On Saturday, 28th May/10th June 2017, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, made a pastoral visit to the Greek Orthodox Arab-speaking Community of the town Zdeinde in north Israel, at the district of Acre.

This Community keeps a Holy Church in the honour of St. Patrick, Bishop of Proussa. In this Holy Church the Divine Liturgy was celebrated for the feast of the Apodosis of Pentecost, that is, the completion of eight days since the first day of celebration last Sunday, and the feast of St. Patrick which was transferred as it is normally observed on 19th May.

The Divine Liturgy was led by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, with concelebrants the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, the Most Reverend Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, and the Most Reverend Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, the Head of the Holy Church Fr. Ilias, Arab-speaking Priests from the neighbouring Communities and Deacon Agapios. Singing was the choir of Acre-Ptolemais, under the Patriarchal Commissioner Archimandrite Philotheos at the presence of the full congregation of St. Patrick’s Parish.

To this noble congregation His Beatitude preached the divine word as follows:

“Shining brightly with the divine light, O blessed Patrick, thou didst disdain the cleverness of the eloquent; and cast into the hot springs as into a furnace without being burned, thou didst cry: Blessed is the God of our Fathers” the hymn writer of the Church proclaims. Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Noble Christians,

The All-Holy and Life-giving and All-powerful Spirit, the one God of the Trinity, of the same honour, essence and of the same glory to the Father and the Son, has gathered us all in this Holy Church in the name of Saint Hieromartyr Patrick, Bishop of Proussa, in order to celebrate the memory of the Patron Saint of our town Zdeinde on the one hand, and the Apodosis of Pentecost on the other.

Saint Patrick was highlighted a vessel of the enlightening grace and power of the Holy Spirit with his ordination as a Bishop as well as with his martyr’s blood. Moreover, he became communicant and participant of the gospel preaching and the pastoral mission of the Holy and spirited Apostles, whose “line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:4) according to the psalmist.

The great Hieromartyr Patrick shone during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (284-305 A.D.). Due to his zeal for Christ, he was slandered to Proconsul Julian, who summoned him and with various means attempted to change his mind and faith and force him worship the gods of idols. To Julian’s argument that the transpiration of the warm waters, as providence of the gods (of the idols), is blown out and discharged for the benefit of the people, Saint Patrick replied: it may be that the warm waters are transpired for the benefit of the people, but by His power the Lord Jesus Christ has promised two places, the one is full of goods where the righteous find rest, while the other is of darkness and fire, where the sinners will be condemned after the resurrection from the dead.

Saint Patrick draws the aforementioned witness from Prophet Isaiah who says: “their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Isaiah 66:24). For this, St. Paul says more precisely: “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).

The steadfastness of Saint Patrick’s faith had as a result his beheading by sword, together with his co-martyrs Akakios, Menandros, and Polyenos. In other words, our Father among the Saints Patrick, preached and confessed his faith in Christ with boldness and courage in front of persecutors and fighters against “the Kingdom in heavens which cannot be moved” as St. Paul teaches saying: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). This means that we should worship God in fear and reverence, because God is a fire that burns out and destroys every irreverent and ungodly man.

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). It is precisely this Divine and All-Holy Spirit that descended from heaven, on the day of Pentecost, and filled the whole house where Christ’s disciples were sitting. “And there appeared unto them (the Disciples) cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:3-4).

Holy Pentecost is the beginning of the propagation of the enlightening and salvific preaching of the gospel by the Apostles throughout the world and of course of the Church, which appeared to the world soon after the Ascension in Heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ and the sending of the other Comforter as He promised to His disciples saying: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26).

And this Comforter, namely the Spirit of truth, Who is proceeded by the Father and rests in the Son, forms and conjoins the whole institution of the Church as the hymn writer says: “The Holy Spirit provideth all things; He gusheth prophesy; He perfecteth the priesthood; He hath taught wisdom to the illiterate. He hath shown forth the fishermen as theologians. He holdeth together the whole institution of the Church. Wherefore, O Comforter, one in essence and throne with the Father and the Son, glory to Thee.”

This very Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Saviour Christ, made St. Patrick a pastor, namely a perfect Bishop and Priest as well as His co-witness. In other words, these Hieromartyrs of Christ were deemed worthy of the vision of God, meaning the theory of God’s glory, as their hymn writer says: “The glorious Martyrs, adorned with the vesture of the priesthood, made it more sacred with their own blood; and dancing for joy in the vision of God, they chant: Blessed is the God of our Fathers”. While St. John the Evangelist says “ Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13). In other words, the fullness of the Holy Spirit dwells only in Christ, according to the true witness of St. Johh the Evangelist: “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3:34-35).

