On September 8, the feast day of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos according to the New Julian calendar, the Patriarchal Convent of the Nativity of the Theotokos of Saednaya (Syria) celebrated its patronal feast day. At the invitation of Abbess of the monastery, Said Abbess Fevronia (Nabkhan), the representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarchal See of Antioch, Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), took part in matins and Divine Liturgy in the cathedral church of the monastery.
On the day of the feast, with the blessing of His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East, the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was led by Bishop Roman of Seleucia, Chief Secretary of the Synod of the Church of Antioch, and Bishop Moses of Darai, co-served by Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), a resident of St. George's Monastery in Al-Homeirah, Archimandrite Basil (Musa) and the clergy of the monastery. Abbess Fevronia (Nabhan) prayed at the service, the website of the Representative Office of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus reports.
The divine service was conducted in Arabic and Church Slavonic.
After the communion verse, Bishop Moses of Darai preached a sermon on the theme of the feast.
After the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Roman cordially greeted Vladyka Moses, Archimandrite Philip and the concelebrating clergy, as well as the sisters of the monastery and numerous parishioners, conveying to them the blessing of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch.