Religion in the MR

• The Autocephalous Orthodox Monastic Church of the Holy Mountain
  • The Orthodox faith is the national Church of the Monastic Republic.
  • The three towns each have an Orthodox church; in Aktí, St. Helen’s; in Prosforion, St. Philip’s; and in Amoulián, St. Marina’s.
  • There is a convent of cloistered Orthodox nuns from Bulgaria in Aktí, the Monastery of the Dormition. They earn a living by baking communion bread for the parishes. They also do mending and alterations. They embroider and make the patches for the MR gendarmery and the Junior Seaguards. They also do lace work and are often called upon by brides to help with their bridal gowns.
  • The priests of Prosforion and Aktí take turns celebrating Mass for the nuns.
  • The gendarmery post at Dafni has an Orthodox chapel, St. Theodore Stratelates, for the benefit of the lay workers.
• The Catholic Church
  • The three towns each have a Maronite Catholic Church; in Akti, St. Ephrem; in Prosforion, St. Nohra; and in Amoulián, St. Nimatullah.
  • The Catholic parishes are a part of the abbacy nullius of St. Maroun.
  • Three diocesan priests are assigned to care for the Catholic citizens and the Catholic tourists.
  • Should one of the priest be incapacitated, one of the Maronite priests of St. Maroun will be asked to fill in.
  • Until a priest-chaplain arrived from Lebanon, the priests of Prosforion and Aktí took turns celebrating Mass for the sisters in the hospital.
  • In January of 1974, after graduating from a pastoral care program and having studied Athonite, a priest arrived in Prosforion to be the chaplain of Holy Spirit Hospital. He lives with the pastor of the Maronite Catholic Church.
  • If there are any Catholics assigned to the gendarmery post, a priest from St. Maroun will celebrate Mass for them on Sundays in the Orthodox chapel.
  • The salary of the chaplain is paid by the hospital.
  • The salaries of the pastors are paid by the government.
  • The money received in collections during the Divine Liturgy is used for charitable causes.