Boston, November 6, 2026
Metropolitan Saba with Abbess Makrina at St. George Cathedral in Worcester. Photo: antiochian.org
An abbess who was once the spiritual daughter of St. Paisios the Athonite spent a weekend in Massachusetts telling Antiochian faithful how she founded a convent in Syria, sharing her experience to help the Archdiocese establish one at the Antiochian Village.
Abbess Makrina of Our Lady of Blemana (Dormition) Monastery in Syria visited Boston on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, traveling with His Eminence Metropolitan Saba, one of her nuns, and two clergymen from the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Antiochian Archdiocese reports.
The local hierarch His Grace Bishop John of Worcester also joined.
On Oct. 31, the group visited St. George Church in West Roxbury. Abbess Makrina told the story of how her convent was founded in 1986, after her time in a convent in Greece, where she was blessed to have St. Paisios as her spiritual father. She spoke about the challenges and struggles she and her nuns faced in the early days. Through faith, perseverance, and trust in God, she said, things gradually began to fall into place. She recalled that St. Paisios had encouraged them, saying that once the church was built, things would start to improve.
At St. George Church in West Roxbury. Photo: antiochian.org
Metropolitan Saba shared his own vision for the Archdiocese and stressed the importance of establishing and nurturing monasteries in the United States and Canada. He highlighted their role in strengthening the spiritual life of Orthodox communities.
The gathering continued with a Q&A session with Metropolitan Saba and Abbess Makrina, and the day ended with Great Vespers.
The next day, Metropolitan Saba served Orthros and Liturgy at St. George Cathedral in Worcester, joined by Bishop John, Abbess Makrina, and the delegation from the Patriarchate.
Metropolitan Saba spoke about the converts joining the Archdiocese. “We have a surge of converts in our Archdiocese now, and many of those new converts come to our Archdiocese because they say, ‘We were lost, we were broken, and we need healing.’ Are we ready to live with them, to love them, to talk with them, to build friendships with them, to help them to see Christ?” he asked.
After the Liturgy, Abbess Makrina addressed the community about establishing a convent, with God’s help, at the Antiochian Village. She told them St. Paisios guided her and a small group of nuns to found their monastery 40 years ago. She then answered questions from the faithful about the spiritual life, offering advice on prayer, raising children, maintaining holiness in a busy world, and discerning a monastic vocation.
Metropolitan Saba and Abbess Makrina were then given a tour of the cathedral’s new iconography.
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