CHRISTMAS AT THE HOLY ARCHDIOCESE OF QATAR

On Friday evening, 11/24 December 2021 the Services of Vespers with the blessing of bread for the Feast of Saint Spyridon were observed at the Chapel of the Dormition, in the Arabic, Greek and English languages. On Saturday morning, 12/25 December 2021, Matins and the Divine Liturgy of Christmas were celebrated at the Holy Church of Saint Isaac the Syriac, in Arabic, Greek, English and Romanian languages, in the presence of the Deputy Head of the Greek Embassy in Doha Mr George Zafeiris and the Defence Attaché Colonel Kyriakos Dimitrakoulas. Due to the covid-19 restrictions, only one hundred and fifty faithful are allowed to participate in the Divine Liturgy in Saint Isaac’s Cathedral. The rest of the faithful who came that day attended Matins and the Divine Liturgy observed by Priest Demetrios at the Dormition Chapel.

On Thursday morning, 24 December 2021/ 6 January 2022, Matins and the Royal Hours of Christmas were observed. Vespers, Matins and the Divine Liturgy were held in the evening in the Slavonic and Serbian languages, at the presence of the Ambassador of Moldavia in Doha Mr Victor Tvircun, the Deputy Head of the Serbian Embassy in Doha Mr Slobodan Radeka and many faithful from Doha and fewer numbers from Riyad. After the Divine Liturgy, there was the inauguration of a member of the Serbian community Mr Mijodrag Tepavcevic’s exhibition of paintings, which was followed by a reception at the reception hall.

The services were officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Qatar with the co-celebration of Priest Demetrios. Instead of a Sermon, the Christmas message of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III was read in the languages used for each service. The Byzantine choir also chanted in these languages.

From the Holy Archdiocese of Qatar