“Lord, before to the end, I shall not parish, have mercy on me!” (stichira)

Towards the end of the “arena” of Great Lent, on Thursday in the 5th week at Matins, the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read in its entirety. “Almost the entire canon of Andrew of Crete,” writes Protopresbyter Mchael Pomazansky, is a conversation with his own soul, a conversation with his own heart, a call to oneself to rise out of the mud of life, wake up, shake up, start living vigorously, purely and holy. “My soul, my soul, rise up why do you slumber!””

On Wednesday evening, April 1/14, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky) with the monastery clergy – Archimandrite Vasily (Druzhinets), Abbot Jonah (Galishnikov) and Deacon Vyacheslav Batalsky – read the canon at the Mount of Olives Convent of the Ascension.

At the beginning of the service, Fr. Abbot Jonah read the statutory reading of the life of St. Mary of Egypt.

Abbess Barbara (Novikova) and her sisters prayed in the church. The monastery choir performed the irmosi of the canon “Helper and Patron” under the direction of nun Mastridia.

On Thursday morning, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was served at which many sisters received the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

 

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