THE FEAST OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR DEMETRIUS AT THE PATRIARCHATE

On Tuesday, October 26/November 8, 2022, the commemoration of the glorious great martyr Demetrius the myrrh-gusher was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

During this feast, the Church remembers how it was handed down to her that Saint Demetrius came from Thessaloniki, the son of pious parents and a teacher of the Christian faith.

When Maximianus came to Thessalonica, he learned of this and imprisoned him, as he was in the stadium watching the human race and Lyaios being carried away by his power.

Nestor the Christian, coming to the prison, asked for the blessing of Saint Demetrius in order to collude with Lyaios. Demetrius gave him the blessing, crossing himself with the sign of the Cross, telling him prophetically that “he will also defeat Lyaios and he will testify for Christ”. Arriving at the stadium, Nestor got into a fight with Lyaios and managed to wound and kill him. When Maximian learned this, he felt sorry and, being informed that this happened with the blessing of Demetrius, he ordered his death in prison by spears and Nestor’s death by the sword.

In their memory, Vespers and Divine Liturgy were held in the evening and the morning of the feast in the old chapel of Saint Demetrius in the Central Monastery. The services were officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Theophanes of Gerassa, with the co-celebration of the Typikon keeper and responsible for the chapel Archimandrite Alexios, the Archimandrites Makarios and Dionysios, Priest Nektarios and Hierodeacon Dositheos. The chanting was delivered by Mr Vasilios Gotsopoulos and the students of the Patriarchal School of Zion, in the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras, of the Arabic-speaking students of the Patriarchal Arabic-speaking School of the same name, members of the Greek parish, the Arabic-speaking flock and pilgrims.

During the Divine Liturgy, H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and Hagiotaphite Fathers visited for veneration.

Before the Holy Communion, His Eminence delivered a Sermon about the martyr’s love for Christ, through which he also defied death, and about the participation of all of us in the Mystery of the Eucharist and in the living Church.

In honour of Saint Demetrius, the students of the School held a modest school celebration in its ceremony hall.

This ceremony was honoured by the presence of H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, who was accompanied by the President of the School Board, His Eminence Metropolitan Joachim of Hellenoupolis, and through the following address by Him in Arabic: (see video).

From Secretariat-General