The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir, officiated the Divine Liturgy on Thursday, 9 January 2025, on the Feast Day of Saint Stephen, the Protomartyr and Archdeacon, at the Stavropegial Monastery of the Nativity of the Lord in Zăbriceni, Edineț District.
Joining the Metropolitan in the service were Protopriest Vadim Cheibaș, Metropolitan Secretary, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Damian (Burlacu), Abbot of the Monastery, the monastic clergy, and priests serving on both sides of the Prut River.
The service was attended by a large assembly of faithful and pilgrims from both within the country and beyond its borders, who came to utter prayers alongside the Primate and the monastic community.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first patronal feast celebrated at the monastery of the Nativity of the Lord.
In his concluding remarks, Archimandrite Damian expressed his gratitude to the Primate for his visit, the service, and his fatherly care for the Holy Monastery. He presented Metropolitan Vladimir with an icon of Saint Nicholas as a token of appreciation.
His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir thanked the Abbot and the monastic community for their warm and brotherly reception, commending the spiritual and material efforts made in this monastic haven. He also expressed gratitude to the faithful present in large numbers for their prayers and their individual care for this spiritual oasis, which, both architecturally and spiritually, holds a status comparable to that of Mount Athos.
At the conclusion of the service, all those present received wall calendars for the new year as a gift from the Metropolitan.
Synodal Sector for Institutional Communication and Media Relations