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Gorneye Convent commemorated Meeting of Theotokos with Righteous Elizabeth
DECR Communication Service, 21.04.2023.
On April 20, the venerated Icon of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God was brought fr om the Trinity Cathedral of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem to the Gooneye Convent in Ein-Karem. This liturgical tradition was founded as back as the 19th century by Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin) in the image of the walk made by the Most Holy Virgin into the hill country, to a city of Judah (Lk. 1:39) to visit the Righteous Elizabeth and to share with her the joy of the Saviour’s forthcoming birth into the world.
Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, who came to the Trinity Cathedral with a blessing of His Beatitude Theophilos, presided over the initial thanksgiving of the feast and a procession with the cross to Mary’s Spring in Ein-Karem.
At the Spring, the icon was met by the convent’s Mother Superior Ekaterina (Chernysheva) with the clergy and sisters of the convent. The procession climbed the steep road to the convent wh ere His Eminence gave his blessing upon the beginning of the All-Night Vigil, the press service of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission reports.
On this day, the special festive divine service is celebrated in keeping to the Paschal rubrics according to the Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God. During the lity, the clergy, sisters and pilgrims walked in a procession with the cross around the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God exclaiming one of the four diaconal petitions at each corner of the earth. The vespers was followed by the Paschal matins. After the service the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov) addressed himself to the worshippers with a festive homily.
On April 21, Metropolitan Joachim presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Gorneye Convent’s Cathedral of All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Russian Land. He was assisted by Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov) and the clergy of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission and pilgrims in holy orders. The liturgy was celebrated in Greek and Church Slavonic.
Among the worshippers were the Gorneye Convent’s Mother Superior Ekaterina (Chernysheva) with the sisters, the Mother Superior Varvara (Tretyak) of the Tolga Convent of the Presentation of the Virgin, with sisters and numerous pilgrims.
After the Apostle and Gospel Reading, a prayer for peace was lifted up.
After the service, Archimandrite Alexander addressed himself to Metropolitan Joachim with festive greetings and presented him with a decorated Paschal egg.
Then the procession with the cross singing the Paschal canon marched to the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God in which Metropolitan Joachim venerated the Kazan Icon. This was followed by a festive common meal during which the choir of the Gorneye Convent and the student choir of the Sretensky Theological Seminary sang Paschal hymns.
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