February 2025

Dear Benefactors,

With God’s grace, we have come to the end of the festal season of the Nativity of our Lord and Holy Theophany. As always, the brethren and sisters of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem welcomed the feasts with spiritual joy and humility, in that we have the great honor to celebrate these days at the actual locations of our Lord’s salvific coming.

As the whole world looked toward Bethlehem and the Jordan River in their hearts and in their mind’s eyes, the monastics of the Mission were able to venerate the Holy Manger on Christmas morning and immerse themselves in the River Jordan during the holy days of Theophany. On Christmas day, the sisters of our convents glorified our Lord, singing Christmas carols and reciting poetry at their respective homes. During the week, the sisters of the monasteries of the Holy Ascension, St. Mary Magdalene, and Bethany came together with the nuns of the Gorny Convent of the Moscow Patriarchate to have a festal meal and sing carols as one large sisterhood in Christ.

Of course, due to the political situation in the Holy Land, the dearth of pilgrims was greatly noticeable and deeply felt. Not only does the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission exist to give an opportunity for monastics to live and pray but also to joyfully greet and receive the faithful from all lands as they hold pilgrimage in the Holy Land. 

As I have written before, due to the lack of visitors, our fiscal situation is in a grave condition. We greatly give thanks to the Lord and yourselves – our friends and benefactors – that you acted on the appeal of the Fund for the Assistance of the Russian Orthodox Outside of Russia. The outpouring of your generosity was great indeed. The funds have helped greatly. The safety and rights of our convents must be guarded and protected.

Having celebrated our feast days, we are now entering the weeks before Great Lent when we hear the parables of the Holy Gospels concerning the Publican and the Pharisee and the Prodigal Son. We remember the Last Judgement. These teachings prepare us to enter the gates of repentance ‒ a holy time. We ask you not to forget the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem in your prayers and, if your heart leads you to also remember us financially, we will be invariably grateful.

May the blessings of the Holy City of Jerusalem be upon you all!

Archimandrite Roman – Head
The Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem