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St. Elisabeth Convent
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Recent news and ministry updates of St. Elisabeth Convent, as well as other information about Orthodox Christianity that may be useful to those who are either making their first steps in Church or want to learn something new about our faith.
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پستهای کانال
ST JOHN OF SHANGHAI: “I AM ALIVE”
Today, 2 July (19 June Old Style), the Church remembers St John of Shanghai and San Francisco — a saint of our own time, known to us through living memory and prayer.
Born Mikhail Maximovitch in the Kharkov province, he left Russia after the Revolution and later became a monk and bishop. His ministry led him through Serbia, China, the Philippines, Western Europe and the United States. Wherever exile, illness, or poverty wounded people’s lives, he drew near — visiting the sick, caring for orphans, and gathering the faithful around Christ.
For our community, St John is especially dear. His hospital ministry continues to inspire the sisters’ service among the sick and suffering. At the Convent we have a wooden church dedicated to him, where Liturgies are served for patients of the nearby psychiatric hospital.
Twice a month, the sisters serve an Akathist to St John for the sick and afflicted. You are welcome to send names for commemoration — for yourself, your loved ones, or anyone in need of his prayers.
📝 https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request
St John’s holy relics rest in the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco. Yet a saint’s love is not confined to the place of his relics. Soon after his repose, he appeared to one of his spiritual daughters and said: “Though I have reposed, I am alive.”
The article below helps us hear these words as lived truth. Through the memories of Vera Sokolik, a descendant of Russian émigrés, it shows how St John became a spiritual anchor for those who had lost home and security, yet preserved the faith — and how his care continues to bear fruit today.
Read the article:
👉 https://obitel-minsk.org/en/how-saint-john-of-shanghai-inspired-generations-of-faith
| 2 |  +9WHAT LIES BENEATH THE PSKOV-CAVES MONASTERY
June 28 marks the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Pskov-Caves Monastery. Beneath this holy place lie ancient underground passages, cemeteries where coffins rest in wall niches rather than in the earth, and the dry riverbeds of a long-vanished stream. We invite you to discover this remarkable natural monument—shaped by nature, opened and cultivated by human hands—and the secrets it has quietly kept for six hundred years.
Text by Alexander Moiseyenko
Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Pskov-Caves Monastery | 151 |
| 3 |  KOSOVO'S HERO TSAR LAZAR: CHOOSING FAITH OVER THRONE
The Holy, Glorious and Right-victorious Great Martyr Lazarus, also known as Tsar Lazar, King Lazar of Serbia, or Lazar the Serb, led Serbia at a time when the expanding Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad I put Serbians under extreme pressure to convert to Islam, threatening Christianity's future in the region. Amidst Serbia's fragmentation due to power struggles among its princes, Saint Lazarus exemplified genuine Christian leadership, embodying Saint Savva's ideal of "everything for Christ – Christ above all." He chose spiritual salvation over earthly power, ultimately accepting martyrdom in the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottomans.
💬 Continue reading | 117 |
| 4 | HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO HAVE LEARNED TO LOVE. A NEW E-BOOK
What unites a former prisoner who found a new beginning in a monastery workshop, an elderly grandmother whose fading memory left behind only gratitude, and a sister of mercy whose earthly life ended suddenly alongside her two children?
Their circumstances were different. Their journeys could hardly have been more unlike. Yet each of them encountered Christ in the midst of weakness, sorrow, or loss. Each learned, in his or her own way, what it means to love.
📚 Download the e-book:
👉 https://obitel-minsk.org/en/e-book-the-blessed-ones
In the Church, holiness is not reserved for the distant past. God continues His work in human hearts, gathering people as different as can be and teaching them the same lesson: that life finds its true fulfilment in love.
The people whose stories fill these pages were not free from hardship. Yet through repentance, faith, and self-giving love, they discovered a joy that did not depend on outward circumstances. As one of the book's themes reminds us, whether we are happy or unhappy ultimately depends not on what we possess, but on the measure of our love.
We invite you to spend time with these stories. They are not accounts of extraordinary feats, but of ordinary lives transformed by grace — a reminder that the Gospel remains as living and attainable today as ever.
📝 You are also welcome to send us the names of your loved ones for commemoration in prayer. Nothing binds us together more deeply than prayer for one another before God.
👉 https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request | 126 |
| 5 |  HOW ONE VISIT TO A CHURCH CHANGED THE LIFE OF SCHEMA-ABBESS TAMAR
23 June is the feast day of a Georgian saint, the Holy Confessor Famari Mardzanova, depicted by the Russian painter Pavel Korin in his work "Russia Leaving".
