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THE FEAST OF THE UNIVERSAL EXALTATION OF THE VENERABLE CROSS (2014)

On Saturday, the 14th/27th of September 2014, the Patriarchate observed the feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Venerable Cross.

The feast commemorates the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ on Golgotha for our salvation, and the exaltation of the Lord’s cross after its discovery by Saint Helena and Archbishop Makarios of Jerusalem in 336 AD. In 629 AD, Emperor Heraclius elevated the cross on the Horrendous Golgotha after his victory against the Persians.

A. Vespers

Vespers for this universal event began on the afternoon of Friday the 13th/26th of September 2014, with the recitation of the Ninth Hour at the monastic Church of Sts Constantine and Helena. Vespers was followed by a procession on foot to the Church of the Resurrection, and censing at the Holy Apokathelosis (Removal from the Cross) and the Holy Sepulcher. Their Holinesses the Members of the Synod venerated at the Holy Sepulcher, whereas deacons performed censing along the holy shrines. Great Vespers was then held at the Katholikon, led by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, as the Head Cantor, Archimandrite Aristovoulos, sang assisted by Greek chanters.

Β. The Divine Liturgy.

On the morning of this universal feast, the Patriarchal Hagiotaphite retinue began their procession to the All-holy Church of the Resurrection.

Entering the Katholikon, His Beatitude rose to the Throne, as priests put on their sacerdotal vestments amidst bells ringing. They were followed by His Beatitude and Prelates, who also wore their sacerdotal vestments for the Divine Liturgy to begin.

The service was led by H.B. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem. Co-officiating were the Most Reverend Prelates: Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias; Metropolitan Timotheos of Bostra, Archbishop Theophanes of Gerassa; Archbishop Dorotheos of Avila; Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina; Archbishop Methodios of Tabor; Archbishop Theodosios of Sebaste; Archbishop Demetrios of Lydda; and Metropolitans Panteleimon of Xanthe and Theologos of Serres, visiting from the Church of Greece; Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Kition (Cyprus); Metropolitan Nikolaev of Pitirim; Metropolitan Alexander of Pereyaslav; Bishop Clement of Irbib; and Bishop Stephanos of Gomeh. Also in attendance were Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and Priests from the Orthodox Churches of Greece, Russia, Romania and Ukraine. Archimandrite Aristovoulos chanted in Greek and Russian, aided by the head cantor of Kozani, Mr Soterios Arvanitis, in the presence of the Greek Consul-General to Jerusalem, Mr Georgios Zacharoudiakis and a crowd of pilgrims from Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Cyprus.

After the apolysis, a procession began towards the chapel of the discovery of the Venerable Cross. There, the Cross was raised to the four points of the horizon before being venerated on the site where it was discovered by Saint Helena.

The procession carried on thrice around the Holy Aedicula and across the Holy Apokathelosis before ascending to the Horrendous Golgotha.

There, where in 629 AD Emperor Heraclius elevated the Holy Cross, His Beatitude raised the Cross to the four points of the horizon and then placed it on the Altar above the hole where the cross had been planted.

The procession proceeded through internal stairs to the Holy Bema of the Katholikon, and from there it ascended to the Patriarchates, where His Beatitude addressed guests in Greek.

In Arabic, His speech may be read here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2014/09/27/7497

Fraternal embracing and kissing His Beatitude’s hand sealed the feast of the universal exaltation of the Venerable Cross.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/nUAayvab5Bo

httpv://youtu.be/IVwQdKoJmNI

httpv://youtu.be/gdpFk9nJF8Y




HIS BEATITUDE THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM BLESSES THE CENTENNIAL OF THE CHURCH OF TARSHIHA COMMUNITY

On Sunday, the 8th/21st of September 2014, H.B. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem led the Divine Liturgy in the Greek Orthodox Arab-speaking Community of Tarshiha, a town in the Accra-Ptolemais region of Northern Israel, on the occasion of the centennial of the Church of the Prophet Elias. The centennial was celebrated on the feast of the Nativity of Theotokos.

