Grodno, Belarus, September 22, 2022
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Several monasteries of the Belarusian Orthodox Church celebrated important anniversaries and achievements on the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos yesterday.
The convent named for the feast in Grodno celebrated both its 180th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of its revival after the years of soviet repression. The feast was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk and All Belarus and four other Belarusian hierarchs, together with a number of local and visiting clergy, the Church press service reports.
Following the service, Met. Benjamin addressed the faithful with a homily, and read the address of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the occasion of the anniversary of the monastery’s revival. The abbess, Mother Gavrilia (Glukhova) was also awarded the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga by the Patriarch.
Met. Benjamin also gifted the monastery an icon of the Mother of God, “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”
Meanwhile, the Convent of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the city of Brest celebrated the 20th anniversary of its own revival. The Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Ioann of Brest together with two other hierarchs and a host of clergy of the Brest Diocese.
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Special petitions for the unity of the Orthodox Church, its preservation from divisions and schisms, and for peace were offered during the service.
Following the Liturgy, a procession was made around the monastery and the faithful were sprinkled with holy water. Abp. Ioann then offered a homily on the theme of the Nativity of the Mother of God and congratulated the abbess and sisterhood of the monastery on their patronal feast and anniversary.
Finally, the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Yurovichi in the Turov Diocese celebrated its first patronal feast in its newly restored cathedral. The restoration of the monastery complex after many years of neglect lasted 15 years.
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The church was originally built in 1746. The monastery was closed in the 1930s and its buildings were later turned into residential premises. In the 1960s-1970s, the walls of the church were partially dismantled by local residents for the construction of utility rooms. In the 1980s, a hospital was located on the territory of the monastery, which was closed in 1989.
The service yesterday was led by Abbot Avksenty with Hieromonk Siluan, a brother of the monastery. Pilgrims from nearby cities and villages attended the celebration.
During the service, special petitions were offered for peace in Ukraine, and for the reconciliation and mutual forgiveness of fraternal peoples.
At the end of the Liturgy, the clergy and pilgrims processed around the monastery and the faithful were sprinkled with holy water. Then a festive meal was offered, with the Rite of the Panagia.
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