On August 4th, celebrations took place at the Gethsemane Convent of St. Mary Magdalene to mark the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem participated in the festivities held at the Mary Magdalene Church in Gethsemane, as reported by the press service of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

The Divine Liturgy at the convent was led by Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany. He was joined by Bishop Irinej of London and Western Europe and Bishop Theodosius of Seattle, the Vicar of the Western American Diocese. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem was present during the liturgy and offered his greetings to those assembled. After the service, he presented an icon to Metropolitan Mark.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane has gradually become the center of a monastic community. The Russian monastery in Gethsemane was established in 1934 as a women's monastic community associated with the Mary Magdalene Church. The monastery's official status was granted in 1988, the same year the cave chapel in honor of the Passion of Christ was consecrated within the monastery. This chapel stands on the site where, according to tradition, the apostles Peter, James, and John slept while Jesus prayed before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. The construction of the Mary Magdalene Church was a memorial to Empress Maria Alexandrovna and was consecrated in 1888.