The purpose of the mission given by God the Father to His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, was to restore the communion and relationship with God, from which (communion) man had fallen out. And according to St. Cyril of Alexandria, “it is only for God’s nature to save the people from devil and sin and corruption”. “We therefore have (the knowledge)”, Ecumenios says, “from this autopsy….and the workings of love towards each other, that God is in us, and He has given us from His Spirit and we receive Him in communion”. And that which God has given us from His Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering…meekness”, this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit as St. Paul teaches (Gal. 5:22-23).

Having become participant of this fruit of the Holy Spirit, our Father among the Saints Patrick, received the crown of divine glory. Therefore let us say together with the hymn writer: “As thou now abide noetically with the Angels, O blessed Patrick, remember those who keep thy venerable memory, and entreat thy Master in thy prayers that they be rescued from perils”, by the prayers of the Most blessed, our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Amen. Many happy returns.”

Many of the faithful received the Holy Communion at the Koinonikon and upon dismissal His Beatitude’s blessing .

At the end of the Divine Liturgy there was a reception and a meal at the new reception hall of the Parish, where His Beatitude gave an address in Arabic (the link will be posted in due course).

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/8ld_yja8qmI

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] 

On Monday, 23rd Mary/ 5th June 2017, the Feast of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was celebrated at the Ecclesiastical Mission (Missia) and its Holy Church of the Holy Trinity of the Moscow Patriarchate, located on West Jerusalem near the New Gate.

This festal Divine Liturgy on Monday of the Holy Spirit was led by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, invited by the aforementioned delegation which belongs to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate.

With His Beatitude, co-officiating were the Archbishops of the Patriarchate, the Patriarchal Commissioner Most Reverend Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, the Most Reverend Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina and Secretary-General, the Most Reverend Archbishop Theodosios of Sebastia, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, Archimandrite Stephen, Arab-speaking Presbyters, Fr. Joseph and Fr. Paul from Beitjala, and Russian-speaking Presbyters, Fr. Nikolaos, the Head of this Delegation Archimandrite Alexandros and his assistant Archimandrite Leontios, and other Hieromonks and Elders of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Archdeacon Mark and Deacon Anastasios together with Deacons of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Participants in the Divine Liturgy were a congregation of Orthodox Russian citizens of Jerusalem, who belong to the pastoral care of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, and pilgrims from Russia and Arab-speaking Orthodox faithful.

His Beatitude preached the divine word to this congregation as follows:

“We celebrate Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit, and the time appointed for the promise, and the fulfilment of hope. How great is this mystery: it is both exceeding great and most venerable. Wherefore, we cry unto Thee: O Creator of all, Lord, glory to Thee”; St. Gregory the Theologian exclaims through the voice of the hymn writer of the Church.

Most Reverend Archimandrite Father Alexander, representative of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia in Jerusalem,

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Noble Christians and pilgrims, 

The One who has been ascended in glory in heavens and sat on the right side of God the Father, and has sent down to His Holy disciples and Apostles the divine and holy and consubstantial and of the same force and of the same glory and coeternal Spirit, gathered us all in this named after the Holy Trinity magnificent Church, in order to celebrate in thanksgiving the Feast of Holy Pentecost and thus the coming of the Holy Spirit, namely Its coming in the world.

The sending of the Comforter, namely the Holy Spirit, was an explicit promise of the Lord to His disciples according to the evangelists. “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7). “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). And this promise was fulfilled on the fiftieth day after the bright Resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ, in the upper room of Jerusalem, where “they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:1-4).

The indeed great and unintelligible mystery of Pentecost is the inauguration of the revelation on earth of the secret body of Christ, namely the Church, whose pertaining to God-manhood institution is maintained and assembled by the coeternal, consubstantial and sharing the same throne with the Father and the Son Holy Spirit, as the hymn writer of the church effectively expresses: “The Holy Spirit provideth all things; He gusheth forth prophesy; He perfecteth the priesthood; He hath taught wisdom to the illiterate. He hath shown forth the fishermen as theologians. He holdeth together the whole institution of the Church. Wherefore, O Comforter, one in essence and throne with the Father and the Son, glory to Thee”.

The exuberance of the Holy Spirit which filled the Apostles is the same divine power which mesmerized the whole world and enlightened it with the light of truth and justice. Precisely to this cause were the Holy Apostles and Christ’s disciples called, to whom Jesus spoke, saying: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Mat. 28:18-20).

The spreading of the Gospel teaching by the Holy Apostles and Christ’s disciples shone light to the world and also gushed to all the faithful the grace of the Comforting Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, as the hymn writer says: “As Thou didst aforetime promise Thy disciples, Thou hast in every deed sent forth the Comforting Spirit, O Christ, and hast shined light upon the world, O Friend of man”. And “that which was anciently foretold in the Prophets and in the Law is fulfilled; for on this day the grace of the Divine Spirit is poured out on all the faithful”.

