Westfield, New Jersey –
On Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at the invitation of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey accompanied His All Holiness to the historic Monastery of Panagia Soumela in Trabzon, Turkey for the auspicious occasion of the celebration of the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy for the feastday of the Dormition of the Theotokos. The monastery of Panagia Soumela was founded nearly 1600 years ago in the Pontic Mountains and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. Through the tremendous efforts of His All Holiness the tradition has been revived to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on the Feast Day of the Panagia and it was truly a great honor and rich blessing for His Eminence, in one of his first official duties as the newly-elected Metropolitan of the sacred Metropolis of New Jersey, to be prayerfully present for this historic event in the life our Orthodox Church.
