Russian Orthodox Church Metochion Hosts Charity Christmas Dinner in Beirut, Lebanon

On December 19, the commemoration day of St. Nicholas the Miracleworker, the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Lebanon held a charity Christmas dinner at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut. The event was held under the patronage of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Lebanese Republic and the Russian House in Beirut.

Among those attending were H.E. Alexander Rudakov, Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon; H.E. Yury Sluka, Belarus’s ambassador to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan; and H.E. Milan Trojanović, Serbia’s ambassador to Lebanon. Also present were Alexander A. Sorokin, director of the Russian House in Beirut; Iliya V. Kukharev, acting director of the Russian House in Damascus; and Jacques Jean Sarraf, honorary consul of the Russian Federation in Lebanon. Clergy included Archimandrite Jack (Khalil), dean of the Institute of Theology of the University of Balamand; Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), rector of the Metochion; and several archpriests serving Antiochian parishes in Beirut and Saida, including representatives of Metropolitan Elias. Staff of the Russian Embassy and Russian House, representatives of public and cultural associations, and parishioners of the Metochion also attended.

All proceeds from the dinner will go toward paying for frescos in the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Jal el Dib. The Metochion’s website reports that Metropolitan Silouan of Mount Lebanon, of the Antiochian Patriarchate, granted the church to the Metochion community for its use, allowing regular divine services. Using the dinner’s proceeds for the church’s decoration gives a practical picture of generosity shared with others (Hebrews 13:16).

The church, located in the Metropolis of Mount Lebanon of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, was granted to the Metochion community for regular services in 2020. On March 10, 2024, the church’s Lesser Consecration was celebrated by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations.

Source: Read the original report