On the evening of March 16/29, the Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), read the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete in the Ascension Church on the Mount of Olives. The clergy of the monastery – Archimandrite Innokenty (Sereda), Abbot Jonah (Galishnikov), Hieromonk Gerasim (Kotovsky) and Archdeacon Hypaty (Moisej) co-served with Fr. Roman.
During the divine service, according to the Typicon, Fr. Jonah read the life of St. Mary of Egypt. The choir sweetly sang the irmos “Helper and Protector” under the direction of the choir director, nun Joanna.