As the Synaxarist of todays’ feast effectively mentions, the Holy Spirit was given to the Disciples and Apostles in three occasions; quite dimly before His Passion; after the Resurrection a bit clearer by breathing upon them; and now He sent It down fundamentally; rather It came down by Itself, to complete their enlightenment and sanctification. This denotes that the “Apostolicity” guarantees the unity, holiness and catholicity of the Church as expressed in the Creed of our faith. And as the hymn writer says: “Upon the Apostles did the Holy Spirit descend by His own authority, as Thou didst promise, O Christ, and brought forth one harmony of faith in the Trinity, our God uncreated, from the many languages of all sundry nations”.

The Holy Spirit descended on the Holy Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, St. Chrysostom interprets, in order to remind us of the old story. “Because therefore in the past the people misbehaved in pride, they wanted to build a tower reaching up in the heavens, and through the division of tongues their evil agreement was halted; for this reason now the Holy Spirit is given to them in the form of tongues of fire, in order to assemble the divided world by this”.

Precisely for this reason the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us also the sharing the same doctrine and beliefs Brotherly Orthodox Churches, in this bloodless altar, in order to proclaim the agreement and unity in the Holy Spirit and hear St. Paul saying: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace” (Gal. 5:22). “Charity vaunteth not itself” (1 Cor. 13:4). And according to St. Chrysostom “love does not work anything bad against our neighbour; where love lives, Cain is nowhere to kill his brother”.

Therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, as we celebrate this Feast, let us cleanse our hearts by the Holy Spirit and accept Its coming, being enlightened in a mystical way. And with St. Gregory the Theologian let us say: “Gather us all into Thy Kingdom; grant forgiveness to them that hope in Thee; forgive them and us our sins. Purify us through the operation of Thy Holy Spirit, and destroy the enemy’s devices which are against us”, and stop the schisms in our brotherly Orthodox Churches. By the prayers of the Most-Holy Theotokos and all the Saints. Amen.”

Upon Dismissal, there was the exchange of the appropriate to the feast gifts between the Heads of the two Churches, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and the Patriarch Cyril of Moscow through His representative Archimandrite Alexandros. His Beatitude offered a cross for blessing for Patriarch Cyril, while the latter offered Patriarch Theophilos an icon of the Theotokos.

Soon afterwards there was a short reception at the Hegoumeneion of the Monastery and finally there was a monastic meal in honour of the Patriarchal Entourage, where His Beatitude gave and address in English, as per the link below:

https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/2017/06/05/33215

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/XYPZEbepQ10

ngg_shortcode_1_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] 

On Monday of the Holy Spirit, 26th May/ 5th June 2017, the Patriarchate celebrated the Descend of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire on the Holy Disciples and Apostles of the Lord, at the place where the event occurred, the Holy Zion, where the Upper Room stands.

1. In the Evening

This event was celebrated with Vespers in the evening, which took place at the chapel of the Patriarchate at the cemetery, on the ruins of the Byzantine Church, officiated by the Most Reverend Archbishop Demetrios of Lydda, Secretary of the Holy Synod, with co-officiating the Typikon Keeper Archimandrite Alexios, the Presbyters of the Holy Church of St. James the Brother of God, and other Arab-speaking Presbyters, Deacon Agapios and also praying with them was Archimandrite Bartholomew. At this feast the Kneeling prayers were read, where the faithful prayed while kneeling down.

2. On the Day of the Feast

On Monday morning the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Holy Church of the Holy Trinity, on the first floor of the Patriarchal School, led by the Most Reverend Archbishop Demetrios of Lydda, with concelebrants Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, Archimandrite Makarios, at the singing of Archimandrite Demetrios and the Patriarchal School students, with the participation of many faithful, monks, nuns, laity and pilgrims.

Afterwards, according to the order, there was the Procession towards David’s Tomb, with the reading of the Kneeling prayers, the first in the Church to start with, and then the second in the Catacomb, the third in the Upper Room and the concluding Deisis in Prophet David’s Tomb.

Consequently, when the Procession returned, a Deisis for the departed was offered at the south gate of the Cemetery, and finally there was a reception by Mr. Nikolaos Souliotis, the School Director, at the reception hall of the Patriarchal School.

From Secretariat-General
httpv://youtu.be/An_YJY22auM

ngg_shortcode_2_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] 

On Pentecost Sunday 22nd May/4th June 2017, the Patriarchate celebrated the remembrance of the inspiration by the Holy Spirit at the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection.

