On Friday, March 13, 2026, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece visited Thessaloniki in order to preside over the Service of the Third Stasis of the Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos at the Cathedral Church of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki.
During the sacred service, 1,000 students from 37 schools in Thessaloniki and the wider region chanted the hymns, along with the Byzantine choir of students from the Corps Officers Military Academy and the Children’s Byzantine Choir of the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki “Irmos.”
Archbishop Ieronymos was warmly welcomed with particular emotion and joy by Metropolitan Filotheos of Thessaloniki, who thanked him on behalf of the clergy, the local authorities, and the faithful people of Thessaloniki for his presence in the city, as he gladly accepted the invitation to preside over the Service of the Third Stasis of the Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos.
He noted that the presence of the Archbishop at the Holy Altar symbolically embraces the entire city, the clergy, the representatives of the state present, and all the people of Thessaloniki.
The large number of students present brought great joy to the Archbishop, who in his pastoral address to the congregation expressed particular concern over recent publications regarding the sustainability and content of education. He underlined that Greece possesses an immense spiritual treasure drawn from its tradition and the Fathers of the Church, which remains largely untapped, noting that the challenge is not to discover new things but to find the keys to open our minds and draw from this heritage elements that can become a way of life.
Addressing the students, he expressed his joy at being among them during the service of the Salutations.
As he characteristically noted, “in this service, during which the voices of students and young people are raised to the Mother of all Christians, the Most Holy Theotokos… the Panagia becomes the bridge between heaven and earth, bringing Jesus Christ into the world.”
Turning directly to the children, His Beatitude said: “You who chant the Salutations tonight do not simply offer us a beautiful musical moment. You yourselves become a manifestation of the new creation that Christ offers us. When your youthful voices praise the Panagia, when your hearts participate in the prayer of the Church, then the world breathes differently. Hope takes flesh and bones. Because this new creation is not a theory. It is a way of life. It is love that overcomes selfishness. It is forgiveness that heals wounds. It is truth that enlightens the mind. It is purity that frees the soul. And you, in your schools, in your families, in your friendships, can become bearers of this renewal. Through your kindness. Through your respect. Through your willingness to create and not to destroy.”
He also invited them to allow “the ‘Rejoice’ to become a joy that transforms the world. For Christ truly makes us new, and you have the responsibility to become guides for all of us toward this new life.”
Among those praying during the service were Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia, Philadelphia, Irakleio and Chalcedon, Metropolitan Maximos of Ioannina, Metropolitan Stephanos of Philippi, Neapolis and Thasos, and Bishop Damaskinos of Velestino, as well as the General Archieratical Vicar of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, Protopresbyter Emmanuel Papamikroulis, who accompanied the Archbishop to Thessaloniki.
Also present were Deputy Ministers Konstantinos Gkioulekas (Macedonia–Thrace), Stavros Kalafatis (Development), and Nikos Papaioannou (Education); Members of Parliament Dimitris Kouvelas, Theodoros Karaoglou, and Stratos Simopoulos from Thessaloniki, and Ioannis Oikonomou from Phthiotis; the Deputy Regional Governor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Gioutikas; Deputy Regional Governors Melina Dermentzopoulou and Paris Billias; the Mayor of Thessaloniki Stelios Angeloudis; as well as many members of the regional and municipal councils, representatives of judicial authorities and security forces, and a large number of faithful from Thessaloniki who filled the cathedral church and its courtyard.
You can view the photographs by clicking the link HERE.
