JERUSALEM: November 24, 2020
Ascension of the Lord Convent on the Mt of Olives celebrates the Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear"

On November 9/22, the feast of the icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear” is celebrated with great solemnity at the Convent of the Ascension of the Lord on the holy Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. During the years of the First World War and immediately afterward, the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos through Her holy image was especially made manifest. This icon, painted on canvas – a copy of Chernigov icon – darkened with time, unexpectedly and miraculously renewed itself. The icon brightened its face and the colors on it became brighter. The holy image became especially revered in the Holy Land.

This year, the holiday coincided with Sunday. For the sake of the feast, a litiya was served with the blessing of five loaves, and the Mother of God was glorified on the polyeleos with the intoning of the “Megalynarion”. After the sixth song of the canon, the akathist hymn was sung before the holy image.

On Sunday morning, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Roman (Krasovsky) was solemly greeted. After the entrance prayers, the head of the Mission blessed the newly appointed altar server, nun Catherine, to enter the holy altar. Fr. Roman was co-served by Archimandrite Vasily (Druzhinits), Abbot Iona (Galishnikov) and Deacon Vyacheslav (Batalsky). His Beatitude Patriarch Theophios III of Jerusalem and All Palestine was especially prayerfully commemorated on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of his patriarchal enthronement. After the prayer before the ambo, Fr. Roman read the Jubilee Epistle of the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Hilarion, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Supreme Church Administration Abroad, later transformed into the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad.

Three abbess’ prayed at the liturgy: the abbess of the convent – mother Varvara (Novikova), the former abbess (retired) – mother Moses (Bubnova) and the recently appointed abbess of the Gornensky convent – Abbess Ekaterina (Chernysheva), who was visiting the convent for the first time.

After the Divine Liturgy, a moleben was performed in front of the icon of the Mother of God with a procession around the church.

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