On this Feast, the Orthodox Church worldwide and the Mother of Churches celebrates the event that fifty days after His Resurrection from the dead and ten days after His Ascension, our Lord Jesus Christ sent through His Father the Holy Spirit to His Holy disciples and Apostles, who were gathered in the upper room and enlightened them and they spoke in foreign languages the marvellous acts of God, namely the truth for the salvation of the people in the Incarnate, Crucified and Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.
            For this feast, there the Festal Divine Liturgy was celebrated as Parresia at the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection, led by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with concelebrants Hagiotaphite Archbishops, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, and the Most Reverend Archbishops Theodosios of Sebastia, Demetrios of Lydda, and the Most Reverend Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, and Hagiotaphite Hieromonks. Singing was the Choir Leader of the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection Archimandrite Aristovoulos, at the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr. Christos Sophianopoulos, with the participation of a great crowd of faithful local people as well as pilgrims.

According to the Church order, the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy was followed by the Vespers of the Monday of the Holy Spirit with the kneeling prayers. This Vespers was held also by the Hagiotaphite Fathers who came down from the Central Monastery at the Holy Altar of the Catholicon.

At the end of Vespers the Patriarchal Entourage went to the Patriarchate where His Beatitude blessed the present Fathers and the congregation.

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/FvNLWDumgA4

ngg_shortcode_3_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] 

On Saturday, 21st May/3rd June 2017, the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood celebrated the memory of its founders, the glorious God-crowned and equal to the Apostles, the King and Queen Saints Constantine and Helen, at their Holy Church inside the Patriarchate, adjacent to the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection on the west side.

1. Vespers

This feast was celebrated with Great Vespers in the evening, led by His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with the prayers of Hagiotaphite Archbishops, Hieromonks and monks, first of whom the Typikon Keeper Archimandrite Alexios, and the participation of the dressed Hagiotaphite Hieromonks at the Great Entrance and the Blessing of Bread. Singing were the choir leader of this Church, Archimandrite Eusevios with Mr. George Tombros on the right and Archimandrite Demetrios on the left, at the presence of local Greeks Arab-speaking members of the Jerusalem Community, and pilgrims from Greece, Russia, Cyprus and Romania.

After Vespers, the Hagiotaphite Fathers were served boiled wheat, wine and dried bread according to their custom at the courtyard in front of the Epitropikon.

2. On the Day of the Feast

On Saturday morning, according to the order of the Brotherhood, Matins began at 6:30 a.m. while H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos descended at 8:00 a.m. Once dressed in His cloak, He prayed to receive the blessing and began officiating the Divine Liturgy, according to the order of the Brotherhood, with co-officiating the Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and the Typikon Keeper, Hagiotaphite Archbishops, at the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr. Christos Sophianopoulos. Singing on the right was the choir leader of the Church Archimadrite Eusevios and on the left Archimandrite Demetrios, while many pilgrims from Jerusalem, Greece, Cyprus, Russia and Romania participated in contrite prayer.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude with the dressed Priests, followed by the other Hagiotaphite Fathers went to the Patriarchate in a Procession at the singing of the choir; at the entrance on the Holy Monastery everybody received a small loaf of bread as a blessing for the feast.

At the Patriarchate His Beatitude gave the following address:

 “With the oil of gladness Thou, O Christ, in a most marvelous way didst anoint Thy communicants, Constantine and Helen who, hating every deceit and lie, yearned for Thy beauty; and Thou didst freely grant Thy promised Kingdom of Heaven unto them who at Thine own behest first had ruled on earth in godly piety and in true religion” – the hymn writer of the church proclaims.

Your Excellency Consul General of Greece Mr. Christos Sophianopoulos,

Reverend Fathers and Brothers,

Noble Christians and pilgrims,

Our Holy Church, and thus the Church of Jerusalem, rejoices mystically today on the festal memory of its great owners and renovators of the magnificent Churches at the All-holy Shrines on the one hand; and on the other hand it rejoices for the inauguration of the worldwide modern Greece by the glorious and crowned by God and equal to the Apostles great King and Queen, Saints Constantine and Helen.

These holy King and Queen and equal to the Apostles, “not from man did great Constantine with his blest mother Helen receive the royal sovereignty, but by God’s grace from Heaven”, as their hymn writer vigorously formulates, saying: “Having seen the image of Thy Cross in Heaven, and like Paul, having received the call not from men, Thine apostle among kings entrusted the commonwealth to Thy hand, o Lord. Keep us always in peace, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, O only Friend of man”.

