According to the established tradition, Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas spends one of the days at Christmastime in the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. This year, the head of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolitanate presided at the monastery service to Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen held in the Trinity Cathedral. Bishop Elijah of Balakhna, Vicar of the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese, and Bishop Filaret of Dalnekostantinovsk concelebrated. Local deans, hegumens, and hegumenias of the local monasteries and metochions took part in the service. 

Presbyter Sergiy Solovyov offered the post-communion homily. 

At the end of the service, Hegumenia Sergiya, the abbess of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, thanked the ruling hierarch for the presiding at this service and his care about the monastery presenting him and the vicar bishops with the propshora bread and the icons of the Nativity. On behalf of the diocesan clergy, Prot. Sergiy (Matveyev), the Diocesan Secretary, congratulated His Eminence Georgiy with the feast. 

Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas greeted the faithful on the occasion of the feast of the Nativity of Christ. In his address, the archpastor spoke about the search of God. He reminded how man sought out the worldly cares in place of the divine and glorified the high position and wealth. Thus, only Heaven rejoiced at the joyous news of the arrival of the Lord on earth and, instead of the dignitaries or kings, the angelic annunciation came to the poor shepherds. 

At the end of the service, the archpastors, priests, abbesses of the monasteries and the metochions joined the sisters of the monastery for the festive meal.