JERUSALEM: June 29, 2020
Schema-Nun Feodosia reposes in the Lord

On June 10/23, 2020, the eldest resident of St Mary Magdalene Convent in Gethsemane, Jerusalem, Schema-nun Feodosiya (Saade) reposed in the Lord at the age of 89.

Mother Feodosiya was born Alexandra Saade in Bethlehem on September 28, 1931. She entered Ascension of the Lord Convent on the Mt of Olives at the age of 9. At her parents’ request, when she was about 17 years old, she returned home, but because of her zeal for prayer and the monastic life, Alexandra returned to the Holy City in 1951 and joined Gethsemane Convent. In 1961, she was tonsured to the rassa by Abbot Stefan and given the name Sofia

She was tonsured a nun in 1974 and given the name Feodora, when she became the cell-attendant of the elderly Archimandrite Nektary (Chernobyl, +2000). She also sang in church and was an altar-server for many years. In her free time, Mother Feodora wove prayer ropes. Despite her advance years, she always attended all divine services.

On March 17/30, 2017, Archbishop Mark (Arndt) tonsured Mother Feodora to the great schema; it was the first such tonsure at the convent in 50 years. She was given the name Feodosiya in honor of Holy Martyr Feodosia the Virgin (celebrated on March 20/April 2). Schema-Nun Feodosiya continued performing the prayer rule until the last day of her life.

On her last day, she came to church unaided, and partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ for the last time. She then went home to her bed; her cell-attendant noticed her labored breathing and called Fr Feodor (Kiritse), who began to read the canon for the departure of the soul, during which Mother Feodosiya quietly departed to the Lord.

The next day, Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, along with Hieromonk Feodor, Preist Khadar Baramki of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and Deacon Vyacheslav Batalsky performed her monastic funeral. The body of the late Mother Feodosiya was buried in the convent cemetery.

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