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The Board of Patrons for the Orthodox Monastery of St. George the Victorious in Goetschendorf, Germany, met on 19 March 2010 at the Church of Christ the Saviour’s Red Hall.

The meeting was chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia who opened it with introductory remarks.

Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and Germany gave account of the establishment of the monastery and its present situation. He explained how monastic life is arranged in the diocese of Berlin and the decision was made to establish a monastery with a religious education center in it. He reminded the meeting that Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, now the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, inspected the building in September 2006 and gave his blessing upon the arrangement of a monastery there.

The Land Brandenburg Ministry of Finance and the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Berlin concluded in October 2006 an agreement on the purchase of land, buildings and arable lands by the diocese for the purpose of building an Orthodox monastery. In May 2008, Metropolitan Kirill laid the foundation stone of a church of St. George the Victorious in the territory of the future monastery. It is also planned to build a refectory and a library in the monastery.

Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, Moscow Patriarchate secretary for institutions abroad, presented the membership of the monastery’s Board of Patrons and a draft provision for its status. The Board of Patrons includes Archbishops Feorfan and Mark, scholars, cultural figures, artists, journalists and businessmen from Russia, as well as German publicist and author Norbert Kuchinke.

Among the participants in the meeting was Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, Moscow Patriarchate’s director for economy and finance, the patriarchal press service has reported.