Phanar: The signing of the acts of canonisation of three Saints to take place on December 18

On the occasion of the Feast of Saint Sebastian, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will officiate at the sacred Patriarchal Church of Saint George during the Divine Liturgy which will take place on Monday, 18 December 2023, at 9:30am.

After the conclusion of the Feast Day, the service of the signing of the Acts of those recently listed in the Book of the Saints of the Orthodox Church will take place under the direction of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Sacred and Holy Synod. The Acts of Canonisation refer to: a) Nun Gabrielia (Papagianni), of Constantinople, and of Leros, b) Hieromonk Athanasios Chamakiotis, and c) Archimandrite Gervasios Paraskevopoulos.

As well as this, for the feast day of Saint Theophano, Empress of Byzantium, whose sacred relics are kept in the Patriarchal Church, on the eve of the feast, today, Friday, 15 December 2023, from 4:30pm, the Great Festive Vespers will take place officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia, while on Saturday, 16 December 2023, the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will take place presided over by the same Hierarch.

The sacred relics of Saint Theophano the Empress will be placed on the Soleas of the Patriarchal Church for veneration by the devout Christians.