Tamara Alexandrovna Mardzhanishvili (Mardzhanova) was born on 1 April 1868, into one of the most illustrious families in Georgia. Her father, Colonel Alexander Mardzhanishvili, and mother, Elisabeth born Princess Chavchavadze, were faithful Christians. They gave Tamara a brilliant secular education. Her brother Constantine became a famous actor, director and founder of Georgian theatre. Tamara, a gifted singer, was preparing to enter the St Petersburg Conservatoire.
At twenty years of age, Tamara lost her parents and inherited a large estate. She was rich and beautiful. Suitors from Georgia's most famous families offered her their hand in marriage. But the intervention of the Divine Providence changed the course of her life.
💬 Continue reading | 155 |
| 6 | A PLACE OF HOPE STILL TAKING SHAPE
Last year, many of you helped us begin a project close to our hearts at our women’s farmstead in the village of Vishnevka.
Thanks to your generosity, significant progress has already been made. We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed and helped bring this vision closer to reality.
Over time, the original vision of a covered outdoor dining pavilion has expanded into a larger space serving the daily life of the farmstead: a summer refectory where meals can be shared, a gazebo where the sisters and residents can gather and rest after services, and a covered immersion font.
One challenge at the farmstead is helping each woman find a way to contribute according to her abilities. Hospitality has become one of the most fruitful paths.
Welcoming guests, preparing meals, and serving others allows the women to experience something essential: that they are needed. What begins as a simple task often becomes a source of dignity, purpose, and renewed trust in life.
This year we hope to continue developing this shared space, so that it may serve both the residents of the farmstead and the many pilgrims, friends, and guests who visit throughout the year.
👉 Follow the link to support the project: https://obitel-minsk.org/donate-st-elisabeth-convent
Every contribution, however modest, helps create a place where prayer, fellowship, and healing can flourish side by side.
Thank you for walking with us in this work and for helping us continue this ministry.
—
At the heart of the farmstead stands the Church of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, where the Divine Services are celebrated regularly and prayers are offered for all who support this ministry.
If there are loved ones whom you would like remembered in prayer, you are warmly invited to send their names for commemoration. It is through prayer that we remain united across countries, distances, and all the changing circumstances of life.
📝 https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request | 202 |
| 7 |  SAINT IGOR, THE MARTYR WHO BLOTTED OUT THE SIN OF INTERNECINE STRIFE
Prince Igor of Chernigov and Kiev lived in a Kievan Rus divided by a fierce struggle between two competing factions fighting for the Kiev throne in the 12th century. The conflict was not his fault, but he accepted death at the hands of a vengeful mob without protest, erasing the sin of arrogance, conceit, and ill will that had consumed his homeland. In the hymns of his feast day, he is praised for "putting off the perishable robe of mankind, and was clothed in the imperishable and much-suffering robe of Christ."
💬 Read full | 160 |
| 8 |  HOLY MARTYR DIMITRIUS OF UGLICH, A PATRON SAINT OF ALL CHILDREN
Among the Synaxis of our saints are people of all ages, including children. On 16 June, we commemorate Saint Dimitrius of Uglich, a child saint. He was a member of the Russian royal dynasty of the Rurikovichs and is venerated as a martyr for the Orthodox faith.
Dimitry was the son of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Maria Nagaya. The Church had not sanctified their marriage, and Dimitry could not inherit the throne from his father. Therefore, Ivan's son Fyodor succeeded him on the throne, while the infant Dimitry was exiled to Uglich with his mother. Yet the exile of Dimitrius did not diminish the fears of Fyodor's supporters, as Fyodor had no sons.
💬 Continue reading | 173 |
| 9 |  LOVE’S BEACON: A SHEPHERD FOR A CHANGING RUSSIA
On 14 June 1990, Saint John of Kronshtadt was canonised. For the very first time, an all-Church prayer was raised in his honour. Yet, long before this moment, Father John’s sanctity was felt by his contemporaries, who flocked to him in droves.
“He was slender, of average height, with enchanting blue eyes and an expression of profound love on his face. He seemed to have emerged from a land of light, truth, mercy, love, and goodness. For those of us who had never before laid eyes on Father John, it was unnecessary to be told it was him. Out of a thousand priests, he was recognisable by his inspired countenance, those radiant eyes, and that clear expression of face which glowed with an inner fire, reflecting his childlike pure soul,” wrote Monk Iuvian (Krasnoperov) of Valaam Monastery.
💬 Continue reading | 174 |
| 10 |  SUNDAY OF ALL SAINTS OF RUSSIA | 14 JUNE 2026
On the second Sunday after Pentecost, we commemorate all saints who have shone forth in the Russian land, glorified by the Lord for their God-pleasing deeds and holy lives.
