Jerusalem, November 14, 2019
Photo: pinimg.com
The U.S. branch of the Orthodox Palestine Society and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia teamed up to raise funds for the struggling Gethsemane Convent in Jerusalem recently.
According the report on the official ROCOR website, “The international political situation in recent years has led to a slow-down in the stream of pilgrims to the monasteries of the Holy Land, including Ascension of the Lord Convent on the Mt of Olives and Gethsemane Convent. This has put a strain on the financial situation of the communities.”
The convent is located on property owned by the Orthodox Palestine Society, “crowned by the magnificent pre-Revolutionary Church of St Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.”
The church is home to the relics of the Grand Duchess and New Martyr Elizabeth and her monastic companion St. Barbara.
The IOPS is Russia’s oldest scholarly and humanitarian non-governmental organization, originally formed in 1882 by decree of Emperor Alexander III. Its statutory task is to promote pilgrimages to the Holy Land, scholarly research about Palestine, and humanitarian cooperation with the countries of the Biblical region. The IOPS has been providing assistance to the Syrian population since March 2013, regardless of their religious affiliation.
