THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD AT THE PATRIARCHATE
The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord was celebrated one day after the feast of the Apodosis of Pascha, on Thursday May 24/ June 6, 2019.
On this feast the Church celebrates the fact that the Lord was ascended in heaven in glory, while His disciples were watching Him, and sat at the right side of the Father, having the human nature He had received with His incarnation and deified it. This event was celebrated by the Patriarchate at the place where it happened, on the Mount of Olives.
The feast was celebrated in the evening with Vespers, led by the Most Reverend Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella, with co-celebrant Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, with first in rank Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, the Priests of St. James Cathedral, at the chanting of the Choir Leader of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Mr. Constantinos Spyropoulos on the right in Greek and Mr. Rimon Kamar on the left in Arabic.
After Vespers the first part of the Small Compline was read, the canon of the feast was chanted and the procession towards the Shrine of the Men of Galilee started, where His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos was waiting to give His blessing.
Afterward the procession returned to the Ascension Shrine, the Small Compline was concluded and followed by the Dismissal.
On the morning of the Feast the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Shrine, led by the Most Reverend Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella, with co-celebrant Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and visiting Priests from other Churches. The chanting was delivered by the Choir Leader of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Mr. Constantinos Spyropoulos on the right in Greek and Mr. Rimon Kamar on the left in Arabic, as the service was attended by a noble congregation of local faithful and pilgrims.
During the Divine Liturgy His Beatitude and members of the Holy and Sacred Synod came to venerate, and then, according to the custom, visited the Imam who lives near the Shrine, and the Holy Monastery of the Ascension which is opposite the Shrine, where the Care Taker Monk Achilios welcomed them. Their visit continued to the Holy Russian Monastery of the Ascension, where they were received by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Mark of the Russian Church, and the Holy Monastery of the Men of Galilee where they were received by the Hegoumen Archimandrite Anthimos.
The feast of the Ascension was concluded with these.
From Secretariat-General