Author: Сингапурская епархия

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”.

On January 22, the 32^nd Sunday after Pentecost and after Theophany, the day of commemorating Holy Hierarch Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the wonderworker, the Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, led the service of the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Singapore.

His Eminence was co-served by Bishop Pitirim of Jakarta, Vicar of the Diocese of Singapore; Hegumen Pavel (Khokhlov), Rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; clerics of the Church of the Dormition: Priest Evgeny Shmelev, Priest Dimitry Lavrentiev, Hierodeacon Juvenaly (Marushchak), and Deacon Dimitry Semash.

At the end of the divine service, Metropolitan Sergiy cordially greeted the faithful and addressed the audience with his archpastoral word.

In his sermon, Vladyka Sergiy turned to the Sunday Gospel reading – when, the Lord, after His baptism in the waters of the Jordan received from the Holy Prophet John the Baptist, retired for forty days to the wilderness and was then tempted by the devil before going out to preach.

In this way, the Lord shows us an example of how to preserve the grace received in Baptism and other Sacraments of the Church, including one of the most important ones – the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Why does the Saviour begin His preaching by repeating St. John the Baptist’s famous call: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17)? In this way, the Lord shows us a direct connection between repentance and His Kingdom. He invites everyone to come in and stay forever in the Kingdom of Heaven, but there is an obstacle—our own sins. He also showed the way to overcome them – repentance and self-control. “Only then will we be able to do good deeds and sow the word of God, like Christ Himself, who went out to preach and began to heal the suffering only after fasting and temptations”, – concluded Vladyka.

On the same day, the rite of the Great Blessing of the Waters of the Ocean was performed, and then a traditional parish picnic was held, at which those who wished could immerse themselves in the blessed waters and then have warm friendly conversations over a home-made meal and even participate in joint games.

On January 7, on the feast of the Nativity of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, the Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Archpastor’s Metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi, Indonesia. On the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Metropolitan Sergiy performed the All-Night Vigil.

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

On the sacrament verse, the Nativity message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was read out.

At the end of the Divine service, Bishop Sergiy congratulated everyone on the feast of the Nativity of Christ and addressed the faithful with the archpastoral word. After that, according to tradition, a festive meal was held.

On the morning of January 6, during the vespers of the Nativity of Christ (Nativity Eve), the Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, headed the service of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great at the Archpastor metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi, Indonesia. At the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Sergiy ordained Ammon S. to the rank of deacon.

His Eminence was assisted by the clerics of the Archpastor metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi, Hieromonk Cyril (Situmeang) and Hieromonk Methodiy (Sugiarto); Hierodeacon Juvenaly (Marushchak), Senior Deacon of the Patriarchal Exarchate of South-East Asia, Deacon Dorothey Gunavan, Cleric of the Archpastor metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church and Deacon Damian Darmavan, Cleric of the church of the apostle Thomas in Jakarta.

At the end of the divine service, Metropolitan Sergiy congratulated the parishioners on Christmas Eve and addressed the faithful with an archpastoral word. Then, a traditional meal was held, during which Bishop Sergiy talked with the parishioners of the metochion.

By decree of Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, Deacon Ammon S. was appointed a full-time deacon of the Archpastor metochion of St. Vladimir’s Church in Bekasi, Republic of Indonesia.