Before the service, His Beatitude was warmly welcomed to the town by its Orthodox crowd, priests and the Mayor.

Co-officiating with the Patriarch were: the Most Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth; the Elder Secretary-General, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constanina; the Hegoumen of Mt Tabor Monastery, Archimandrite Hilarion; Hieromonk Martyrios, Hierodeacon Dionysios and Archdeacon f. Evlogios, as well as priests from neighbouring Communities. The town’s Orthodox population observed the divine Liturgy in piety, while cantors from the Community sang during the service.

During Communion, His Beatitude preached the Word of God in Greek.

Before the apolysis, the Patriarch awarded f. Gregorios a Steward’s Cross, an icon of Christ and Theotokos, and a set of holy vessels with a blessing cross. Members of the Church Board were offered a cross of the Holy Sepulcher.

During a reception hosted after the Divine Liturgy at the new Events Hall, His Beatitude made a donation of 15.000$ to be used for the completion of the Church’s restoration.

The head priest of Tarshiha, Presbyter Gregorios, spoke on behalf of the Community to extend his thanks for the Patriarchate’s support, manifested by means of previous aid for the renovation of the Church in Tarshiha and also through the Patriarch’s presence at the centennial celebrations.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/axyPhMPqwmo

httpv://youtu.be/SgVLKeyZLvU




HIS BEATITUDE ADDRESS OF WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR ANGLICAN ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE.

Jerusalem, 18 September 2014

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Respected Members of the International Commission,

Sisters and Brothers,

We welcome you, dear friends, to the Holy City of Jerusalem for this meeting of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue. It was just over 40 years ago that the first meeting of what was then the newly established Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Discussions met in Oxford, and the intervening years have seen much progress and the publication of three important reports. This fourth phase of the Dialogue on which you have been working continues this significant work.

Your focus is on Christian anthropology, and this is proving to be a timely subject. Recently your Orthodox co-chairman, His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos, published a small but important book, in which he has stated that he believes that the focus of Orthodox theological enquiry will shift from ecclesiology, which occupied so much Orthodox thought in the 20th century, to anthropology. This is certainly a welcome development, and we are encouraged that this Dialogue is taking this subject seriously.

Metropolitan Kallistos reminds us of four reasons why a proper theological understanding of anthropology is so urgent. He cites the phenomena of globalization and urbanization and the threat that these pose to the integrity of the individual; the dominance of technology and its growing role in supplanting direct human to human relationships; issues of ethics, including genetic engineering and changes in the institution of marriage; and finally the growing ecological crisis that the world faces.

These are all pressing issues for the Church, and demand a principled, theological response. But we would like to add a fifth urgent reason why we believe that a focus on anthropology is a crucial one for you, and for the Church as a whole. It is a reason that is profoundly shaped by our experience here in the Holy Land and in the broader region of the Middle East, especially during the present crisis.

We are experiencing war, violence and terrorism on an unprecedented scale and the integrity of the fabric of the life of the Middle East is under terrible threat. Essential to our identity in this region is our cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. But there are forces abroad in our region that seek to eliminate individuals, communities, and entire cultures from our life. Such activity, if successful, will rob us of that dynamic of mutual interdependence that has characterized life in the Middle East for centuries.

It is inconceivable, for example, to think of a Middle East without a flourishing Christian community. Just as it is inconceivable to think of the Middle East without flourishing Jewish and Muslim communities. This region is home to all of us, and in this common home we must continue to forge a human community based on fundamental freedoms and basic human rights, with security, peace and justice for all our peoples.

To eradicate war, violence, and terrorism requires a clear and convincing articulation of anthropology – of the meaning and value of the human person. Our opposition as Christians to the atrocities we see every day is founded on the biblical and patristic articulation of the human person as one who is created in the image and likeness of God. This is the irreducible truth that the Christian tradition proclaims about the dignity of the human person, and from this truth flows all that we say about the flourishing of the individual and the human community.

