The Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, the fourth lot of the Mother of God in the universe, held solemn celebrations of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, our Supreme Hegumenia. It is a patronal feast day of the Diveyevo monastery: one of the two oldest churches of the Community by the Mill was dedicated to Her Nativity at the command of the Queen of Heaven.

The divine service on the eve of the feast commenced in the Trinity Cathedral with Lesser Vespers and the akathist to the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, followed by the All-Night Vigil services in the Trinity Cathedral and the Church to the Nativity of the Mother of God.

Today’s feast was marked by three Divine Liturgy services: two early-morning divine services were celebrated in the Church to the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Dormition Church, with another one held in the Trinity Cathedral later in the morning.

The late-morning liturgy concluded with a festive procession along the Holy Kanavka and the Office of the Panagia.

“Thy Nativity, O Mother of God, has brought joy to all the world,” with these words of the festive troparion, the Holy Church proclaims today the beginning of our salvation. It is not the Lord Savior of the world Who is born, but His Most Holy Mother; it is not the Sun of the world that rises, but the day-dawn, and the morning breeze delivers the good news to all parts of the universe about the forthcoming appearance of the Sun.

As we glorify the Nativity of the Most Pure Mother of God, that freed her parents from barrenness, we are called to remove the barren bonds from our souls, not only to praise the Mother of God with our lips, but also strive to be rich toward God, bringing forth the fruit of holiness and eternal life.