Author: Сингапурская епархия

On June 25, 2023, the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost, the Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, Moscow.

His Eminence was co-served by: Hegumen Pavel (Khokhlov), rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Kuala Lumpur; Priest Alexander Churochkin, cleric of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino; Priest Dimitry Lavrentiev, cleric of the Church of the Dormition of Most Holy Theotokos in Singapore; and Priest Vissarion Mahardik, cleric of the Church of St. Jonah of Manchuria in Surabaya, Indonesia.

During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Sergiy ordained Deacon Phillip Calington to the rank of presbyter.

By decree of Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, Priest Phillip Calington, was appointed full-time cleric of the Church of the Dormition of Most Holy Theotokos in Singapore.

At the end of the service, Metropolitan Sergiy read out “The Appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to his Compatriots,” after which His Eminence addressed those present in the church with an archpastoral address and congratulated the audience with a Sunday, and the communicants – on receiving Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

On May 21, 2023, on the 6th Sunday after Pascha, of the blind and of Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, Moscow.

His Eminence was co-served by the clergy of the church.

During the Liturgy, Metropolitan Sergiy ordained to the rank of presbyter Deacon Vissarion Makhardik, a cleric of the church of Holy Hierarch Jonah of Manchuria in Surabaya, Indonesia, and to the rank of deacon – reader John Nugrahanto, with his appointment as a full-time deacon of the Archpastor’s Metochion of St. Vladimir Church in Bekasi, Indonesia.

After the Liturgy, a Paschal procession around the church took place. At the end of the service, vladyka Sergiy addressed those present with a sermon and gave everyone his archpastoral blessing.

On April 13, Great Thursday, the Day of Remembrance of the Last Supper, Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia celebrated the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and officiated the rite of washing the feet at the Bishops’ Metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi, Indonesia.

His Eminence was co-served by the clergy of the church.

At the end of the Liturgy in Remembrance of the Last Supper, at which the sacrament of the Eucharist was established by Jesus Christ, Metropolitan Sergiy performed the rite of washing the feet. By example of Christ, who washed the feet of his closest disciples at the Last Supper, His Eminence Vladyka washed the feet of 12 clergy and laity in the church.

At the end of the service, Metropolitan Sergiy addressed those present with an archpastoral word.

On April 9, the Week of Vai, the feast of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem, the Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the Church of the Dormition of Most Holy Theotokos in Singapore.

His Eminence was co-served by Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta, Vicar of the Diocese of Singapore, and the clergy of the church: Priest Evgeny Shmelev, Priest Dimitry Lavrentiev, Deacon Dimitry Semash, and Deacon Phillip Calington, Cleric of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA.

Numerous parishioners were praying during the service.

At the small entrance, the ruling bishop (metropolitan) awarded the cleric of the Dormition Church, Priest Dimitry Lavrentiev, the right to wear a pectoral cross of gold colour. After the sacramental verse, Metropolitan Sergiy addressed the faithful with his archpastoral word and gave a blessing.

At the end of the service, a festive trapeza was held in the courtyard of the parish, and then the parishioners gathered for the traditional Sunday talks about the faith and the Church. The session on the topic: “What the Lord taught His Apostles and what significance it has for us” was held by Doctor of Theology, deacon Phillip Calington. The conversation was held in the form of a live dialogue: the participants exchanged their perspectives, and everyone was able to ask a question of interest.

On February 26, Cheesefare Week, the remembrance of Adam’s exile (Forgiveness Sunday), the Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Archpastor Metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi.

His Eminence was co-served by Hieromonk Cyril (Situmeang) and Hieromonk Methodius (Sugiarto), clerics of the Archpastor Metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi; Hierodeacon Juvenaly (Marushchak), Senior Deacon of the Patriarchal Exarchate of South-East Asia; Deacon Michael Borodai, Cleric of the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Singapore; Deacon Dorotheus Gunavan, Cleric of the Archpastor Metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi; Deacon Damian Darmavan, Cleric of the Church of the Apostle Thomas in Jakarta; and Deacon Ammon S, Cleric of the Archpastor Metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi.

The chants of the Liturgy were sung in Church Slavonic and Indonesian.

After the end of the divine service, Metropolitan Sergiy served Vespers with the Rite of Forgiveness. Then, the clergy changed their yellow vestments to the Lenten black, and the singing of special chants started. Vladyka read kneeling prayers for the beginning of Great Lent and then addressed the faithful with the archpastoral word.

Vladyka congratulated everyone on the beginning of the Holy Quadragesima and presented the cross for kissing to the clergy and parishioners as a blessing for the passage of Great Lent.

By tradition, believers asked each other for forgiveness.

On February 15, on the feast of the Meeting of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia celebrated the festive Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, Moscow. This day marked the sixteenth anniversary of Vladyka’s bishop ordination. On the eve of the feast, Metropolitan Sergiy served the All-Night Vigil. His Eminence was co-served by the clergy of the church.

At the end of the service, Metropolitan Sergiy read out the Patriarchal message on the occasion of Orthodox Youth Day, which is also celebrated on this day. He then congratulated the faithful on the feast and addressed them with his archpastoral word:

“I join the warm fatherly words of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. This is a holiday of youth for everyone: both the elderly and the young. In God we are all young. The soul has no age. For eternity we are all young.

And, if we want to meet with God someday, then we must remember that this will happen first in the temple. It is no coincidence that the Holy righteous Simeon lived for more than three hundred years in the Jerusalem temple in anticipation of Christ. How much he languished in anticipation that he would suddenly die without seeing what was promised. Today we prayed to the Lord, each for our own. But, if we do not receive what we desire from the Lord, then we will certainly start to complain or get dispondent. But the righteous Simeon lived for centuries, not knowing when his Meeting would take place.

From day to day he spent time in the Jerusalem temple, as he was living there. The Saints knew that the meeting with God would take place in the temple.
Simeon the God-bearer lived for over 300 years. Just think – three hundred years. An ordinary person would get tired of living. In our modern life, 60-70-year-old elderly people already feel tired, grumbling and complaining that they have no health. But people who had holy life showed an example of patience, humility, and the ability to wait, while living openly before God. Life in the Church obliges a person to always live in a state of spiritual alertness, in a state of attention and vigilance.

Simeon did not know when this meeting would take place, but he was ready for it every day. This is how you and I should have prepared if we knew that we should soon have a meeting with God. The problem is that we do not know when this meeting will take place. And in this, we are like Simeon. He didn’t know either. Our meeting is the meeting of our souls with God after the departure. We think that now I will sin a little, and then I will retire and start to pray a lot, I will attend the church more often – but nothing like that happens. We will be overcome by weakness, and if youth knew, old age could – life will already be behind us.

And this is how you imagined your old age, but it turns out not at all like that. You will no longer be able to work physically and pray fervently. Therefore, every moment is precious.
And think about the righteous Anna, who married early, but after seven years became a widow. For almost eighty-four years she was a widow. And where did she live? There, in the Jerusalem temple, from which she did not leave all eighty-four years, after the death of her husband – here is an example for you and me, how people valued opportunities, and asked God for only one thing – so that I could live in the house of the Lord and enjoy the magnificence of His house .

This is what the apostles asked of God, this is what the saints prayed for – they asked only for one thing: to be in the temple and enjoy the joy of worship, the presence of the Spirit of God, which dwells in every temple, in every church”.