The Central Clinical Hospital of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, hosted a delegation from the Republic of North Ossetia—Alania from September 19 to 25, 2026. Nine sisters of the sisterhood of mercy named after the Holy Blessed Princess Maria Yasyn of Vladikavkaz came with the blessing of Archbishop Gerasim of Vladikavkaz and Alan for an internship together with the confessor of the sisterhood, Priest Vasily Gribenchenko.
"We have long dreamed of joining this big family of mercy. We missed communicating with like-minded people in the hospital ministry. And so the Lord ruled everything. These days in Moscow have become a real gift for us: a joy for the heart, and a lot of benefit for the cause. Moreover, in the fall, the St. Alexy's Hospital Training Center opens a classroom in our city to teach how to care for the sick and wounded," said the confessor of the sisterhood, Priest Vasily Gribenchenko.
The Sisters of Mercy from Vladikavkaz have been ministering to help their neighbors since 2022. They started by helping the paramedics at a local hospital, and after completing their training, they were already allowed to take care of the wounded directly.
The main part of the internship was the practice in the palliative department of St. Alexy's Church Hospital in Moscow. Together with the local nurses, the guests took part in the care of seriously ill patients.
"We have gained invaluable experience here. How long have we been helping in the hospital, and yet there was a lot of new things for us here. You watch a palliative care nurse do something, and you already understand how to put it into practice here," said Marina Postnikova, the senior sister of the sisterhood. — And I also admired the courage of those who work here. When you come to take care of a wounded man, you know that he has a future, a life ahead of him. Immediately, many patients are approaching the end of their earthly journey. There you fight for your life, but here you stay by your side, helping until your last breath."
A pilgrimage and cultural program was also organized for the guests. They visited the Trinity Sergius Lavra, the Novospassky Stavropol Monastery and the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery of Mercy, prayed at the relics of St. Matrona of Moscow in the Pokrovsky Stavropol Convent, visited the Tretyakov Gallery and Red Square.
St. Alexy's Hospital has been organizing such internships since 2023 in order to support and develop sisterhoods of mercy throughout Russia.