The Orthodox and Anglican traditions share a grounding in, and a devotion to, the patristic mind. Over the generations, Anglican patristic scholarship, always of the highest quality, and Orthodox patristic reflection, always a living expression of the Church’s faith, have given us eloquent testimony to the ongoing relevance of the patristic heritage to our present life. This common ground that Orthodox and Anglicans share is a great gift to us, and one that has the power to deepen further our joint theological exploration.

We therefore commend you in the work that you are doing as being of urgent benefit not just for the Dialogue, but for the broader and crucial work for peace in this region and around the world. In too many places, too many people believe that human beings are things that can easily be thrown away or disposed of as if they are simply rubbish. We who testify to the truth of the Incarnation, of the mystery of the God who becomes fully human for the salvation of the world, have a singular contribution to make in changing the human consciousness in this regard.

With respect to Anglican-Orthodox relations more generally, we wish to remind you of the close historic relationship that has existed for so long between the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Church of England, the Anglican Communion, and the local Anglican Church here in the Holy Land. This is a relationship that the Patriarchate values highly and is committed to upholding. We recognize that there are significant challenges on the road to unity; but we also understand that we share a common human destiny and we can never tire of searching for a way to a deeper life together. For this reason of our special relationship, we are delighted to welcome you.

May God bless your work together in this Dialogue, and may you know the blessing, hope and peace of Jerusalem, which is our common home.

Thank you.

 

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem




HIS BEATITUDE ADDRESS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR ANGLICAN-ORTHODOX DIALOGUE.

Jerusalem, 18 September 2014

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Respected Members of the International Commission,

Sisters and Brothers,

We welcome you, dear friends, to the Holy City of Jerusalem for this meeting of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue. It was just over 40 years ago that the first meeting of what was then the newly established Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Discussions met in Oxford, and the intervening years have seen much progress and the publication of three important reports. This fourth phase of the Dialogue on which you have been working continues this significant work.

Your focus is on Christian anthropology, and this is proving to be a timely subject. Recently your Orthodox co-chairman, His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos, published a small but important book, in which he has stated that he believes that the focus of Orthodox theological enquiry will shift from ecclesiology, which occupied so much Orthodox thought in the 20th century, to anthropology. This is certainly a welcome development, and we are encouraged that this Dialogue is taking this subject seriously.

Metropolitan Kallistos reminds us of four reasons why a proper theological understanding of anthropology is so urgent. He cites the phenomena of globalization and urbanization and the threat that these pose to the integrity of the individual; the dominance of technology and its growing role in supplanting direct human to human relationships; issues of ethics, including genetic engineering and changes in the institution of marriage; and finally the growing ecological crisis that the world faces.

These are all pressing issues for the Church, and demand a principled, theological response. But we would like to add a fifth urgent reason why we believe that a focus on anthropology is a crucial one for you, and for the Church as a whole. It is a reason that is profoundly shaped by our experience here in the Holy Land and in the broader region of the Middle East, especially during the present crisis.

We are experiencing war, violence and terrorism on an unprecedented scale and the integrity of the fabric of the life of the Middle East is under terrible threat. Essential to our identity in this region is our cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. But there are forces abroad in our region that seek to eliminate individuals, communities, and entire cultures from our life. Such activity, if successful, will rob us of that dynamic of mutual interdependence that has characterized life in the Middle East for centuries.

It is inconceivable, for example, to think of a Middle East without a flourishing Christian community. Just as it is inconceivable to think of the Middle East without flourishing Jewish and Muslim communities. This region is home to all of us, and in this common home we must continue to forge a human community based on fundamental freedoms and basic human rights, with security, peace and justice for all our peoples.

To eradicate war, violence, and terrorism requires a clear and convincing articulation of anthropology – of the meaning and value of the human person. Our opposition as Christians to the atrocities we see every day is founded on the biblical and patristic articulation of the human person as one who is created in the image and likeness of God. This is the irreducible truth that the Christian tradition proclaims about the dignity of the human person, and from this truth flows all that we say about the flourishing of the individual and the human community.

