THE FEAST OF ABBA GERASIMUS OF THE JORDAN
On Tuesday, the 4th/17th March of 2015, the Patriarchate observed the memory of Hosios Gerasimus of the Jordan at the Monastery founded by him during the 5th c. AD, in the desert of the West Bank of the Jordan River.
The Monastery was founded by Abba Gerasimus on the Holy Land, after he had led an ascetic’s life in Monasteries of the valley of the Jordan.
There, he led to monastic life a crowd of monks, and to Christian life a crowd of faithful appealing to him. He was blessed by God with the gift of miracle-making, as shown on his holy icon where he is represented with a lion obeying him.
The feast was led in a divine Liturgy by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem. Co-officiating with him were Hieromonks, Hierodeacons and Priests from the Patriarchate and adjacent towns. Concelebrants with them were Primates of the Patriarchate, Metropolitans Isychios of Kapitolias and Kyriakos of Nazareth, and Archbishops Aristarchos of Constantina, Theophylaktos of Jordan and Demetrios of Lydda. Pious faithful from Greece, Russia and Romania, and locals from Jerusalem, Jericho and Israel attended the service.
To them, the Patriarch preached the Word of God in Greek.
A procession followed the divine Liturgy, and meatless lunch hosted by the Hegoumen, Archimandrite Chrysostomos.
From the Secretariat-General
httpv://youtu.be/q0iQEyYR3dY