On Monday, 2/15 February 2021, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple.
On this feast, the Church commemorates the event that our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was born in the flesh from the Virgin, at the completion of the forty days after His Nativity, according to the Law of Moses, was brought by His parents to the Temple of Solomon with the offering of a pair of turtledoves and a pair of pigeons. At the Temple the Lord was received by the holy arms of Prophet Simeon, who was named for this reason “God-receiver”, and who recognized the infant and exclaimed “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).
This feast was celebrated at the Holy Monastery of Sayda Naya, near the Patriarchate, with Vespers in the afternoon and the Divine Liturgy in the morning, officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, with the co-celebration of Dragoman Archimandrite Mattheos, Priests Hader, Nectarios and Farah, and Hierodeacon Eulogios. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon, Mr Vasilios Gotsopoulos and the Patriarchal School Students. The services were attended by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras, faithful from the parish of Saint James Cathedral and Monks and Nuns.
During the Divine Liturgy H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos came for veneration, accompanied by Hagiotaphite Fathers.
After the Divine Liturgy, the good caretaker and renovator of the Monastery Abbess Nun Seraphima offered a reception to the Patriarchal and Episcopal Entourages and all the congregation, at the Hegoumeneion and the courtyard of the Monastery.
