November 24, 2024. Almaty. At the spiritual, cultural, and administrative center named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), an icon containing a relic of Venerable Confessor Sebastian of Karaganda, one of the last elders of Optina and a heavenly patron of Kazakhstan, was handed over to the St. Ambrose Women’s Monastery of the Belarusian Exarchate.
Present at the relic transfer ceremony were: the Prorector for External Relations of the Minsk Theological Seminary, Hieromonk Agafangel (Budishin); the Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin; and the Press Secretary of the Minsk Theological Seminary, A.A. Efimenko.
With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the icon with the relic of the venerable elder was handed over by Priest Georgy Sidorov. The sacred gift was received by the Rector of the Minsk Theological Academy, Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov).
At the request of Abbess Makaria (Matyash), the head of the St. Ambrose Women’s Monastery, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan presented the icon with the relic of Venerable Confessor Sebastian of Karaganda for prayerful veneration by the sisters of this newly established monastery in the Novogrudok Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
On behalf of the abbess of the St. Ambrose Women’s Monastery, the Rector of the Minsk Theological Academy expressed his gratitude to Metropolitan Alexander for the priceless gift and noted that the sacred relic would serve as spiritual support and strengthening for the sisters of the Novogrudok Diocese’s monastery.
At the conclusion of the meeting, which took place in a warm and cordial atmosphere, Archimandrite Athanasius and Priest Georgy exchanged blessings and good wishes.
Background on the St. Ambrose Women’s Monastery
On September 29, 2005, with the blessing of Archbishop Guriy of Novogrudok and Lida, five sisters from the Annunciation Women’s Monastery in Slonim were sent to the village of Rusakovo in the Slonim District to establish a women’s monastic skete. In 2006, the Convent of the Venerable Ambrose of Optina in the Novogrudok Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church was officially registered in Rusakovo. In December 2020, the senior sister of the Convent of the Venerable Ambrose of Optina submitted a request to the diocesan hierarch of the Novogrudok Diocese to transform the convent into a women’s monastery. In accordance with paragraph 36, Chapter 7 of the Novogrudok Diocese Statute, this request was reviewed and approved by the Diocesan Council. In March 2021, a decision was made to transform the Convent of the Venerable Ambrose of Optina in the Novogrudok Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church into the religious organization “Women’s Monastery in Honor of Venerable Ambrose of Optina in the Village of Rusakovo, Slonim District, Novogrudok Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.” The newly formed monastery was entrusted to Nun Makaria (Matyash), who was elevated to the rank of abbess as part of her appointment.
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