Our venerable Hagiotaphite Brotherhood has rewarded glory to the Holy Trinitarian God by celebrating the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy in the homonymous to the Saints King and Queen Monastic Church on their annual sacred memory.  And this is because these King and Queen who have dwelled among the saints, have been the God-inspired founders of the primary Order of the Great Ones, namely the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood in the Holy Land, at the place of the Passion on the Cross, the three-day burial and Resurrection of our Saviour Christ. “For it is right to exhilarate the most wondrous place of the earth according to its worthiness”, Constantine the Great wrote in his Letter to Makarios Archbishop of the Church of Jerusalem, about the building of the “Martyrio” [the Holy Sepulchre](Eusevios: History of the Church, Constantine’s life. Book 3, ch.33).

“In the saints that are in His earth hath the Lord been wondrous; He hath wrought all His desires in them” (Psalm 15:3) prophet David chants. Indeed the Lord made Saints Constantine and his mother Helen worthy of admiration over time and worldwide, because the living witness of our Lord Jesus Christ as well as the presence of the Christians in the Holy Land are owed to them, despite the civil wars and the terrorist acts in the tested Middle East region.

Therefore we on our part who live and serve in this Holy Land exclaim with the hymn writer and say: “Rejoice, O great and all-wise Constantine, thou fount of Orthodox Faith, that dost water continually all the lands beneath the sun with thy sweet and delightful streams. Rejoice, O root from which there sprouted forth the fruit that nourisheth Christ’s most holy Church. Rejoice, thou most glorious boast the fame of all the farthest ends of earth, first of Christian kings. Rejoice, thou joy of faithful men”. Amen. Many happy returns.”

At the end of the address His Beatitude blessed the congregation.

At noon, there was a festal monastic meal.

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/62DZzARE4KE

httpv://youtu.be/TPauas3nVEc

ngg_shortcode_4_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

On Thursday, 12th/25th May 2017, the celebration of the feast of the glorious Ascension in the Heavens of the risen from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ was observed.

On this feast, the Church celebrates that which was given to it in the Gospel narratives by the Apostles, namely that the Lord was ascended in the heavens forty days after His Resurrection and sat on the right hand side of His Father, being in the human body that He had received with His incarnation.

The Church of Jerusalem celebrates this event at the very place where it happened, the top of the Mount of Olives.

In the evening the Service of  Sanctification of the Holy Altar was held initially,  followed by Vespers at the Holy Altar placed by the Orthodox faithful on the ruins of the Byzantine Church which is now occupied by the Muslims, together with the Shrine of the footprint of the Lord. The Service was led by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, with concelebrants Hagiotaphite Archimandrites, first of whom was Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, and the Arab-speaking Priests of St. James the Brother of God Cathedral. Singing on the right in Greek, Russian and Romanian was the Choir Leader of the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection Archimandrite Aristovoulos, and Mr. Rimon Kamar was singing on the left in Arabic, in the participation of monks, nuns and pilgrims.

After Vespers there was the Service of the Small Compline with the Canon of the Feast and the Litany to the Holy Monastery of the Men of Galilee, where the 1^st Gospel of Matins was read by the Metropolitan. The Most Reverend Metropolitan and the Holy Litany were received by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and the Hegoumen of the H. Monastery of the Men of Galilee Archimandrite Anthimos with some other Hagiotaphite Fathers.

After the reading of the Holy Gospel the Holy Litany returned to the Shrine of the Ascension to complete the Service of the Small Compline, which was followed by the Dismissal.

2. On the day of the Feast

On Thursday, the day of the feast, Matins and the Divine Liturgy were celebrated at the very place of the Ascension of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, officiated by the Most Reverend Archbishop Damascene of Joppa with concelebrants Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and Arab-speaking Priests of St. James Cathedral, Hieromonks from the Holy Monastery of Vatopedion of Mount Athos and their Geronda Archimandrite Ephraim and the Hagiotaphite Deacons Fr. Agapios and Fr. Demetrios, at the singing of the choir of Vatopedion Hieromonks in Greek and Mr. Rimon Kamar in Arabic, with the participation of many local Arab-speaking Priests from the neighbouring to Jerusalem and Palestine areas, and pilgrims from various countries such as Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Romania and Ukraine.

During the D. Liturgy, H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and Fathers of the H. Synod came to venerate, and then, according to the custom, they visited the Imam near the Mosque, Monk Achillios at the Holy Monastery of the Ascension opposite the Shrine, the Russian Nunnery of Ascension and finally the Hegoumen of the Holy Monastery of the Men of Galilee Archimandrite Anthimos, who offered them festal delicacies.

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/NDoJA8YunOU

httpv://youtu.be/2UkFCS53aPA

ngg_shortcode_5_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] 

On Wednesday, 11th/24th May 2017, the Feast of the Apodosis of Pascha was celebrated by the Patriarchate, namely the completion of forty days after the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On this Feast, the Paschal Service was observed just as the day of Pascha, except the Apostolic and the Gospel readings.

