On the Eve of the Nativity, the Head of the REM celebrated Divine Liturgy on the Mount of Olives

On the morning of January 6, 2021, on the eve of the Nativity of our Lord, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky) performed the “Royal Hours” and Vespers with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the church of the Ascension of the Lord in the monastery of the same name on the holy Mount of Olives. Fr. Roman was co-served by Archimandrite Vasily (Druzhinets), Igumen Iona (Galishnikov) and Deacon Vyacheslav Batalsky. The abbess of the monastery, mother Barbara (Novikova) along with the sisters of the convent, prayed at the services. The choir sang under the direction of rassaphore nun Mastridia. At the end of the Liturgy, the priests solemnly carried the icon of the Nativity of Christ to the middle of the church accompanied by the singing of the troparion and kontakion of the feast. All the sisters venerated  the holy image with spiritual joy.