In the video, the Lay Choir of our monastery performs the Magnification — a hymn of praise — to the Russian saints.
Holy saints of Russia, pray to God for us 🙏🏻 | 193 |
| 11 |  LUHANSK'S HOLY DEFENDER: THE VIRGIN AND ELDER
Within the confines of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Luhansk, an extraordinary icon of the Mother of God, painted in 1992, beckons the faithful and curious alike. As one approaches this awe-inspiring masterpiece, the Holy Virgin’s full stature comes into view, her arms crossed in a gesture reminiscent of the “Tenderness” icon, each detail filled with profound symbolic meaning. Every Wednesday, before the Divine Liturgy, the entire clergy gathers at the centre of the church to serve an Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos before this revered icon. However, it is during three days in June, from the 13th to the 15th, that the icon’s commemoration reaches its mystical zenith.
💬 Continue reading | 196 |
| 12 | THE SURGEON WHO LEARNED TO LOVE SUFFERING
Today marks 65 years since the repose of one of the great saints of the twentieth century — Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea.
Like his heavenly patron, the Apostle Luke, he united in himself the callings of physician, artist, and preacher. A brilliant surgeon and gifted scientist, he also became a confessor of Christ during one of the harshest periods of persecution in the Soviet era.
Saint Luke spent years in prisons and exile, endured interrogations and torture, and yet continued serving as both bishop and physician. Even in old age, nearly blind and exhausted by illness, he went on preaching, receiving patients, and carrying the burdens of others.
He later told the story of his life in an autobiography titled Purified Through Suffering. A few years ago, we translated this remarkable book into English. You may download the e-book for a donation via the link below.
👉 https://obitel-minsk.org/en/ebook-saint-luke
These memoirs are striking not only for what they recount, but for the honesty with which Saint Luke speaks about himself. Without self-justification or sentimentality, he reveals the hidden struggles of a man gradually learning to place his life entirely in God’s hands.
Even after his repose, many continue to turn to Saint Luke in illness and distress, asking his prayers with faith. Sisters of our Convent, too, have spoken of receiving help and healing through oil blessed on his relics. His life reminds us that holiness is not formed in ease, but in faithfulness to God through every trial.
Throughout his life, Saint Luke served those who suffered in body and soul, and many continue to seek his prayers today in times of illness, family hardship, and uncertainty. If you would like the sisters of our convent to remember your loved ones in prayer, you are welcome to submit names for commemoration through the link below.
📝 https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request | 182 |
| 13 |  +6THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTIAN FASTING
Fasting entered Christian practice from its Old Testament roots, where it originally involved complete abstention from food—lasting anywhere from hours to days (as when Moses fasted forty days). This represented a personal sacrificial offering. With Christianity’s emergence, fasting took on deeper penitential meaning.
This practice developed into the Church’s four major fasting periods along with weekly Wednesday and Friday fasts and special one-day fasts.
As we approach the Apostles’ Fast on June 8, these slides explore each fast’s history, dates, and spiritual significance.
Text by Kirill Baglay | 286 |
| 14 |  THE APOSTLES FAST 2026 IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
Many non-Orthodox Christians often wonder what is the Apostles Fast in the Orthodox Church. It is often seen as a hidden treasure of the Liturgical Calendar - everyone knows about the Great Lent and even the Nativity Fast, but the rather short Apostles Fast often gets forgotten.
Jesus Christ Himself set the foundation for fasting. As it is said in the New Testament:
“Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” (Luke 5:35)
The roots of the Apostles Fast go back to the first century of Christianity. After the Lord’s Ascension, His disciples lived a lifestyle of continuous fasting and prayer until the day the Holy Spirit descended - the day of Pentecost.
💬 Continue reading | 176 |
| 15 |  HOW TO OBSERVE THE APOSTLES’ FAST
The Apostles’ Fast begins on June 8 in 2026. This season of preparation leads us to the feast of the holy, glorious, and all-praised leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, on July 12.
These two very different men gave everything for the preaching of Christianity.
Their letters contain the very foundations of Christian teaching. Both apostles write with depth and warmth, addressing marriage, raising children, human relationships, and ways to resolve conflict.
As we approach the feast of the holy apostles, it is a fitting time to read what they wrote—and, more importantly, to try living even a small part of what they taught.
If you have not yet begun attending services regularly, the fast offers a good opportunity to start. It is especially fitting to go to Confession and receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ during this season.
