JERUSALEM: August 14, 2017
Abbess Moisseia (Bubnova) is Honored at Ascension of the Lord Convent on the Mt of Olives in Jerusalem

On Sunday, August 13, 2017, the 10th Sunday after Pentecost, His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Ascension of the Lord Convent on the Mt of Olives in Jerusalem, along with Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and the other mission clergy.

During the minor entrance, Vladyka Nicholas, in accordance with a decision by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, bestowed a second ornamented pectoral cross upon retired Abbess Moisseia (Bubnova), who for many years headed the convent.

His Grace delivered a sermon after “Let the Name of the Lord” devoted to the late Metropolitan Laurus, who was consecrated to the episcopacy on this day in 1967. Special commemorations of the late primate, a true man of prayer and asceticism, were made during the service.

Fr Roman concluded Divine Liturgy by calling upon all the nuns and pilgrims to thank God for the path traveled by Mother Moisseia at the convent, for her earnest service to the sisters, pilgrims and Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. A moleben of gratitude was then performed.

Vladyka Nicholas then read a greeting from His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of ROCOR.

After the monastic trapeza luncheon, Nun Varvara (Novikova), appointed by the Council of Bishops as Acting Abbess of the convent, offered a reception in honor of Vladyka Nicholas, the pilgrimage he led and Abbess Moisseia. Warm words of congratulations were offered to Mother Moisseia by Archimandrite Roman, Protopriest Stefan Pavlenko and Protopriest Serafim Gan. This concluded the pilgrimage led by Bishop Nicholas.