We recognize August 22, 1999 as the birthday of St. Elisabeth Convent. It was on that day that the Most Rev Philaret, Metropolitan
of Minsk and Slutsk, tonsured first novices and blessed the Rev Andrew
Lemeshonok to establish a convent in honor of the Holy Martyr Grand Princess
Elisabeth.
Our Convent is 18 now! Here are 18 facts about our
Convent. Let’s read the pages of our history together!
Fact 1. St Elisabeth Convent originated from the Sisterhood with the same name. The
first lay sisters of mercy together with Father Andrew began their ministry in
the Psychiatric Hospital in Novinki in 1996. They celebrated the first Liturgy
on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. They had their first meeting during
the Paschal season and decided to establish a Sisterhood in honor of the Holy
Martyr Grand Princess Elisabeth.
Fact 2. The sewing workshop was the first workshop of St Elisabeth Convent. This fact can be easily explained: the sisters required white robes to visit the sick.
At first, they were sewing the white robes at home, using sewing patterns from
old textbooks. Currently, the sewing workshop is one of the biggest workshops
of St Elisabeth Convent. The sisters make wonderful church vestments and
clothes for lay people, as well as baptismal and wedding sets, towels, and
tapestry. Learn more about the workshops here.
Fact 4. The first sacred object in our Convent was a particle of the relics of St
Elisabeth. Father Andrew brought the particle of St Elisabeth’s relics to St
Elisabeth Convent from Jerusalem in 1997. This is how he described his
experience, “This sacred object came to us at the right time. When you look at
your own weak flesh, you feel hopeless. But when you kiss the glorified flesh
that became holy, the flesh of the Holy Martyr Elisabeth who defeated death and
all her weaknesses, you regain strength, faith, and hope!”
Fact 5. The Chapel in honor of St Xenia of
Petersburg is our first church in the boarding home.
The Holy Table of the chapel in honor of the Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg
was consecrated in the Boarding Home for the Elderly and the Less Able No.3 on
February 6, 1998. It appeared on the territory of the boarding home for a
reason. This is what Zinaida Lobosova, the Senior Sister of the Sisterhood,
recalls, “The majority of those who live in the boarding home are not allowed
to go out. Most of them grew up in a similar facility for children, and then
were transferred to this boarding home. When we started visiting the
Psychiatric Hospital, and then the boarding homes, when many patients got the
opportunity to take communion, we naturally wanted them to have Liturgies as
well. This is why we decided to establish a church within the walls of the
boarding home.”
Fact 6. One of the first lay sisters of mercy to became the Mother
Superior of the Convent later became the Abbess in the monastery in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into
the Temple. Sister Helena Sysun was tonsured and renamed Elizabeth on August
23, 1998. The tonsure happened in St John the Theologian Convent. Today Nun
Elizabeth is the Mother Superior of the Convent in honor of the Entry of the
Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, situated near v. Bohušy, HR.
Fact 7. Abbess Euphrosinia (Laptik) is the Abbess of our Convent. She became Mother
Superior in 2002, and Abbess in 2005. Click here to read an interview with the abbess.
Fact 8. Men’s Rehabilitation Center was founded at the farmstead of the Convent, or, to be more precise, on the 120 hectares of vacant land, which were allocated to our Sisterhood by Minsk Raion Executive Committee. Today people call this place holy. It is here that many people with difficult fates find shelter and try to begin new lives. God and the Convent help them to do so.
Fact 9. Women’s Rehabilitation Center was established in 2011 not far from v. Nialidavičy. It became the second home for many women who had found themselves in a difficult situation in life. Nun Barbara (Atrasievič) who is in charge of the rehabilitation center, believes that this place will one day become a unique center, combining the functions of a shelter, an orphanage, and a crisis family center. Right now, they have almost completed the construction of the Church in honor of Saint Sergius of Radonezh.
Fact 10. The first book and the first audio recording were published in St Elisabeth Convent in 2002. The first film
was released in 2006. The first book prepared by our Publishing House was
printed in 2002. It was a book of Letters of St Macarius of Optina. The first
tape with sermons and talks of Father Andrew Lemeshonok was released by our
audio studio the same year. The Path of Love, our first film, was
released in 2006. By now, we have published over a thousand book titles and
released a variety of audio records, ranging
from literary and children’s tales to music albums and
lectures. We have produced several documentaries and a fiction series called Three Parables.
Fact 11.
The Catalogue of St Elisabeth Convent website catalog.obitel-minsk.com together
with the official english vesion blog The Catalog Of Good Deeds were launched
in recent years. The Catalog showcaes
handmade items made in St.Elisabeth Convent while the blog features articles, videos, and photos showcasing news related to the convent as well as
Orthodoxy in general.
Fact 12. His Holiness Alexis II, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,
visited our Convent in the autumn of 2008. He consecrated the biggest church of
our Convent – the Church in honor of the Reigning icon of the Mother of God.
Fact 13. The Convent organizes many festivals, both outside (such as Kladez Orthodox Culture Festival and From Heart To Heart Festival) and within its walls. The Royal Voice Music Festival is an excellent opportunity to listen to the best examples of church music. Niabiosy Festival gathers batleika puppet theatres. Lenten concerts were held this year at various venues around the city of Minsk on April 1 – 7 this year.
Fact 14. Our sisters carry out their ministry not only in
hospitals but also in universities. The first Spiritual Education Center was
founded in the Belarusian State Agricultural Technical University in 2006.
Today such centers have been created on the grounds of the University of
Informatics and Radioelectronics, University of Medicine, University of Culture
and Arts, Medical College, and Decorative Arts College.
Fact 15. There is a private school run by St Elisabeth Convent.
IKHVIS Private Kindergarten and School opened its doors on September 1, 2014.
Its first pupils will go to the fourth form this September. IKHVIS School has
experienced and professional teachers, interesting and various extracurricular
activities and clubs, and an opportunity to study the Orthodox culture.
Fact 16. There is a Visiting Nurse Service operated by St
Elisabeth Convent, launched three years ago. “Our Visiting Nurse Service does
not only provide sanitary and hygiene care for severely ill patients. The
sisters are always spiritually attuned to their patients, each of whom has
their own personal traits. In fact, you cannot carry out this obedience without
Christ who stands between the sister and the patient,” Anna Kovalevskaya, the
head of the Visiting Nurse Service, believes.
Fact 17. A new Pilgrims’ Center was consecrated last year.
Father Andrew Lemeshonok remarked during the consecration, “The Pilgrims’ House
is not just a hotel. It must help people to get involved in spiritual life.
That’s why those who will receive guests have great responsibility. Having seen
the divine beauty in you, our guests should be willing to connect with God and
come back to the Convent.” The Pilgrims’ Office of St Elisabeth Convent does
not only provide accommodation to our guests but also organises pilgrimages.
Fact 18. There are 124 nuns in the Convent right now. The latest tonsure was performed on March 15, on the feast day of the Reigning icon of the Mother of God. The heavenly patrons of the newly-tonsured sisters are holy new martyrs of the 20th century.
August 22, 2017
St. Elisabeth Convent
CONVERSATION