As for food, the rules are simple: we abstain from meat, eggs, and dairy. Vegetables, fruits, grains, seafood, and fish are permitted. | 172 |
| 16 |  BLESSED XENIA AND THE LIGHT BEYOND GRIEF
June 6 marks the glorification (canonization) of St. Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988.
"Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest."
(Psalm 55:6)
Low clouds hang over the grey city, soft as watercolour in the early morning light. The bridges fade into mist. Far off, a lone wanderer comes into view. She moves quietly along the wet pavement.
As the dim colours deepen, her strange clothing becomes clear: the torn frock coat of a man over a worn dress; feet almost bare in the cold. Yet her face is bright. She seems to belong to another world, and to no time at all.
A thin, cold drizzle begins to fall. The wanderer does not notice. Her thoughts are far away.
In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, "Flee like a bird to your mountain?"
(Psalm 11:1)
💬 Continue reading | 194 |
| 17 |  SAINT EUPHROSINIA OF POLOTSK
May 23rd (June 5th) is the day when the Orthodox commemorate a very special Belarusian saint, St Euphrosinia of Polotsk. As you may know, the abbess of our Convent bears the saint’s name, which means that it is her name day as well.
The life of St Euphrosinia
The Venerable Euphrosinia, Abbess of Polotsk, is a very special saint to all Orthodox Christians of Belarus.
Her father, prince Sviatoslav of Polotsk, named his daughter Predslava. As a child, she was wise and intelligent beyond her years. As a young girl, she refused many marriage proposals. When she found out that her parents wanted her to marry one of the princes, she secretly left her father’s house and went to a monastery. At that time, she was only twelve years old. None of her father’s threats could possibly turn her away from the path she had chosen - monastic life with God.
💬 Continue reading | 182 |
| 18 | A SERBIAN SAINT CLOSE TO OUR MONASTERY
Among the sisters of our monastery are several who came to us from Serbia and Montenegro. For this reason, the saints and holy places of those lands are especially dear to us.
Today, June 4, the Church commemorates the Holy Martyr John Vladimir — a Serbian prince who ruled in the western Balkans at the beginning of the eleventh century. He was remembered not only as a courageous ruler, but as a man of mercy, chastity, and deep faith.
After betrayal left his people surrounded and facing certain death, Saint John Vladimir surrendered himself to the enemy, choosing captivity rather than seeing his men perish by hunger and the sword. Years later, he accepted martyrdom with deep peace, comparing himself to the righteous Abel and Isaac.
His incorrupt relics are venerated today in the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Tirana, where many still come seeking his prayers and help.
We invite you to learn more about the life of this holy martyr in the article below.
https://obitel-minsk.org/en/the-life-of-the-holy-martyr-john-vladimir-prince-of-zeta
Holy Martyr John Vladimir, pray to God for us — and especially for our sisters Elisabeth, Sebastiana, and Drosida, whose homeland keeps your memory with love.
—
📝 If you would like the sisters to remember your loved ones in prayer — for health or for repose — you are welcome to submit their names through the link below:
👉 https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request | 184 |
| 19 | 12 QUESTIONS ABOUT PENTECOST
On 31 May 2026, the Church celebrates one of Her great feasts: Pentecost, also called Trinity Sunday. Fifty days after Christ’s Resurrection, the apostles were gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. This gift of the Spirit enabled them to speak in many languages, heralding the Gospel to all nations. Pentecost reveals the life of God dwelling within the Church and the beginning of Her mission to the world.
1. Why do we call Pentecost the “Birthday of the Church”?
The Church is not merely a gathering of believers or a human society; She is the Body of Christ — a living communion through which His life flows. The Holy Spirit gives life to this Body, uniting believers and sustaining them in love and purpose.
💬 Continue reading | 151 |
| 20 |  RUBLEV’S TRINITY: PROFOUND MEANINGS IN EVERY DETAIL
Among all depictions of God in the history of iconography, few are as revered and mysterious as the Icon of the Holy Trinity by St Andrei Rublev. Within the Russian — and, indeed, pan-Orthodox — tradition, this image has attained not only profound spiritual significance but also a dogmatic and liturgical status.
The mystery of the One God in Three Persons has always stood at the very heart of Christian theology. At the same time, it remains one of its most difficult truths to express. In the 14th century, St Sergius of Radonezh made a decisive contribution to the spiritual understanding of the Trinity, not merely as a theological concept but as a living mystery to be contemplated in prayer and reflected in the life of the Church. It was this vision that St Andrei Rublev — himself a monk of the Trinity-St Sergius Monastery — would later translate into colour and form, offering the world an icon that expresses what words often fail to capture.
💬 Read full | 158 |
