The feast of the raising of Lazarus was celebrated per the Status Quo on Saturday, April 14th / 27th at the place of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives, in the open air of the ancient Byzantine Church with Vespers in the evening, led by His Eminence the Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis. Co-celebrants to His Eminence were Holy Sepulchre Archimandrites, the first of whom was Archimandrite Philoumenos, the Priests Farah Bandour and George Baramki from Saint James Cathedral. The chanting was delivered by Mr Eustathios Tsoumanis on the right in Greek and Mr Rimon Kamar on the left in Arabic, as the service was attended by monks, believers and a few pilgrims.
At the end of Vespers, the Holy Gospel was read and the Canon of the feast was chanted as part of the Service of the Small Compline and a litany followed to the Holy Monastery of the Men of Galilee, where His Beatitude was also waiting.
The evening ceremony ended with the return of the Litany to the Shrine.
The following day, the day of the resurrection of Lazarus, Saturday the 14th/27th of April, a Divine Liturgy was held at the same place again presided over by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis. After the Divine Liturgy, the attending believers went to the Holy Monastery of Martha and Mary in Bethany to participate in the celebration there.