Department for External Church Relations
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Hierarch of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem presides over patronal feast at Magdala metochion of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission
DECR Communication Service, 20.05.2024.
On May 19, the commemoration day of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, a patronal feast was celebrated at the metochion of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Magdala. Presiding at the divine service with the blessing of His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, was Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Exarch of All Galilee.
Among his concelebrants were archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem; hegumen Nikon (Golovko), deputy head of the Mission; deacon Makary Petukhov, a cleric of the Mission; as well as the Russian-speaking and Arabic-speaking clergymen of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Praying at the service were Mr. Fyodor V. Georgi, first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Israel; Mr. Nikita S. Barsukov, Vice Consul of the Russian Consulate General in Haifa; sisters of the Gorny convent in Ein Karem; and the Russian-speaking faithful fr om all over Galilee.
The service in the Russian church, which is located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, was celebrated in Church Slavonic, Greek and Arabic. The liturgical hymns were sung by the choir of sisters of the Gorny convent under the direction of sister Sergiya (Subbotina), website of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission reports.
After the dismissal, a procession with the cross was held to the spring of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles, wh ere the head of the Mission read the Gospel of the day and sprinkled all those present with holy water.
Afterwards, archimandrite Vassian and Metropolitan Kyriakos exchanged welcoming speeches. The guests of the metochion were offered a festive meal, which was later joined by Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba, who cares for the Russian-speaking flock of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Bishop Aristovoulos cordially greeted the guests in Russian and expressed his deep gratitude for the lavish Russian hospitality accorded to them on the feast day.
During the meal, Mr. Georgi addressed all those gathered. He emphasized the consistent support given by the Russian state to the efforts of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem made for strengthening the position of Orthodox Christians both in Jerusalem and in the entire Middle East region. Also, he expressed assurances in maintaining the interests of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.
Patriarch
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Sermons
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