The Fire in our Hearts and our Treasure in Heaven

Priest Alexander Naseko is the head of the Synodal Division of Missionary Work of the Belarusian Orthodox Church and a special guest at our Convent's festival "Joy of the Protection of the Mother of God" that closed this October. He spoke to…

Looking to the Lord to Find Comfort in our Sorrows

Our pleasures in this world are finite, shallow and illusory. They can bring us the sensation of momentary happiness, but to agree to spend the whole eternity in this state of self-deception would be sheer madness.

Tenderness Fish Cakes

There is no doubt that healthy nutrition plays a very important role in human life. And the Holy Fathers say that healthy nutrition is when a person eats with gratitude, prayer and spiritual sobriety.

Artisans from St Elisabeth Convent lay mosaics in a Romanian monastery

Artisans from the mosaic workshop of Saint Elisabeth Convent were commissioned in 2021 to decorate the Church of St. Panteleimon of Oasa Monastery in Romania. We asked Brothers Maxim and Mikhail to tell us about their work in Oasa.

Four musings from Nun Elisabeth

On the anniversary of the birthday of our Convent's patron saint Elisabeth Romanov, nun Elisabeth (Shukovich) shares with us some highlights of her spiritual life and describes how her prayerful connection with Saint Elisabeth shaped their outcomes.

Overcoming doubts and doing the right thing

We still hope to find our way to in heaven. But the kingdom of heaven lives by a different set of laws: love your neighbour as yourself, forgive your enemies, and give your blessing even to those who are piling abuse on us. In heaven, we live…

The eternal nature of God's love

Bowing before an icon, we do not worship matter or the talent of the painter, but the Creator of Matter. We venerate the Mother of God and the saints. Every human being is an image of God, and therefore an icon.

The Icon Casing Studio

The tradition to put icons in Rizas, or covers, comes from Byzantine and the Kievan Rus. Their artisans designed the processes for producing icon covers from precious metals, reserved for the most revered icons.

The veil of the Mother of God, our protection from despair

Sometimes, the magnitude of human suffering, hardship, and pain can throw us into despair. But let remind ourselves that people in worse situations have come out of them successfully, and emerged stronger than before.

Overcoming illusions for entering a new life

There are two worlds of God - the visible and the invisible. The invisible world, the world of the spirit, is lost for us. Instead, we choose to live in a world of illusions.

The bells acquired with your donations have arrived

The bells for the church of Saint Sergius of Radonezh have arrived from the factory. All is ready for installation. The bells’ chimes will enter the lives of the women residents and inspire them to fight for their new life and their salvation.

Novinki: an area with a tumultuous past

This neighbourhood had waited for many years until that moment 22 years ago when we laid the first stone in the foundation of Saint Elisabeth Convent. It has seen many troubles, upheavals, tragedies and hardships.

“Little falcons” movement brings God and His love to children's lives

Nun Rebecca (Pereira): We bring together children and young people interested in living their faith. It unites forty children and fifteen adults.

Misha, the boy from the monastic farmstead

Misha is a loveable boy with big blue eyes. He grew up at the farmstead of Saint Elisabeth Convent where disadvantaged women find shelter. Nun Barbara, in charge of the farmstead, shared with us the boy's story.

The courage of St. Sophia and obedience of Faith, Hope and Love

The holy martyrs, Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia, are revered throughout the world. They lived in Rome in the 2nd century. When Sophia was left a widow, she devoted her life to raising her three daughters, naming them Faith, Hope…

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Daniel met God, and to him, it was a life-changing moment. The Lord did not wish to make him poor or homeless. He only wanted him not to pride himself on his goodness and to follow His way.

The Holy Cross - our weapon in the battle for our salvation

Our relationship with God starts with love. The Lord went to the Cross for our sake, so what can we do for Him? The best we can do is rejoice at seeing Him like little children do when they see their mother

St Seraphim of Sarov life, quotes and teachings

Saint Seraphim’s life was marked by various signs and wonders testifying to his election from very early in life. At the age of seven Prokhor Moshnin (the birth name of the saint) fell from a tall bell tower but God delivered him unharmed.

Convent presents its artwork in an online art festival

From 17 to 26 September, Saint Elisabeth Convent takes part in the online festival of Orthodox artists, blessed and supported by His Eminence Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain Nikitas and the Brotherhood of the Orthodox Mission Abroad.

Matter and spirit - thoughts on the Nativity of the Mother of God

We are working hard to make our lives better to the best of our ability. We are not wrong. Yet, in a sense, our hard work and our lives tend to lose focus, and we risk losing our direction by not following the goals given to us by our Lord.