We have had the blessed fortune of meeting Abbess (Sister) Maria of the Russian Orthodox Church's Our Lady of Kazan Convent at Kentlyn, near Campbelltown, Sydney.
Abbess Maria, the Mother Superior, is in charge of the convent and the nuns within. Next door is a retirement home that also falls under the auspices of the Kazan Convent.
The entrance to the monastery is adorned with a beautiful concrete arch gate. The short road leads you to the relatively plain looking temple. Do not be deceived by the outside, it is absolutely beautiful inside.
The most outstanding feature is the magnificence of the small temple on the property. There is gold leafing everywhere inside. There is lots of dazzling beauty in the various artworks and alters and lots of relics and icons of which I am totally without knowledge of but are an integral part of their worship.
The All Saints Church is the home of a small, but dedicated congregation which uses English in their worship, the only Russian Orthodox congregation in Sydney to do so. The name for the convent is named after a magnificent icon that is believed to be holy and is revered by all Russian Orthodox members.
The nuns, as is typical of old order nuns, wear black habits. They are vegetarians and lead a quiet life serving their church through various ministries and activities such as preparing for special feast days, baking, embroidering, sewing and other worthy pursuits.
So even though we are of different denominations, and worship in different styles and our building is basically a modern auditorium without religious adornment, it is easy to see that we serve the same God. I wish Abbess Maria and the convent where she serves God, all the blessings that God can bestow upon it.
Abbess Maria, the Mother Superior, is in charge of the convent and the nuns within. Next door is a retirement home that also falls under the auspices of the Kazan Convent.
The entrance to the monastery is adorned with a beautiful concrete arch gate. The short road leads you to the relatively plain looking temple. Do not be deceived by the outside, it is absolutely beautiful inside.
The most outstanding feature is the magnificence of the small temple on the property. There is gold leafing everywhere inside. There is lots of dazzling beauty in the various artworks and alters and lots of relics and icons of which I am totally without knowledge of but are an integral part of their worship.
The All Saints Church is the home of a small, but dedicated congregation which uses English in their worship, the only Russian Orthodox congregation in Sydney to do so. The name for the convent is named after a magnificent icon that is believed to be holy and is revered by all Russian Orthodox members.
 |
| Abbess Maria on the right carry the miracle working Our Lady of Kazan icon |
The nuns, as is typical of old order nuns, wear black habits. They are vegetarians and lead a quiet life serving their church through various ministries and activities such as preparing for special feast days, baking, embroidering, sewing and other worthy pursuits.
So even though we are of different denominations, and worship in different styles and our building is basically a modern auditorium without religious adornment, it is easy to see that we serve the same God. I wish Abbess Maria and the convent where she serves God, all the blessings that God can bestow upon it.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind you posting your link at the end but please only comment if you are genuine visitors, Not just someone plugging your our blog or site.
DeleteThis is a fascinating insight to a different religion. These are the sorts of things I like to watch out for in my travels.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sonya. It is great to see how other people worship God. Sister Maria is a lovely person who works so hard serving her people, A truly humble servant. I feel very blessed to have been able to do some work at Our Lady of Kazan.
Delete