Holy Week and Holy Pascha in Doha
With reverence and ecclesiastical order, and with the devout participation of the faithful congregation, the sacred services of Holy Week and the Radiant Resurrection were celebrated at the Holy Archdiocese of Qatar.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Qatar presided over the sacred services, concelebrating with the Cross-bearing Economos Fr Michael Theocharidis and Priest Fr Elias Barakat.
Many faithful Orthodox Christians participated in the Divine Communion with reverence and devotion. Many came from cities across the Emirate and Saudi Arabia to partake in the Holy Mystery of the Holy Unction and Confession.
The services were conducted in Greek, Arabic, Slavonic, Serbian, Romanian, and English to accommodate the multilingual flock. The chanters beautifully rendered the hymns, and the choir performed the Lamentations of Holy Friday in Arabic, Greek, and Serbian.
On Holy Thursday, Holy Friday, and the night of Holy Saturday, the following dignitaries attended the services: His Excellency Mr Andreas Nicolaides, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus; Mr Teimuraz Kereselidze, Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Georgia; Ms Evangelia Tsaga, Representative of the Greek Embassy in Doha; and Ms Inna Dogadkina, Representative of the Russian Embassy.
On Holy Friday, in an atmosphere of deep contrition and emotion, the Epitaphios Service (Lamentations) was held, followed by the procession within the courtyard of the Bishopric.
On the night of Holy Saturday, a large congregation of Christians filled the Holy Cathedral and its forecourt to capacity. They remained and participated in the Divine Liturgy, with almost all receiving Holy Communion. In place of a sermon, the Paschal Message of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem was read, followed by the blessing of the Paschal eggs and festive foods.
From the Holy Archdiocese of Qatar
