On the first day of January in the church old calendar (01/14 January), the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ and the feast of St. Basyl the Great, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the St. Martha and Mary Monastery in Hagimus community, Causeni region.
Concelebrating to Metropolitan Vladimir was Archbishop Justinian of Elista and Kalmykia, former Archbishop of Tiraspol and Dubasari and former administrator of Orthodox Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States of America. The archpastors were assisted at the Divine Liturgy by numerous priests and deacons, while the liturgical responses during the service were provided by the choir of the Monastery.
During the service that gathered numerous pilgrims in the monastery’s Cathedral, Metropolitan Vladimir awarded a high church distinction to Archimandrite Andrei (Cotruta), the father – confessor of the monastic settlers, with the right of celebrating the Divine Liturgy with the Holy Doors open till the Cherubim Hymn. The metropolitan expressed high appreciation to father Archimandrite Andrei, underlining his assiduous efforts in the edification of the monastic settlement and good pastoring of the entrusted community.
A Thanks-Giving Te-Deum services followed the Liturgy, then the Arch-Pastor of the Orthodox Church of Moldova congratulated the monastic community and pilgrims, but also all Orthodox people, on the Feast of St. Basyl that traditionally marks the beginning of the calendar year and is accompanied by outstanding popular traditions in our country.
After the service, the metropolitan visited the newly-built blocks of the monastery that comprises numerous objectives: the cells of the nuns, a rich library, conference chamber, and rooms for pilgrims. The Nun-Superior of the community, Mother Marta (Cusnir), informed the Arch-pastor about future household plans and projects of the monastic settlement.
The metropolitan highly appreciated the administrative and household activity of the monastery, as well as its missionary office, underlining that the monastery of St. Martha and Mary is a good example of monastic living and prayer, combined with efficient household activity.
Synodal Sector of Institutional Communication and Mass-Media Relations