The world has been singing praise to the Creator using these words of St. Gregory the Theologian for sixteen centuries already.

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All-Night Vigil was celebrated in our convent on January 6, and the Divine Liturgy was held on January 7 at two, seven and nine o’clock in the morning. The Christmas service was celebrated in the Reigning icon of the Theotokos Church. Two choirs were singing during the Liturgy: the monastic choir conducted by nun Martha (Guskova) and the lay choir conducted by novice Irina (Denissova). More than 1,000 people attended the church. The Christmas Liturgy was crowned with the Holy Communion.

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It has become a good tradition that the evening of the Christmas day is devoted to congratulating the patients of the Republic Psychiatric Hospital by the clergy and monastics of the convent. Festive moleben were held in the hospital. Christmas gave the ill quiet and bright joy and filled their hearts with hope and trust. It was so important for all of them to feel the warmth of hearth and home. Every one could see that the Lord had become closer to them that day…

Brothers and sisters gathered in the cozy refectory after the prayer services. The Christmas celebration was held there. Father Andrew told the monastics, “Merry Christmas! Our mission is to help people. The most important thing is not just to say, “Pray, Brother, and go in peace,” but rather try to support a person in his complicated situation, because often he comes to us in awful state, hopeless to continue his or her life. Everything that is being built here is for people. I would like you all to grow spiritually, to learn the real Orthodoxy. It means humbleness, patience and prayer. I wish you power for the enormous work we face. May the Lord help everyone and strengthen all of us!”

Mother Joanna greeted brothers and sisters and read a wonderful poem

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Children from the boarding home showed a play “Doctor Aybolit” at the monastic meeting on Sunday, January 11. Every one was impressed with the vivid and lively improvisation of the young actors.

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Brothers who live at the metochion together with actors who came to visit them prepared a concert where they read poems and sang songs.

Father thanked the brothers and congratulated them on the great feast of the Nativity of Christ.

“I would like us all to rejoice in God regardless of our problems and mood. I wish all of us to overcome the sinful depression and rejoice not at what we have at present, but rather what the Lord calls us to. The Lord is merciful and long-suffering. Of course, the earthly life we have to live is the lifetime of repentance, because a person cannot live without feeling responsibility for every day he lives. I wish that this life would be the road to light, purity, to the beauty that gives joy and freedom to a human. May the Lord help you all.”

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Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh