GERMAN DIOCESE: 13 October, 2025
The twentieth anniversary of St Elisabeth Convent in Buchendorf

On Saturday, October 11, 2025, St Elizabeth Convent in Buchendorf solemnly celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its founding. On this day, Divine Liturgy was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, joined by His Eminence Archbishop Tikhon of Ruza (Berlin-German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate), His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe, and His Grace Bishop Job of Stuttgart (both of ROCOR).

The sermon was delivered by Bishop Irenei. He suggested "not a sermon of words, but a sermon of life." It is such a living sermon that the sisters of the convent follow, emulating the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, whose name and spiritual legacy guide their monastic path. The bishop recalled the words of Elder Emilianos of Simonopetra, who called monastic life "an angelic and evangelic life": angelic — because it is incorporeal and constantly praiseful of God, and evangelical — because through monastic struggle, the meaning of the Gospel is revealed to the whole world.

“Our time,” said the bishop, “has become both rational and emotional. But true evangelical preaching is not words, but the effective transformation of life. The Gospel teaches not so much how to think or feel, but above all how to live and act. The renewal of a person is possible in Christ, and this is testified by the Holy Martyr Elizabeth.” According to the archpastor, St Elizabeth completely devoted herself to God and to her neighbors — these two ministries are inseparable. For twenty years, the sisters of the Buchendorf convent have continued this path, revealing the living Gospel to the world.

Concluding his remarks, Bishop Irenei emphasized: “I do not wish to speak at length. Let the saint speak through the lives of the sisters. Let God Himself speak through the lives of His saints. May monasticism itself bear witness that following Christ is possible and that this following leads us into the inheritance of eternal life.”

Herald of the German Diocese