Nativity of Christ is celebrated at the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus

On 7 January 2018, the feast day of the Nativity of Christ, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer at the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus.

Bishop Moises of Darayia officiated with the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East. Archpriest Matta Haddad, a cleric of the Cathedral of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Damascus, and Hegumen Arseny (Sokolov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch concelebrated.

Praying during the divine service were Mr. Eldar Kurbanov, charge d’affaires a.i. of the Russian Federation to the Syrian Arab Republic; hegumeness Pelagia, mother superior of St. Thecla convent in Maaloula; composer Andrei Kormukhin, coordinator of the Russian ‘Sorok Sorokov’ lay movement; Ms. Valentina Lantseva, president of the St. Paul charity foundation; staff members of the Russian Embassy in Syria and members of the Russian Orthodox Church living in the capital of Syria.

After the divine service Bishop Moises greeted the worshippers with the Nativity of Christ. Hegumen Arseny thanked the archpastor for celebrating at the church of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus and presented him with an icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov with a particle of the relics of the saint.