Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Saint Dimitrios in Xyloporta

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, 26 October 2024, at the Church of Saint Dimitrios in Xyloporta.

The Divine Word was preached by Grand Syncellus Archimandrite Iakovos, who also celebrated the Divine Liturgy.

In his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch reflected on the rich history of this Church in the Balat area, which, briefly at the end of the 16th century, served as the site of Ecumenical Patriarchal services before its relocation to its current seat in the Phanar.

On the occasion of the feast of the Great Martyr Dimitrios of Thessaloniki, the Ecumenical Patriarch said:

“If Thessaloniki holds as its treasure ‘Dimitrios, the all-glorious athlete and martyr of the truth,’ as we sang at last night’s Vespers, we, too, hold him—like all Saints—deep within our soul and being. We call upon his intercession to the Lord in every challenging moment of our lives, drawing inspiration from his holy example. This is our own untapped treasure—spiritual, inner, and thus inalienable. As the Apostle Paul says, we Christians are those who, though having nothing, possess everything.

And while we may seem weak in this world, with the aid of the God of Dimitrios, we overcome any mighty Lyaeus. For, like David in the Old Testament and Nestor in the New, we have with us the Holy Mighty One—God Himself—whose strength is so great that He alone can conquer death, a feat beyond anyone else.”

The Ecumenical Patriarch extended a warm welcome to the new Civil Administrator of Mount Athos, offering him heartfelt wishes for a blessed and fruitful tenure.

The service was attended by clergy, Archons of the Great Church of Christ, Greek Parliament member Michael Chourdakis, Roman Nedilskyi, Consul General of Ukraine, along with his wife and consulate staff, as well as faithful believers from Constantinople and numerous pilgrims from Thessaloniki, Veria, and other regions of Greece.

On the feast of Saint Dimitrios, the Patriarch made his way to the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi in Baloukli and chanted a Trisagion Memorial Service before the grace of His immediate predecessor, the late Patriarch Dimitrios, praying for the repose of his soul.

Photos: Nikos Papachristou / Ecumenical Patriarchate