Monasticism

The word "Abbess" is translated from Greek as "leading for itself". In a monastery, it is impossible to force the sisters "to follow oneself". And at the call of the soul, sisters can only go for the best of nuns, for the one that each of them would like to resemble, and nothing else. In their abbess, they must see the embodiment of Christian ideals, for which they left the world.

In Russian monasteries, the abbess is usually called mother. Native and understandable to every person the word explains a lot. The abbess is a spiritual mother, loving and beloved, kind and caring, strict and gracious, understanding and covering the infirmities of her spiritual daughters. And there are no such academies where they would teach this. Only God is able to invest in the woman's soul so much love, light and warmth that she could become a mother. Accepting these spiritual gifts from the Lord, the abbess will answer to Him for the soul of each of the sisters.

Source: yareparhia.ru