April 6, 2023
Photo: dveri.bg
The ascetic period of Great Lent is the most appropriate time for men and women to give their lives to Christ in monasticism.
Last week, OrthoChristian reported that at least a dozen men and women in the Romanian Church had been tonsured in recent days.
There are also reports about a number of tonsures happening throughout the Orthodox Church during Lent.
Bulgaria
On April 1, two novices took monastic vows at the Vrachesh-Holy Forty Martyrs Monastery in Votevgrad. Novice Ivelina received the name Teofana, and Novice Theodora received the name Dositea, reports dveri.bg.
The tonsures were served by His Eminence Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech, who then celebrated the Divine Liturgy together with several other hierarchs who were also present.
In the Cherepish-Holy Dormition Monastery in the Vratsa Diocese, a monk was tonsured with the name Sophrony, and in the Kamensk-Holy Ascension Monastery a priest was tonsured with the name Nazary.
Georgia
On March 25, Novice Petre was tonsured with the name Ioane. He is appointed to serve at the Holy Dormition-Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi, reports the Georgian Patriarchate’s Public Relations Service.
On April 1, Novice Marina of St. Nino Monastery in the town of Tsageri was tonsured with the name Mariam.
Russia
Photo: monasterium.ru
On March 22, His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver tonsured five nuns at the Holy Ascension-Orshin Convent near Tver, reports the Russian Church’s Department for Monasteries and Monasticism.
The nuns were tonsured with the names Evdokia, Vera, Augusta, Margarita, and Eugenia, in honor of various New Martyrs.
Belarus
Photo: monasterium.ru
On March 28, His Eminence Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk tonsured several nuns at the St. Euphrosyne Convent in Polotsk following the evening service.
The riassaphore nuns Tatiana and Olga were tonsured into the schema with the names Taisia and Eusebia, and the novices Alevtina and Elena tonsured as riassaphore nuns with the same names.
And on April 4, Met. Veniamin tonsured another nine nuns at St. Elisabeth Convent in Minsk after the evening service in the Church of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco.
Five riassaphore nuns were tonsured into the schema, with the names Kallinika, Vasilissa, Drosida, Sofia, and Paraskeva, and four novices were tonsured as riassaphore nuns, keeping their names of Elena, Valentina, Seraphima, and Nina.
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