On February 15, 2023, on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in General Santos in the province of South Cotabato, on the island of Mindanao. His Eminence was co-served by the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), the rector of the church, Priest Roman Buniel, and the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese. The deaconess rank was headed by Hierodeacon Nikodim (Pirkhovsky). By the Metropolitan’s decree, for the diligent service to the Holy Church, the rector of the parish in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, General Santos, Priest Roman Buniel was awarded the right to wear a loincloth. During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel ordained the reader Juventinus Bulakvenya as a deacon. At the end of the service, Metropolitan Pavel addressed the audience: “Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! Allow me to congratulate everyone on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord! On this day, Saint Simeon the God-Receiver took Christ into his own hands and thanked God: “Now let Your servant depart in peace, Master, according to Your word!”, for it was promised to him – until he sees Christ, he will not die. It is said in the Holy Scriptures that Simeon the God-Receiver was a man of holy life and was honored to take into his hands the God-Child and thus sum up his earthly life. He was expecting this event. One can only imagine what joy he had when the Lord promises and you get what you ask for, and he asked for a meeting with God. Each of us desires a meeting with God, so that the Lord will guide us in this earthly life and in eternity, everyone truly desires this. But the Lord does not appear to everyone during His lifetime, only to those who live holy on Earth. And we follow this path, waiting, hoping, trusting the Lord that He is with us, even if we are unworthy of meeting Him now. The fact that He makes it possible to perform the Sacrament of Holy Communion with His Body and Blood, and to unite with Him, is a great providence of God for each of us. It is not for nothing that the Lord says: “Whoever does this in my memory will not see death”. And we know that everyone is alive with God, the soul is immortal. Having lived an earthly life, the soul goes to God and remains in Eternity with him. May God grant us to follow this right, true path, on which the Lord has chosen and set us. I am very glad to meet you, celebrating the Divine Liturgy here, praying together, and I hope that the Lord will give us the strength to see each other more often. The Lord has given us the opportunity during these two weeks of our visit to the Philippines to increase our church with pastors — priests and deacons. We have performed the seventh ordination today and I thank God that our church is developing and growing both flock and pastors. I congratulate you, I wish you spiritual and physical strength, God’s help to all! I thank everyone for the service, for the common prayers!”
Parish News
Church of St Apostle Thomas
102
The next stage of the construction of the Church of the Apostle Thomas in Kinabalan has been completed – the upper reinforced belt has been concreted and decorative arches have been erected. On November 13, the Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), visited the construction site of the […]
Liturgy in Talas
129
Divine Liturgy on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost in Talas, parish of the Theophany of our Lord.
Commemoration of St Demetrius
124
On November 8, 2024, on the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the Divine Liturgy was held in the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Singapore. The service was conducted by the cleric of the church, Priest Yevgeny Shmelev, Secretary of the […]
Wedding in Davao
121
At the parish of Blessed Matrona of Moscow in Davao city, Mindanao, the Wedding of parishioners Valery and Ruth, took place. The sacrament was performed by Hieromonk John (Gondayao). We wish happiness and prosperity to the young family! May your life together be filled with good deeds for the glory […]
Feast of Kazan icon
135
Today, on the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, believers in Vung Tau, Vietnam, celebrated the patronal feast of the Kazan Church. The festive services became a bright and joyful event for all parishioners.
Sunday in Hanoi
136
On November 3, 2024, the Secretary of the Philippines – Vietnamese Diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Russian House in Hanoi, assisted by the rector of the parish, Hegumen Mikhey (Selyakov). The service was conducted in three languages: Church Slavonic, Vietnamese, and English. At the end […]
Aid to victims of typhoon
158
The Department of Charity and Social Ministry of the Philippines-Vietnamese Diocese provided assistance to victims of Typhoon Trami on Luzon Island. On October 30, 2024, employees of the Department of Charity and Social Ministry of the Philippines-Vietnamese diocese organized the distribution of humanitarian aid to victims of Typhoon Trami, which […]
Divine services in Academy
161
On October 27-28, 2024, on the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, services were held in the Assumption Church of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in English, during which foreign students studying at the Theological School prayed. The services were attended by all foreign students from different countries, including from Indonesia and […]
Liturgy in Mahongok
185
The Divine Liturgy on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, was celebrated at the Archangel Michael parish in Mahongok, Philippines. The service was led by priests Moses Kahilig and Raphael Frajillo. From now on, the Liturgy and other services will […]