This Service with the Divine Liturgy were celebrated at the Holy Monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, at the singing of the Choir Leader Archimandrite Eusevios.

After the Service, according to the tradition, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and Hagiotaphite Fathers descended to venerate the Holy Sepulchre at the Church of the Resurrection, during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the Catholicon, officiated by the Most Reverend Archbishop Demetrios of Lydda, at the singing of Archimandrite Aristovoulos, with the participation of many pilgrims.

After the Divine Liturgy, the officiating Archbishop and the pilgrims went to the Patriarchate, in order to pay their respects to His Beatitude at the Reception Hall.

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/MLz9kkMFTvA

ngg_shortcode_6_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] 

On Saturday, 7th/20th May 2017, the Feast of the Appearance of the Sign of the Precious Cross in the Heavens was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

At this Feast, the Church, and especially in Jerusalem, celebrates the fact that at the time of Cyril the Katechist Archbishop of Jerusalem in 351 A.D., on Pentecost day around the ninth hour of the morning, the Precious Cross appeared brighter than the sun rays, and it was visible from the Horrendous Golgotha to the Mount of Olives; the event caused the surprise, marvel and awe of many people who came out in the streets and gazed at the sight in heaven for a long time, as described by the eye witness of the event, Cyril Archbishop of Jerusalem, in his Letter to Emperor Constantius, Son of Saint Constantine the Great.

In commemoration of this wondrous event, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Horrendous Golgotha, led by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, with concelebrants Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, first among whom was Archimandrite Ieronymos, and Hierodeacons, at the singing of the Choir Leader of the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection Archimandrite Aristovoulos and the students of the Patriarchal School of Zion, with the participation of a crowd of pilgrims mainly from Greece and other Orthodox countries as well.

The Divine Liturgy in the Horrendous Golgotha was followed by a thrice litany  around the Holy Sepulchre and then the officiating Metropolitan read the afore mentioned Letter in Greek.

After the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy the Episcopal Entourage and many of the pilgrims went to the Patriarchate and paid their respect to His Beatitude at the Reception Hall.

Therein, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias gave the following address:

“Your Beatitude, Father and Master,

Twenty centuries ago the cross was a means of dishonest punishment and atrocious death. The Romans condemned the worst criminals to crucifixion.

Today the Cross dominates the lives of faithful Christians in our Church life as a whole, as a means of sacrifice, salvation, joy, sanctification and grace. As St. Chrysostom writes, “this cursed and abhorrent symbol of the worst punishment has now become desirable and adorable”. You see it everywhere. “At the Holy Altar, at the ordination of Priests, at the Divine Liturgy, at homes. So much coveted to all has this wondrous gift, this unspeakable grace, become”.

The Lord Himself revealed in various occasions with supernatural events and wondrous revelations, in a vociferous manner, that the sign of the cross is His symbol and the invincible trophy of the faithful.

1. The known ecclesiastic historian Eusevios of Caesarea (340), contemporary of St. Constantine the Great, describes vigorously and undeniably the event of the appearance of the luminous Cross to Constantine the Great with the sign “conquer by this” an appearance made at noon, in the day light, in front of all the men of his army.
2. Despite the above mentioned supernatural appearance of the sign of the Cross, there was another one, again in front of numerous eye witnesses, when Constantius the Son of Constantine the Great was Emperor, and St. Cyril was the Archbishop of Jerusalem. The miracle is narrated by St. Cyril himself to the Emperor with a Letter of his, where he mentions that on that day (7 May 346 A.D., at the time of Pentecost), around the third hour (9 a.m.), the sign of the Cross appeared in the sky, huge, luminous, spreading from Holy Golgotha to the Mount of Olives. It was not just one or two people that saw this, but all the citizens of Jerusalem. And it did not appear for one instant only, but for hours on end it was floating in Heaven. And it was so bright, that it surpassed the sun rays in brightness, that is why they were able to see it at noon, in the day light. The people of the city that saw this miracle ran to the Church of the Resurrection. All made haste to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ in one voice, having now been taught by the events themselves that the noblest doctrine of the Christians is not based on human wisdom, which convinces with words and logic, but to the proofs, given by the spiritual gifts and the miraculous powers. And the doctrine is not being preached only by people, but is also witnessed by God Himself, from Heaven.

