His Beatitude Patriarch Eirineos Visits Gethsemane Convent on the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene

A church feast day is always a double holiday, accompanied by many labors and worries. For the holiday shows the face of the convent. This year, the feast day of our Convent's saint, Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles, was celebrated with a particularly elevated spirit, with a large gathering of Orthodox Christians and guests from all over Jerusalem. The celebration was officiated by His Eminence Mark of Berlin and Germany, traveling from Munich. He was joined by Hieromonk John Smelc, Priest Peter Sturm and Deacon Andrei Sikoev.

Our joy was doubled by the the first-ever visit of His Beatitude Patriarch Eirineos of Jerusalem and All Palestine. A few minutes before the Cherubic Hymn began, accompanied by the ringing of bells and a host of clergymen of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, the Patriarch entered the vaulted church and was greeted as a dear guest by Archbishop Mark, who emerged from the altar with a cross. His Beatitude Eirineos and his clerics prayed in the altar until the end of liturgy, then emerged for a service of supplication and participated in the procession of the cross, during which 4 Gospel readings were held, twice read by priests of the Jerusalem Patriarchate in Greek and Arabic.

Greeting the Abbess, Hegumenia Elizabeth and the nuns in Russian, Patriarch Eirineos gave the Convent an icon. After the procession of the cross, the Patriarch offered the cross for veneration, blessing the worshipers. After the ceremonious singing of "Many Years," the host of clergy moved to the plaza in front of the church with the singing of the troparion to St. Mary Magdalene, where a feast was offered under specially-erected tents. During the luncheon, His Beatitude and Archbishop Mark had a warm and animated conversation. All present were pleased by the friendly discussion.

A Russian television crew unexpectedly arrived, and, as some worshipers told us later, that evening a report from Gethsemane was aired.

After the luncheon, photographs were taken. Patriarch Eirineos expressed his wish to celebrate the feast day and other holidays at the Convent every year. We thanked His Beatitude for such an amicable attitude towards us, asking his holy prayers, and we said goodbye to the Patriarch of Jerusalem with hopes to see him in holy Gethsemane again soon.

We take this opportunity to thank our First Hierarch, Metropolitan Laurus, for his greetings and holy prayers.

We thank the brotherhood of the Munich Monastery of St. Job of Pochaev for their prayers.

Abbess Elizabeth and Sisters.
Holy Gethsemane.