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 prophet Elijah
20
Lent is beginning — a time of special good deeds. And we finally, with the help of the Christian Book Foundation, opened a collection for the roof of the temple in honor of the Prophet Elijah. The temple is very remarkable — it is located in the mountain village of […]
Beginning of Great Lent
24
On Monday of the first week of Great Lent, in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the city of Vung Tau, Vietnam, Great Compline was celebrated with the reading of the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.
Sunday of Forgiveness
58
On Cheesefare Sunday, the remembrance of Adam’s cast out from Paradise, Forgiveness Sunday, the Divine Liturgy and Vespers with the Rite of Forgiveness were celebrated at the parish of Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg in Hanoi, Vietnam. After the service, the rector of the parish, Abbot Micah (Selyakov), and parishioners […]
Baptism in Manukan
92
Six people were baptized at St. Nicholas Parish in Manukan (Philippines) On February 26, at the parish of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Manukan (Zamboanga del Norte Province, Davao Deanery), the rector of the parish, Priest Juventinus Bulakwenya, and Hieromonk John (Gondayao) baptized six people. This was the first sacrament […]
New deacon in Tagaytay
106
Newly ordained deacon is sent to new place of service in Tagaytay City (Philippines) With the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Administrator of the Philippines-Vietnamese Diocese, newly ordained Deacon Luke Tababa was sent to a new place of service in the Philippines — Christ the Savior Parish […]
Meeting with students
143
On February 17, 2025, in Hanoi, in the assembly hall of the Russian Embassy in Vietnam, a meeting was held between teachers and students of the embassy school and the rector of the parish in honor of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg of the Russian Orthodox Church, Hegumen Micah. The […]
Sunday of Prodigal son
159
Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord, at the parish of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg in Hanoi, Vietnam. The service was celebrated by Abbot Micah (Selyakov), rector of the parish. About 50 people gathered for joint prayer that day. After […]
Meeting of the Lord
141
On the day of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Holy Resurrection Parish in the city of General Santos in the Philippines.
New church in the Philippines
208
On February 12, Diocesan Secretary Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev) visited the construction site of the mountain church of the Prophet Elijah in the village of Magulo in the Philippines. The old bamboo hut has fallen into disrepair, and the community needs a new building. A new project for a prefabricated […]