Welcoming speech by the Head of the Don Metropolis at the Congress of the Sisterhoods of Charity of the Don Metropolistranslated

All-honorable fathers! Dear sisters of mercy! Dear participants and guests of the congress!

I cordially welcome all of you to the Congress of the Sisterhoods of Charity of the Don Metropolis.

It is especially gratifying that this meeting is taking place in the year of the fifteenth anniversary of the formation of the Don Metropolis. A lot has been done in these past years. Sisterhoods were created and strengthened in parishes, various areas of social service were developed, and experience was gained in helping the sick, lonely, elderly, and people who found themselves in difficult life circumstances.

But behind these general words there are always specific human destinies. Every sister has people she remembers. There are hospital wards in which you sometimes had to spend hours next to a suffering person. There are wounded who needed not only treatment and care, but also a kind word and human sympathy. There are lonely elderly people, poor families, children for whom it is especially important to feel that they are not forgotten. There are meetings with those who have lost their health, loved ones, hope, and sometimes the very meaning of life.

Much of this work goes unnoticed. There are rarely loud words and solemn moments here. Most often these are very simple...