The Convent of the Mother of God, Seeker of the Lost was established in 2019. The Sisterhood was originally dedicated to the New Martyr Elizabeth of Russia. We are located at Saint Mary of Egypt Serbian Orthodox Church in the East Side of Kansas City, Missouri. As of May 2025, with the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Longin, the sisterhood consists of two stavrophore nuns, two rassophore nuns, and three novices. We are led by our spiritual father, Father Turbo Qualls, and our Mother Superior, Mati Mardarija.
It is our cross and our purpose to be monastics in the midst of the city; to be lights to the Saint Mary’s community and the surrounding neighborhood. We are here to illustrate, especially for the children of our parish, that there are two possible paths for Orthodox Christians: monasticism and marriage. We are here to show that it is possible to repent, to give one’s whole life back to God, and to be participants in God’s kingdom while on earth. With God’s help and the guidance of our spiritual father, we are learning to live as a group with one heart and mind, becoming sanctified, and wholly pursuing Christ.
We support the priest and parish ministries; mount icons; publish Akathists and other Orthodox resources; make prayer ropes; record audiobooks and hymns; run the church bookstore; sew baptismal robes; teach at the parish school, Mount Tabor School of the Liberal Arts; work at the parish farm, the George Washington Carver farm; and lead the Archangel Gabriel Society, a ministry for nurturing the souls of the dead and dying.