If 14^th September is the Feat of the Elevation of the Sacred and Life-giving Cross, a feast when human hands, of Patriarchs and Kings, elevated the Sacred Cross, projecting It as the symbol of the Christian faith and “the key hole to Paradise”, because It is our reference point to Him who shed His All-holy Blood on It, the 7th May is another feast of His Elevation, not by human hands this time, but by the “hands” of God Himself. Because He wanted, when the Christian faith had already been accepted and spread, to reveal the Cross in the Heavens, as an extension, so to speak, of His revelation at the reign of Constantine the Great with the known “conquer by it”. The hymnography of our Church propounds this event and spreads it around all its parameters: “The godly ranks of the faithful are exultant, for today a heavenly Cross is seen throughout the world. Gleaming with light unapproachable, the heaven shineth; bright is the air, fair the face of all the earth; singing godly songs , the Church of Christ doth venerate and honour that which protecteth her with strength from Heaven, the most divine and exceeding wondrous Cross”(stichiron of Vespers).

The venerable Jerusalem Patriarchate, following the order and works of the Orthodox Church, honours the feasts among which is today’s feast of “the appearance of the sign of the Precious Cross in Heaven”, which has influenced Orthodoxy around the world, despite the fact that it is a local feast.

Pray, Your Beatitude, that our venerable Brotherhood may continue this tradition to the ages to come.”

The address was followed by the festal reception and the brotherly Hagiotaphite osculation. Finally, His Beatitude offered the pilgrims Easter blessings from Jerusalem.

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/rB9GMDaSuRY

ngg_shortcode_7_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] 

On Sunday, 1st/14th May 2017, the Samaritan  woman Sunday, according to the book of Pentecostarion, the Jerusalem Patriarchate celebrated the memory of the meeting of the Samaritan woman with the Lord, at the town of Sychar in the Samaria district, at the place of that meeting, Jacob’s well, and her conversation with the Lord, with the revelation that was made to her that He is the Christ, and the water He would give her is the water that brings eternal life, and whoever drinks it will never thirst in the ages to come, according to the vivid narrative of the Evangelist John (John 4:4-42).

At this well and at the marvellous huge and magnificent Church named after St. Foteini the Samaritan woman, which praiseworthily the Hegoumen of the Shrine Archimandrite Ioustinos has built, the Festal Divine Liturgy was celebrated by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with concelebrants the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, and the Most Reverend Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and Archimandrites, Klaudios the Hegoumen of the Holy Monastery of the Sacred Cross, Ignatios, Hegoumen of the H. Monastery of the Shepherds, Stephen, Hegoumen of the H. Monastery of St. Katherine, Archdeacon Mark, Deacon Agapios, with the participation in prayer of Archimandrite Chrysostom Hegoumen of the H.Monastery of St. Gerasimos and Arab speaking Presbyters. Singing were the Choir Leader of the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection Archimandrite Aristovoulos in Greek, Russian and Romanian on the right, and Archimandrite Leontios with the parish choirs of the neighbouring parishes on the left, in Arabic, at the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr. Christos Sophianopoulos and a large crowd of local faithful and pilgrims from the nearby areas, from Greece, Russia, Romania and Cyprus, monks and nuns.

To this congregation His Beatitude preached the Divine word as follows:
“Let Heaven and earth radiantly rejoice today, for Christ hath appeared incarnate as man, that He might deliver the whole race of Adam from the curse; and when He came to Samaria, He was made marvelous miracles. He that is compassed about by the waters of the clouds standeth nigh unto a woman and seeketh water. Wherefore, let us the faithful all worship Him, Who of His own will became poor for our sake in His compassionate counsel.” The Hymn writer of the Church proclaims.

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Noble Christians and pilgrims,

The fountain of the beginning of life, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, gathered us all in this sacred place of the Patriarch Jacob’s well, in order to celebrate on the one hand the feast of the Samaritan woman; and on the other hand, the fact that “Christ has become manifest, being incarnate as human, so that He may save the whole of (the old) Adam”, as the hymn writer says.

Indeed, the Son of God “has become manifest being incarnate as human” by Jacob’s well, at the conversation with the Samaritan woman, who said unto Him “I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things” (John 4:25). And Jesus said unto her: “I that speak unto thee am he” (John 4:26).

Commenting on this confession that Jesus made to the Samaritan woman, St. Chrysostom says: “Everything the Samaritan woman was saying, she was saying in an unbiased and simple mind…and she listened and believed and mesmerized others with these words”.

In other words, the Samaritan woman had never seen the Lord before and had not had the chance to watch His teaching and miracles which would have convinced her on Who was the One that worked them and spoke with her. This means that Christ was very nigh to the Samaritan woman at the moment that she wished to know Him, as the hymn writer says: “O Lord, when the Samaritan woman asked water of Thee, Thou didst grant her knowledge of Thy power; wherefore, she thirsteth not unto the ages singing Thy praise”.

