Thursday, April 9, 2015

Annunciation in Odessa


The Annunciation Feast in this Holy Week, in the Odessa (Egorovka) Convent of St. John



"Under thy tender compassion we run, O Theotokos Virgin;
reject not our prayer in our tribulation, but deliver us from harm, only pure, only blessed one!" O Most Holy Theotokos, Save us!

(*With a humanly smoothed out,  machine-English translation:)-

PHOTOS
Russian text article found here, on: http://internetsobor.org
 http://internetsobor.org/rptcz/tcerkovnye-novosti/rptcz/rptcz-prazdnik-blagoveshcheniia-v-odesskom-sviato-ioannovskom-monastyre

ROCA: Feast of the Annunciation in Odessa's  St. John's  Monastery

Author: Vera nun incl. April 9, 2015. Published in the ROCA (Views: 29)
March 25 / April 7, 2015  in Odessa St. John's  Convent of (ROCOR) was made ​​the celebration of the Annunciation.

In the monastery church of the Nativity of the Virgin, decorous and solemn worship services were held: Great Compline, Matins with polyeleos and on the very day of the Feast - Divine hierarchal rite Liturgy. The service was headed by His Grace George, Archbishop of Chisinau and Moldova. He was joined by the priest of the monastery, Hieromonk Alexander and by Fr. Dula (Patoska).

The strict monastic chanting, the burning candles, and the  prayers of the faithful in the church, made ​​the atmosphere festive and heartfelt during the worship. The combination of two joyous events - the phenomenon of the Archangel Gabriel announcing to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the good news about the future of her giving birth to the Savior, combined with the Holy Week Lenten prayers, especially forced all to think about the impermanence of this world and the purpose for which we are living on earth - our struggle with our passions and our need to secure  divine grace for the sake of our eternity with God. This was described in detail in the homily of Bishop George. He also stressed the great role of Our Lady in the salvation of all mankind, and that we should strive with our whole souls, with the help of the Savior's sacrifice on the cross, to be worthy to stand at the right hand of Christ at the Last Judgment..

After the Divine Liturgy, during which there were many communicants, His Most Reverend George with the priesthood, made a procession, with the sisters of the monastery and with the guests, who all followed  the Annunciation  festive icon to the monastery refectory.

A few words I would like to say about the icon of the Annunciation, which is always used for  this Festival, and  is on the main analoy in the monastery church. This icon with the old Arabic writing on it, from  the 1990s, was donated to Mother Alexandra, when  Bishop Daniel  [ of the Jerusalem Patriarchate], was the governor of the Holy Sepulchre, and who  highly favored our Russian Orthodox Church and who always gave permission to our bishops and priests to perform their worship in the Edicule. This icon of the Annunciation previously belonged to the Arab Orthodox church in Nazareth (Patriarchate of Jerusalem), which is located on the site of the well where the Holy Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Mother of God with the good news. There is an inscription on the icon: "With the blessing of Nazareth- in honor of this joyous event".

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