Department for External Church Relations
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Clergy of Russian Ecclesiastical Mission take part in Divine Liturgy at St. Mary Magdalene Convent in Gethsemane
DECR Communication Service, 18/07/2025
On July 18th, commemoration day of the Holy Venerable Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara, Hegumen Nikon (Golovko), deputy head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, took part in the Divine Liturgy at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal of the Apostles (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia), which is home to the relics of the Venerable Martyrs of Alapayevsk.
Officiating at the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene was Archimandrite Roman (Krasovsky), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Among his other concelebrants were the convent’s clerics, Arabic-speaking clergy of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Hieromonk Peter (Borodulin) of the ROC’s Ecclesiastical Mission, and ordained pilgrims.
Attending the divine service were also Mr Anatoly Viktorov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the State of Israel; Mother Elizabeth (Smelic), abbess of St. Mary Magdalene Convent, with sisters; Mother Judith (Zastavskaya), abbess of the Holy Ascension Convent on the Mount of Olives, with sisters; nuns of the Gorny Convent; representatives of the Russian diplomatic corps; numerous parishioners, pilgrims and guests.
The Liturgy was celebrated in the Church Slavonic and Arabic languages. The liturgical hymns were performed by the Gethsemane Convent choir, website of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission reports.
After the dismissal, the moleben to the Holy Venerable Martyrs of Alapayevsk was celebrated in front of the shrine with the relics of the Holy Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.
Archimandrite Roman (Krasovsky) delivered a homily and extended warm wishes to Mother Elizabeth, abbess of the Gethsemane Convent, on her Name Day.
The Liturgy was followed by a festive repast offered by the sisters of St. Mary Magdalene Convent to the participants in the celebrations.
Later, Mother Elizabeth, Father Roman, the clergy and the Russian diplomats continued their friendly conversation in the abbess’s chambers. Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov also congratulated Mother Elizabeth on her Name Day.
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