The Orthodox and Anglican traditions share a grounding in, and a devotion to, the patristic mind. Over the generations, Anglican patristic scholarship, always of the highest quality, and Orthodox patristic reflection, always a living expression of the Church’s faith, have given us eloquent testimony to the ongoing relevance of the patristic heritage to our present life. This common ground that Orthodox and Anglicans share is a great gift to us, and one that has the power to deepen further our joint theological exploration.

We therefore commend you in the work that you are doing as being of urgent benefit not just for the Dialogue, but for the broader and crucial work for peace in this region and around the world. In too many places, too many people believe that human beings are things that can easily be thrown away or disposed of as if they are simply rubbish. We who testify to the truth of the Incarnation, of the mystery of the God who becomes fully human for the salvation of the world, have a singular contribution to make in changing the human consciousness in this regard.

With respect to Anglican-Orthodox relations more generally, we wish to remind you of the close historic relationship that has existed for so long between the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Church of England, the Anglican Communion, and the local Anglican Church here in the Holy Land. This is a relationship that the Patriarchate values highly and is committed to upholding. We recognize that there are significant challenges on the road to unity; but we also understand that we share a common human destiny and we can never tire of searching for a way to a deeper life together. For this reason of our special relationship, we are delighted to welcome you.

May God bless your work together in this Dialogue, and may you know the blessing, hope and peace of Jerusalem, which is our common home.

Thank you.

 

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem




HIS BEATITUDE ADDRESS TO THE MEETING OF THE JOINT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC & THE ORTHODOX CHURCH.

15 September 2014,

The Baptism Site Bethany-Beyond-the Jordan / Jordan

 

 

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Reverend Fathers,

Beloved Monastics,

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

 

We greet you, dear distinguished participants, with words that we shall sing in a few days as the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land celebrates the Nativity of the Mother of God,

Your birth, Ο Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, he gave us his blessings. Abolishing death, he granted us eternal life. (Apolytikion, 4th Tone)

We meet, therefore, in the light of the Incarnation, which was promised to us in the birth of the Theotokos. This is the light that shines from the cave in Bethlehem. This is the eternal, uncreated light that shines from Mount Tabor and from the Holy Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is “the light of all people,” “the light that shines in the darkness”, “the true light, which enlightens everyone”, (John, 1:4,5 and 9). May this same light illumine your work in this dialogue!

Just four months ago, we welcomed Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis to Jerusalem to commemorate the historic meeting in the Holy City 50 years before of their predecessors Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI. That meeting led to the lifting of the mutual excommunications that had been directed against our respective Churches in 1054, and opened the way to a new ecumenical future, of which this international dialogue is a principal result.

The work of reconciliation must be carried out at every level of our life – in the Church, in our local communities, and in our world. At a time of unprecedented violence and turmoil in so many parts of the world, and especially in our region, we know how crucial the witness of the Gospel is for the human community, and how much people long for the light of hope. The Churches must find new ways of acting together in common witness and common work so that, in spite of the differences that divide us, we may show a hurting world that the reconciling love of our Lord Jesus Christ is real, and transforms individuals and nations.

The proclamation of the Gospel is under pressure everywhere, even in countries that have historically been shaped by Christian civilization. Your work in examining carefully our respective theological and spiritual heritages and the ways in which we can grow more closely together in mutual respect and understanding, help to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of this proclamation.

As we welcome you, we wish to acknowledge the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah ll Ιbn al-Hussein in ensuring in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan freedom of worship, and a genuine symbiosis where people of different religions, ethnicities, and cultures live side by side in peace and harmony as one nation. And we wish to express our gratitude to His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, who has been principally responsible for all the arrangements for your work here in Jordan.

We are gathered here in this Holy Place of the Baptism Site, and we recall the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to Nicodemus: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). There can be no genuine dialogue without the presence and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for it is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth (cf. John 16:13).

