present page: Theotokos Parish Church and Monastery
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"For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened."
(Matthew 7:8)
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Theotokos Orthodox Parish Church
and Theotokos Monastery
in Cataiñgan, Masbate Island
This is the place where the history of our
Orthodox Church in The Philippines started.
The new Theotokos church
20 April 1990 : "Orthodox-professing" Christians from Masbate island (today of the Theotokos Orthodox Church) led by Fr. Vincentius (a former Benedictine Abbot and a Roman Catholic priest for more than 20 years) and four nuns were received by (+)Metropolitan Dionysius of the Orthodox Archdiocese of New Zealand, assisted by Bishop Sotirios of Zela (from Seoul, Korea).
Publication :
18 January 1994 : R. Castro, Fr. Vincentius, (+)Met. Dionysius of NZ, and Bp. Sotirios at the Greek Consular House, Makati. (Hist-2-01)
1994 : Mother Theodoti and the Nuns of Thetokos Monastery received a school service van for Theotokos Kindergarten from (+)Met. Dionysius and Bp. Sotirios, witnessed by Fr. Vincentius of Theotokos Orthodox Church, in Masbate island. (Hist-2-02)
12 January 1997 : Enthronment of His Eminence Nikitas Lulias as the first Metropolitan of the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia and Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Philippines. The ceremony was held in Hong Kong with Fr. Philemon representing the Philippine Exarchate.
20-24 April 1999 : His Eminence Metropolitan Nikitas escorted by the Very Revd. George Vladimirou visits Manila, concerning the visit to Manila of His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, which will take place in March 2000. On the next days he visited the Orthodox community and the Theotokos Monastery in Cataiñgan, Masbate. Metropolitan Nikitas was welcomed by Fr. Vicentius, Mother Theodoti, sisters Fidelis, Esther and Agnes, along with many Orthodox local faithful. The whole community there was very happy with this pastoral visit. On the feast day of St. George, His Eminence serviced the Divine Liturgy at the temporary church of the community followed by a fiesta organized by the people.
Publication :
July 1999 : Rev. George Vladimirou visited again the Orthodox community and the Theotokos Orthodox Monastery in Cataiñgan, Masbate. On the evening of Monday, July 5th, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy with Fr. Vicentius at the temporary chapel of the monastery, followed by a festive reception organized by the local community. He also visited the Kindergarten School run by Mother Theodoti and the nuns of the monastery. This year, more than 51 children are attending classes at the Orthodox Kindergarten, thanks to the efforts of Mother Theodoti and the rest of the teachers.
16 September 2002 : Fr Stanley Voyiaziakis and presbytera Barbara visit the Theotokos Church and Monastery at Cataiñgan, Masbate island and the Annunciation Church in Parañaque, Metro Manila, spending a few days to each Orthodox community.
Publication :
"The Cencer" (December 2002).
(download 486Kb)
In this issue, Father Stanley and Presbytera Barbara Voyiaziakis
describe their experiences in Masbate and Manila.
Answering to Christ
by Fr Stanley Voyiaziakis
pages 3-9
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June 2003 : Christofer Ebe, Director of Philanthropic Projects at the Metropolis of Hong Kong, visits the Orthodox parish of Theotokos and the Monastery in Cataiñgan, Masbate, to prepare for the consecration of the new church on the next month.
Publication :
"The Cencer" (July 2003).
(download 486Kb)
In this issue, Christopher Ebe, Director of Philanthropic Projects, OMHKSEA reflects on his visit to Masbate, (an island known as "The Rodeo Capital of the Philippines") and his impressions of his first pilgrimage to the Theotokos Orthodox parish and Monastery.
Philanthropy - The Rodeo Capital of the Philippines
by Christopher Ebe
pages 12-21
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The new Theotokos church. (#11)
16 July 2003 : His Eminence Metropolitan Nikitas visited Masbate to consecrate the new Theotokos Orthodox church. Assisting were Fr Constantinos Tsilis from Hong Kong and Fr Melchezidek from Greece, as well as Fr Vincentius Escarcha, the principal head of the Orthodox faithful of Masbate, and Fr Philemon Castro from the Annunciation parish church in Parañaque, Metro Manila. Brother Cleopas, a tontured monk to be ordained later this year, Mother Theodoti with the nuns Fidelis, Ester and Agnes of the Theotokos Orthodox Monastery and Spiro Deligiannis, a Metropolitanate Council member, helped also and witnessed the ceremony, together with the entire Orthodox community of Masbate.
Publication :
"The Cencer" (August 2003).
(download 367Kb)
In this issue, Spyro Deligiannis, a Metropolitanate Council member, describes his experience of the consecration of the new Theotokos Orthodox Church in Cataiñgan, Masbate.
Masbate, an Orthodox Oasis
by Spyro Deligiannis
pages 14-20
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July 2003 : Happy children in the old mini-bus of the Kindergarten of Theotokos Monastery in Masbate.
25-26 October 2003 : Father Cleopas was ordained in Manila on 25-26 October, marking the first ordination of a Filipino Orthodox priest in the Philippines. Fr Cleopas will primarily serve the monastery and parish community of the Theotokos Orthodox Church in Masbate.
17-21 January 2004 : A volunteer team of four from Hong Kong visited Orthodox Missions in Philippines to help hundreds of less fortunate youth, bringing books, teaching materials and a lot of enthusiasm to the project sites. The volunteer team included "Office of Philanthropy" director Christofer Ebe, and Dr. Ann Freeman, Nathaniel Whitman and Jennifer Whitman, from the "Hong Kong International School". They visited Annunciation Church and Marquez Compound in Parañaque, Metro Manila and Theotokos Kindergarten at the remote island of Masbate.
Publication :
"The Cencer" (February 2004).
(download 388Kb)
In this issue, Christofer Ebe, director of the "Office of Philanthropy", describes the work of the volunteer team in Philippines (Annunciation, Marquez, Theotokos Kindergarten).
Philanthropy - Chinese New Year Service Project
by Christofer Ebe
pages 10-19
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and
"The Cencer" (March 2004).
(download 430Kb)
In this issue, Nathaniel and Jennifer Whitman, two of the volunteer teachers, add their own aspect they experienced of the educational expedition.
Philanthropy - Letter of Thanks
by N. and J. Whitman
pages 16-21
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Publication :
and
OCMC
Agape Canister Newsletter
Spring 2004
. . .
Philippines
Theotokos Day Care School : Located in Masbate, Philippines, the second poorest area in the Philippines, this kindergarten serves 54 students between the ages of 4 and 6. They are taught in a warm, loving environment which enables them to excel and develop at a faster pace than children at other schools in the area. They enter into elementary school with an unmatched enthusiasm for learning. Agape funds will go toward the general expenses of running the kindergarten.
March 2005 : Melissa Koltos, a volunteer missionary of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) has been in Masbate Province in the Philippines since March 14, at the Theotokos Orthodox Church and Monastery in Bajada, Cataiñgan. She helped at The Day Care School, which provides quality care for local community children, offering their mothers the freedom to seek employment outside their home in order to better provide for their families. While there, Melissa held catechism classes and provided ESL help.
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We apologize for the present list of events, as our archives are not complete. If more information and photos are available, please help us to update or correct our pages. |
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