The second day of our pilgrimage, St. Vladimir’s Day, dawned bright and breezy, not nearly as hot as yesterday. Under the bright blue sky we walked to the Russian monastery on the Mt. of Olives. Although the monastery was only a 10 minute walk from our hotel, it was as though we pilgrims had entered a different world altogether: peaceful and quiet, with beautiful gardens, olive groves and views of Jerusalem on all sides. The monastery has on its grounds a tall bell tower that can be seen for miles and is known in Jerusalem as “the Russian candle”, the Church of the Ascension, and a chapel dedicated to the Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist. Most importantly, next to the Church is the stone on which the Holy Mother of God stood during the Ascension of her Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
At the Chapel is an indentation in the floor where the head of John the Baptist was found. Our znamena were placed in the indent, and each pilgrim was able to place his or her head in the indent and venerate this holy place. The indented floor:
After a tour of the monastery grounds and buildings we were treated to a delightful coffee with the Abbess of the convent, Mother Moisseia. In younger days, the Abbess herself had been a druzhinnitsa in Belgium and our group treated her to rousing rendition of “Borodino” and other songs. To everyone’s surprise, she reached into her pocket for her smart phone to film our impromptu “campfire”. Afterward, Abbess Moisseia entertained us with a story of an attack on the convent several years ago by three Arab thieves. In lively detail she described how she was able to defend herself using a hammer! Fr. Sergei presented Mother Moisseia with a copy of the Kursk icon, with smaller copies for each nun, and she presented each pilgrim with icons from the monastery.
We also visited the place where Christ ascended into heaven, known as “stopochka” because Christ’s left footprint is imprinted on the rock, as well as a Greek monastery where a modern day miracle occurred. Our pilgrims were amazed by the story that the Abbot of the Monastery told. A church was built with two levels by a Greek priest. Because he did not have a permit to build the church, the Israeli government sent bulldozers to destroy the church. After razing the upper level of the Church, the bulldozer began destroying the roof of the downstairs church. The icon of Jesus Christ that had been on the dome of the destroyed upstairs church rolled in front of the bulldozer, and it broke. It just wouldn’t start again! Because of this miracle, the downstairs church was left alone and we were able to visit it, and venerate the miracle-making icon.
Our next stop was the Church of Mary Magdalene, located in the Garden of Gethsemene. With the golden cupolas of the Church shining through the tree tops in the afternoon sun, we walked through the beautiful Garden to Vespers, served by Fr. Sergei. As the golden light of the sunset streamed through the windows, the scouts kissed the cross and Fr. Sergei gave copies of the miraculous Kursk Root icon as a gift to each nun who lives in the convent located in the Garden.
After eating dinner we did not forget our camp traditions and sang “Mnogaya Leto”to Nikolka Pokrovsky for his 18th birthday, and he was treated to “kachanie”. Happy Birthday, Nikolka!
Our youth are all doing well despite the heat and the fast-paced schedule! Everyone has been well-behaved, taking the holy sites seriously, trying to absorb what they are seeing, and are being respectful when meeting with dignitaries. Parents, you can be proud!
