of the Russia-Philippines relations and openness to developing pragmatic collaboration between the two countries. Both speakers underlined the significance of the forthcoming 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026, which has to be celebrated through various initiatives.

Thus saith the Lord: lo, the day of the Lord will come and His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives on that day in front of Jerusalem on the east … and He will ascent (prophet Zachariah, V century B.C.)

Apodosis of Easter at the parish of St Matrona of Moscow in Davao

On June 9, 2024, on the 6th Sunday of Easter, about the Blind Man, the day of remembrance of the Righteous John Russian, Confessor (1730), Priest Roman Buniel celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Resurrection Parish, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Philippines.

On June 8, the baptism of two young Vietnamese with the giving of Orthodox names of Gabriel and Raphael was performed in the church of St. Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg in Hanoi. As catechumens, they studied Orthodoxy for a whole year, talked with a priest and attended every divine service in the Church of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg. We sincerely congratulate them and wish them a strong Orthodox faith!

At the invitation of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Vietnam, the dean of the Vietnamese Deanery of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Priest Yevgeny Tsukalo and Abbot Mikhei (Selyakov) took part in a state reception on the occasion of Russia Day, held in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Many of the most important government and commercial structures of Vietnam and Russia participated in the reception. Such events provide an opportunity to expand the circle of acquaintances, communication and missionary activities.

The Memorial Day of Saints Constantine and Helena on June 3 is the patronal feast of the temple in the village of Little Baguio (Arakan, Mindanao Island), which is depicted above on the main page of this site. Little is English for “small”, unlike the “big” city of Baguio, which is located 200 km north of Manila, also high in the mountains and is considered the summer capital of the Philippines. It is not so hot there in summer, so the summer residence of the President of the Republic of the Philippines is located there.

The favorite holiday of Vietnamese youth studying Russian language is the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture on May 24. Russian language is taught in 25 educational institutions in Vietnam: special schools for talented children, universities, academies… Every year the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo holds Olympiads in the Russian language. The winners receive the right to continue their education at Russian universities free of charge. The award ceremony took place on May 20 at an evening dedicated to the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture at the Russian House in Hanoi. The event was attended by the Rector of the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hanoi, Hegumen Micah (Selyakov).