May God bless you and may the Holy Spirit be present in your work together. May the light of the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, shine upon you, and illumine your hearts and your minds, and may both our Churches benefit from fresh understandings of ancient truths, so that we may be faithful in our path of dialogue and our spiritual mission.

Thank you.

HIS BEATITUDE

THEOPHILOS III

PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM




PROPHET ELIAS COMMEMORATED IN THE TOWN OF MAALOULE NEAR NAZARETH

On Saturday, the 13th/26th of July 2014, the memory of the Prophet Elias the Thesbite was commemorated in advance at the Church dedicated to him in the area of Maaloule, a suburb of Nazareth.

The Church of the Prophet Elias used to belong to the Arab-speaking Community of the Patriarchate which abandoned its seat upon the foundation of the state of Israel, in 1948. Since then, the area has been a military base. In recent years, the Patriarchate, mainly through the actions of Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth and Archimandrite Hilarion, the Abbot at the Monastery of Tabor, went on to restore, renovate and reopen it.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem led the Matins and the Divine Liturgy. Co-officiating were the Most Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth, and the Elder Secretary-General, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina; Archimandrite Hilarion, Abbot at the Monastery of Mount Tabor; and Arab-speaking Presbyters from the Nazareth area. Orthodox faithful from Nazareth participated in piety, moved over the knowledge that their ancestors had lived in this very town.

During the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude preached the Word of God in Greek.

In Arabic, His speech may be reached here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2014/07/26/6674

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, participants were offered refreshments in the forecourt of the Church, under the shade of pine trees.

At noon, the Most Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth, hosted the Patriarchal retinue and members of the congregation and of the Community to lunch.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/PS-ggzIU1qQ?list=UUUJ0Grl082n5ebQS0hXtc7g




THE FEAST OF THE GATHERING OF THE APOSTLES IN TIBERIAS

On Sunday, the 30th of June/13th of July 2014, the feast of the Gathering of the Twelve Holy Apostles was celebrated at the Holy Monastery dedicated to them, near the Western shore of the Tiberian sea, at the centre of the present-day big Israeli city of Tiberias.

At the church of the Monastery, which preserves many of the building components of the ancient church which is linked to the Lord’s miracle, namely His appearance before His disciples after the Resurrection, when He instructed them to throw their nets on the right side of the boat (John 21, 6) and then eat from the fish and bread that lay on the coal (John 21, 9), which constitutes the evangelical excerpt of the 10th Eothinon Gospel of Sundays – His Beatitude Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, led the Matins and Divine Liturgy. Co-officiating were the Most Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth and Hieromonks from nearby Monasteries of the Patriarchate. Cantors from neighbouring communities sang, while Greek pilgrims and Russian-speaking and Arab-speaking faithful participated in piety.

During Communion, His Beatitude preached the Word of God in Greek.

In Arabic, His speech may be reached here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2014/07/13/6537

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Abbot f. Timotheos hosted the Patriarchal retinue to lunch, which was followed by lunch with fish from the Tiberian sea.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/1mEyYcWuX_c?list=UUUJ0Grl082n5ebQS0hXtc7g

 




THE FEAST OF STS PETER AND PAUL, GLORIOUS HEADS OF THE APOSTLES, IN CAPERNAUM

On Saturday the 29th of June/12th of July 2013, the feast of the glorious heads of the apostles, Sts Peter and Paul, was celebrated at the Monastery dedicated to them in Capernaum, near the West Bank of the Tiberian Sea.

The Monastery and church in its present-day form was built in 1935, as attested by the inscription on the iconostasis, by the ever-memorable Patriarch Damian of Jerusalem, on the ruins of ancient Capernaum, which had received many miracles of the Lord, and in fact became His second hometown, after He had left his hometown of Nazareth (Matthew 2, 23). In spite of this, Capernaum did not repent, as according what the Lord had foretold, it descended into Hades: And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day” (Matthew 11, 23).

