Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia Performed Great Consecration of the Church of Icon of Mother of God “Quick to Hear” in the Philippines

On November 23, 2025, the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, on Panglao Island in the Philippines, the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and Southeast Asia, performed the great consecration of the church dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear” and presided over the first Divine Liturgy in the newly consecrated church.

Concelebrating with His Eminence were: Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi; Archbishop Theophan of Korea; Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta, Vicar of the Singapore Diocese; Hieromonk Juvenaly (Marushchak), Secretary of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia; Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese; Hieromonk Alexy (Lapshin), rector of the church; clergy of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese; and other clergy of the diocese.

Present at the divine service were: M. I. Pavlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Philippines; Mrs. Philippina Piollo, Chief of Staff of the Governor of Bohol Province; Mrs. Joanne Pinat, Head of the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office; Armi Garcia, Honorary Consul of Russia in Cebu; as well as staff members of the Russian Embassy in the Philippines.

At the Little Entrance, by decree of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’, for his diligent service to the Holy Church, the rector of the church dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear” on Panglao Island, Hieromonk Alexy (Lapshin) was granted the right to wear a pectoral cross adorned with jewels.

Upon the end of the Liturgy, the Patriarchal Exarch congratulated the participants of the service on this important event and addressed those gathered with an archpastoral message in which he emphasized the significance of this historic moment for the development of church life in the Philippines.

In his response, Metropolitan Pavel expressed special gratitude to the clergy and parishioners for their diligent labours in the field of church service.

By decree of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’, in recognition of his contribution to the development of church–state relations and on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Marat Ignatyevich Pavlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines, was awarded the Russian Orthodox Church’s Order of the Holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, 3rd Class.