On the evening of July 20th 2024, as the feast of the Prophet Elijah was drawing to a close, Metropolitan Makarios of Sidirokastro officiated at the Post-Festal Vespers at the Monastery of the Prophet Elijah in Kato Poroia, a village in Serres of Greece. There, in an atmosphere of reverence and solemnity, the Metropolitan tonsured two women as nuns. One of these women was named Katherine and she received the Great Schema along with the new name Makrina, while the other was a 23-year-old young woman named Helen Mazlou and she received the Small Schema along with the new name Ypomoni.
The feast drew a large crowd to the monastery that day, most of which were outdoors in the excessive summer heat, and this also is where the tonsurings took place, underneath the pine trees. After the tonsuring, the Metropolitan spoke words of advice and encouragement to the new nuns, and also addressed their Elders, Fathers Ioanikkios Kotsonis and Dositheos. This was followed with a rich feast.
The feast drew a large crowd to the monastery that day, most of which were outdoors in the excessive summer heat, and this also is where the tonsurings took place, underneath the pine trees. After the tonsuring, the Metropolitan spoke words of advice and encouragement to the new nuns, and also addressed their Elders, Fathers Ioanikkios Kotsonis and Dositheos. This was followed with a rich feast.