To this monastery, well preserved for years now by monk Eirinarchos, H.B. Patriarch Theophilos arrived on the morning of the aforementioned day, to lead the Matins and Divine Liturgy. Co-officiating were Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, and Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina; Hieromonk and Hegoumen at the Monastery of Mount Tabor, Archimandrite Hilarion; Arab-speaking and Russian-speaking priests from the region of Upper Galilee and Accra-Ptolemais. Archimandrite Philotheos directed the choir. In attendance were Greek pilgrims as well as Arab-speaking and Russian-speaking faithful from the Patriarchate’s Communities in Northern Israel.

During Communion, His Beatitude preached the word of God in Greek. In Arabic, His speech may be read here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2014/07/12/6534

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, supervising monk f. Eirinarchos courteously hosted the Patriarchal retinue at the Hegoumen’s quarters. At noon, lunch with fish from the Tiberian Sea was offered to all.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/U4sWDr4gB2U




THE FEAST OF THE PROPHET ELISHA IN JERICHO

On Friday the 15th/28th of June 2014, the memory of the prophet Elisha (Eliseus) was honoured in the Jericho Monastery dedicated to him and to St Zacchaeus, where lie remnants of the sycamore tree he climbed as a child in order to see the Lord (Luke 19, 4).

The Monastery is dedicated to the prophet Elisha too, as he was active in this particular area, a student of the prophet Elias. It is precisely in Jericho where Elisha had transformed the waters of a living spring from bitter and deadly to sweet and drinkable, whereas in the river Jordan he received the grace of God through Elias’ mantle.

The divine Liturgy was led by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem with co-officiating Primates: Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, and Archbishops Aristarchos of Constanina and Methodios of Tabor. Also in attendance were Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and deacons, in the presence of Orthodox people from the little flock of Jericho, and pilgrims from Jerusalem and Greece.

During Communion, His Beatitude preached the Word of God in Greek.

At the end of the Holy Communion, His Beatitude blessed the grapes, already ripe due to Jericho’s warm climate.

After the divine Liturgy, the Hegoumen, Archimandrite Philoumenos, hosted all to a reception.

At noon, Archimandrite Philoumenos and Greek Orthodox (Rum Orthodox) from the town of Jericho hosted the Patriarchal retinue to meatless lunch at a restaurant.

From the Secretariat-General 

 

httpv://youtu.be/v1P324oEn5o

httpv://youtu.be/ilnHbI3n3TE




THE FEAST OF ST ONOUPHRIOS AT THE PATRIARCHATE

On Wednesday the 12th/25th of June 2014, the feast of Hosios Onouphrios the Egyptian was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

The feast was observed at the Holy Monastery bearing his name, which lies at the junction of the Gesthemane-Josaphat and Gihon valleys to the south, and opposite the hill of St Sion, in the area known since the days of our Lord, Jesus Christ, as “akeldama” – field of blood, as it was purchased for the thirty silver pieces that the repentant Judas had returned.

At this Convent of the Patriarchate, His Beatitude Theophilos, Our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, led the feast. Co-officiating were the Most Reverend Isychios, Metropolitan of Kapitolias and their Eminences, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Elder Sacristan; Methodios of Tabor, and Demetrios of Lydda. Also in attendance were Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, Archdeacon f. Evlogios and Deacon Markos; and visiting priests from the Holy Bishopric of Patras. Cantors from Greece sang in the Byzantine style, together with the Head Cantor of the Church of Sts Constantine and Helen, f. Eusebius. A crowd of faithful, monks, nuns, locals and pilgrims from Orthodox countries attended the service.

During Communion, His Beatitude Theophilos preached the Word of God in Greek.

The apolysis was followed by a procession to the Monastery’s departed proprietors. Wishes were read for their repose, and the repose of the soul of Nun Seraphima who lived at the Monastery. Also recited was a blessing wish for the products of the fig tree.

After the divine Liturgy, Abbess Paisia, courteously hosted everyone to a reception at her quarters.

From the Secretariat-Genera

 

httpv://youtu.be/MLTwSYzZTJk

httpv://youtu.be/LyLfFXGjh2E