The closer we approach God, the more it hurts inside. Every real step towards God tears a person apart. The Lord does not want us to become attached to time, space, or any particular values. He wants us to be free.
Birthday: 04.08.1956
Name Day: December 13 ( Apostle Andrew the First-Called)
Chirotony Dates: 04/07/1992; 11/14/1992
We all sincerely desire to be saved. Otherwise, we would not be here. Coming to church out of habit, listening to chants, saying some good words and smiling at one another may be beneficial for our mind, but not for our spirit. In reality, we come here because we are preparing for death. The time will come for each of us to ascend his own Golgotha. We should not be afraid however, because we are Christians...
Birthday: 04.17.1964
Name Day: October 8 (Reverend Sergius of Radonezh)
Chirotony Dates: 12/30/1995; 08/28/1996;
The Church has a simple recipe for all of life's emergencies: cling to the Lord in prayer, Communion, and everything that unites a person with Him. Then, our sorrows and misfortunes recede, and our problems are solved. However, doing so takes effort, and renunciation of one's ego and pride, because the enemy is trying to sow anger, resentment and hostility in our hearts.
Birthday: 07.07.1965
Name Day: December 13 (Apostle Andrew the First-Called)
Chirotony Dates: 05/28/1998; 06/06/1998
The Lord is always looking for ways not to punish or defeat a person, but to save each one of us.
Birthday: 10.23.1957
Name Day: December 6 (The Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky)
Chirotony Dates: 03/15/2000; 04/23/2000
In our time, enduring ourselves with all our so-called character traits is probably the greatest act of faith. [This act is necessary] for the Lord to blot out all of these "rough spots" bringing to light the pure gold of the soul that He created, and that is now covered with a crust...
Birthday: 02.14.1950
Name Day: March 22 (Holy Martyr Valery)
Chirotony Dates: 05/23/2001; 11/25/2001
Holiness is not some unattainable height. Holiness is when God begins to act in a sinful person, in spite of all his human talents, or perhaps his infirmities. At this point, it is no longer a personal achievement, but God's grace.
Birthday: 10.27.1974
Name Day: October 8 (Reverend Sergius of Radonezh)
Chirotony Dates: 02/10/2002; 06/16/2013
What does it mean to repent to the Lord for our sins? It means changing our lives by following Christ.
Birthday: 08.07.1979
Name Day: October 8 (Reverend Sergius of Radonezh)
Chirotony Dates: 11/05/2009; 06/20/2010
In any of our trials and difficulties, we must not forget that the church is always open, and that we can come here, be comforted, pray, ask God for forgiveness and achieve the very purpose of our coming into this world—the union with Christ.
Birthday: 08.29.1973
Name Day: November 23 (Apostle Rodion)
Chirotony Dates: 11/28/2011; 02/25/2012
There are words in the Gospel that speak of the simplicity that we must achieve to be able to draw close to God, so that He can lay His hand on us, as if we were children with simple, innocent thoughts and feelings.
Birthday: 09.21.1968
Name Day: November 2 (Great Martyr Artemy)
Chirotony Dates: 12/14/2009; 03/15/2015
I have come to realize that this world has its own ways, none of which has anything in store for me in regard to the salvation of my soul. At the same time, I was moved by the gospel parable of the talents. It really touched my heart, and kept me awake at night. I was thinking, 'What if I am hiding my God-given talent in the sand instead of answering His call? What account will I give for this?' When I was 27, these thoughts led me to enter the seminary.
Birthday: 08.10.1986
Name Day: October 8 (Reverend Sergius of Radonezh)
Chirotony Dates: 07/29/2016; 01/01/2017
Any knowledge that man discovers through science is a gift of God to people, proclaiming His presence in this world.
Birthday: 07.14.1980
Name Day: October 3 (Blessed Prince Oleg Bryansky)
Chirotony Dates: 07/19/2020; 11/07/2020
Birthday: 11.14.1973
Name Day: October 3 (Blessed Prince Oleg Bryansky)
Chirotony Dates: 10/22/2005
Birthday: 07.19.1972
Name Day: August 6 (Blessed Prince Boris)
Chirotony Dates: 06/02/2012
I have come to realize that this world has its own ways, none of which has anything in store for me in regard to the salvation of my soul. At the same time, I was moved by the gospel parable of the talents. It really touched my heart, and kept me awake at night. I was thinking, 'What if I am hiding my God-given talent in the sand instead of answering His call? What account will I give for this?' When I was 27, these thoughts led me to enter the seminary.
We know about it from the timeless books of the Russian writer Ivan Shmelev. It is called Uzvar, a drink prepared from dried fruits. Its herbal variants have medicinal properties. Keep reading find out more and get a recipe!
Christmas is a testimony of our Lord's endless love for humanity. During the holy Christmas season, the monastery of St. Elisabeth organizes an annual charity event called Secret Angel. It allows everyone to buy items from a special category…
2022 has been a very hard year for so many of us because of the latest political crisis . At times, we’ve all felt scared, sad, and maybe even angry. Regardless of all the hardships, we must always remember that God has been with us every day.
Apostle Paul gives an apt description of the inner struggle that many of us will have experienced: "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do I do". These words are very true, but in reality, our dilemma lies even deeper.
Let us pray to God so He can let us find the right words and give us the understanding of what we really need to say at our confession. When we come to the Cross and begin to say what is on our mind we should always be mindful of Christ’s invisible…
Father Andrey Malakhovsky came to our convent in 2000. During this time, he has served in many boarding homes and hospitals ministered by our community. In our new article, Father Andrey Jr., as we lovingly call him, speaks about his path to…
After visiting the orphanage in Novinki, Nina immersed herself in a new world. She saw unconditional love and mercy in sick children and found God's love in the midst of their suffering. Her family had described her as having a heart of metal,…
It's hard to imagine an event that inspires artists more than the Nativity of Christ and its miracle. Saint Elizabeth’s Convent artisans also have their inspiration from Christmas, embodying its plots into their Nativity scene art.
Alexander Churbakov has been teaching history at the Convent's school "Ichthys" for the last three years. In this interview, we ask for his views on the role and mission of a Christian teacher, his experience of teaching at a Christian school.
We are launching one more Online Christmas Market of our Convent! In this article, you will learn about one of our Convent’s beloved Christmas traditions through a true story of a Christmas miracle that one of our sisters experienced.
For every woman resident of our monastic farmstead, summer is a busy time. We interviewed several women about their daily work as a chance to learn to give love to one another, know God's will and follow it.