It is precisely this “knowledge of His power” namely Christ’s power, that made the Samaritan woman a preacher and equal to the Apostles, and also a witness of the salvific Christian faith. The Samaritan woman’s realization that “This is the Christ” (John, 4:29), namely the Messiah to come, enlightened her mind and understood Christ’s word that “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

This denotes that God is restricted not in place nor in time, because He is Spirit, and thus the All-Holy Spirit, which like the wind “thou canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth” (John 3:8).For this reason St. Paul advices us saying: Since through faith we have received a kingdom in Christ, which can never be shaken but remains eternal – and this kingdom is the one that Christ founded through His Church – let us give thanks to God; and by the gratitude that we convey through this thanksgiving, let us worship God pleasantly in respect and reverence. And we should worship Him in fear and piety, because our God is a fire which burns and destroys every irreverent and impious man. “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

This kingdom that cannot be moved, did the Samaritan woman receive, who now worships God in Heaven in respect and piety, just as she worshiped Him on earth. In other words, not only did the Samaritan woman believe in Christ, but she also wanted to drink of the living and spiritual water, of which Christ told her: “whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). And this water that springs forth is no other but he full and true knowledge of God, which our Holy Church of Christ possesses.

The wise Apostle of the nations Paul, referring to the arrogance of those who refuse to believe in the true God says: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity” (Romans 1:28-29).

In other words, those who did not find it good and did not wish to possess the full and true knowledge of God, were abandoned by God and delivered to a mind unable to discern the truth and the right thing, and the result of this was that they performed ungodly and immoral works.

While we, my brothers and sisters, who eat the bread of our Lord Jesus Christ’s body and drink the blood of His sacred side, are called to live in communion of the Holy Spirit as the hymn writer advices us: “Let us cleanse the secret places of our minds and illuminate the lamps of our souls, and we shall behold Christ our Life coming to the temple, in the excess of His goodness, that He might triumph over the enemy and save our race, through the Passion of the Cross and the Resurrection.”

Our Holy Church, my dear ones, projects its Saints, and especially today, the Samaritan woman who was named Foteini by Christ, who having received the crown of the martyrdom by the Emperor Nero, has become a prototype of faith, spiritual struggle, victory against the temptations and sin but also of repentance. An imitator of the virtues of St. Foteini’s life in Christ was the new-martyr Philoumenos the Hagiotaphite, following her traces and missionary work, on the unwaning light of the resurrection of our God and Saviour Christ.

Let us therefore my beloved brothers glorify Christ our God, who appeared as human, through the Ever-Virgin and Theotokos Mary, and with the hymn writer say: “Since Thou art the Fountain of Life, O Lord, Thou gavest the water of life and forgiveness and knowledge unto the Samaritan woman who once asked for it; wherefore, we praise Thine unspeakable compassions.”

Amen. Christ is risen!”

For the Sermon in Arabic please follow the link below:

https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2017/05/14/30448

After the Divine Liturgy there was a Holy Procession around the Church, followed by a reception to all, and after that, a meal was offered to His Beatitude, His Entourage and many of the congregation by the Hegoumen Archimandrite Ioustinos.

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/anDL_Us8slw

httpv://youtu.be/ObXkHhXC_B0

ngg_shortcode_8_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

On Sunday 24th April/7th May 2017, the memory of the Great Marty St. George the Trophy-bearer was celebrated one day after the actual feast day at his Holy Church of the Romanian Patriarchate Delegation in Jerusalem, located at the borderline between East and West Jerusalem, the district which was the passage of the borders between Jordan and Israel up to 1967, known as “Mandel Baum”.

For this feast, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the morning of the above mentioned day, led by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with co-officiating the Most Reverend Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, the Head of this Monastery Archimandrite Theophilos and his assistant Hieromonk John, the Hagiotaphite Dragouman Archimandrite Mattheos, Priests of the Romanian Patriarchate, Archdeacon Mark and Deacon Agapios. Singing were the left choir singer of the Church of the Resurrection Mr. George Alvanos and the Romanian nuns of this Monastery, with the participation in prayer of Mr. Traian Plescan, the Representative of the Romanian Embassy in Israel, monks and nuns and Orthodox Romanian nuns in Jerusalem and pilgrims from Romania with local Greek citizens of the Old City of Jerusalem.

 To this noble congregation His Beatitude preached the Divine world at the Koinonikon in English as in the link below:

 https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/2017/05/07/32493

After the Dismissal, the Head of the Delegation Archimandrite Theophilos offered His Beatitude a beautiful canticle, in order to transfer the Holy Light from the Holy Sepulchre and the Sacred Edicule in it. The feast was followed by a rich festal meal.

From Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/9LGGTIIKhGo

ngg_shortcode_9_placeholder” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]