During the sisterhood meal today, Hegumenia Sergia, the abbess of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, announced that she received a phone call from Hegumenia Ekaterina, the abbess of the Gornensky Monastery in Jerusalem. Mother Ekaterina, at the request of nun Euphrosyne from the Greek monastery told how the Most Holy Mother of God took care of the decoration of Her Shroud on the feast of Her Dormition.

 Mother Euphrosyne is known for bringing nard oil to Russia, and the Diveyevo monastery buys this fragrant oil from her. This year, Mother Euphrosyne’s bank card account was cancelled due to the difficult international political situation. By the feast of Dormition, she had no money to buy flowers and decorate the Shroud of the Mother of God usually taken in the procession from the Gethsemane metochion located across from entrance to the Church of the Resurrection to Gethsemane.

 Great joy about what was happening replaced sorrow when, on the day of Dormition, she discovered that her blocked card had a transfer from the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery as an advance payment for the oil. It is worthy noting that typically the monastery never sends advance payment, but it is calculated upon receipt of goods.