Archbishop Apostolos of Canada has issued an encyclical for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, reflecting on the profound theological meaning of the feast and expressing his anticipation ahead of his arrival in Canada and the beginning of his new ministry.
Addressing the clergy, monastics, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, members of the Philoptochos Society and faithful of the Holy Archdiocese of Canada, Archbishop Apostolos stressed that the Dormition should not be understood simply as the conclusion of the earthly life of the Mother of God.
Rather, he described it as an “eschatological revelation of the destiny of human nature within the grace of God.”
Archbishop Apostolos focused particularly on the Theotokos as an example of complete freedom offered to God, recalling her response to the divine calling: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Drawing on the theology of Saint Gregory Palamas, he described the Virgin Mary as the supreme example of the vision of God and deification, becoming through her complete communion with God the “boundary between the created and the uncreated.”
“The Panagia thus reveals that the ultimate destiny of the human person is not merely moral improvement, but deification—the participation, by grace, in the life of God,” the Archbishop wrote.
From this perspective, he emphasized, the Dormition is not a defeat before death. Through Christ’s Resurrection, death has already been overcome, while the Theotokos, as the “Mother of Life,” participates in a unique way in her Son’s victory.
Her Translation, Archbishop Apostolos said, therefore constitutes “an icon and foretaste of the universal resurrection.”
The Archbishop also connected the message of the feast with the spiritual challenges confronting people today, including alienation, loneliness, confusion and fragmentation.
Against these experiences, he said, the Theotokos presents “a different anthropology,” centered on relationship, self-offering and communion.
“She teaches us that true freedom is not found in self-sufficiency, but in communion with God and in selfless love for our fellow human being,” he wrote.
Archbishop Apostolos called on the faithful to bring before the Theotokos the concerns of families, young people, the sick, the elderly and all those experiencing trials.
He also urged prayers for the spiritual strength of Greek Orthodox communities in Canada and for Greek schools and educators, so that the Greek language, Orthodox faith, and spiritual and cultural heritage may be faithfully transmitted to future generations.
At the heart of his message, Archbishop Apostolos emphasized the hope of the Resurrection represented by the feast.
“The Dormition is not the end; it is a passage into the fullness of life in Christ,” he stated.
The Mother of God, he continued, bears witness that humanity is called “not to corruption, but to life; not to despair, but to Resurrection; not to isolation, but to eternal communion in the Kingdom.”
Concluding his encyclical, Archbishop Apostolos expressed his personal joy as he prepares to come to Canada and begin his ministry among the faithful of the Archdiocese.
“I look forward with great joy and emotion to coming to blessed Canada, to having the opportunity to meet all of you in person, to visit our parishes and communities, and to journey together, in a spirit of unity, love, and mutual trust,” he wrote.
He expressed gratitude to God and to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the blessing of his new ministry, saying that he would take the humility, obedience and self-offering of the Theotokos as his guide and example.
Archbishop Apostolos concluded by praying that the Theotokos may protect the Holy Archdiocese of Canada, strengthen its clergy, bless its families and lead all the faithful toward Christ.
Please, read the full text:
To the Right Reverend Bishop, the Reverend Clergy, the Monastic Orders, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Ladies of the Philoptochos Society, and the devout faithful of the Holy Archdiocese of Canada
Beloved Fathers and blessed children in Christ,The Feast of the Dormition and Translation of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the foremost feasts dedicated to the Mother of God in the life of the Church and, at the same time, an event of profound theological significance. The Church does not behold in the Dormition of the Panagia merely the end of the earthly journey of a holy person, but the eschatological revelation of the destiny of human nature within the grace of God.
The Theotokos is the person in whom human freedom is offered wholly and completely to the divine calling. The words, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), constitute humanity’s “yes” to God and, at the same time, the beginning of the mystery of the Incarnation. In her person, the Church beholds human nature not as a reality autonomous from God, but as a nature destined for communion with its Creator.Saint Gregory Palamas, developing the profound theology concerning the Theotokos, presents her as the person par excellence of the vision of God and deification, as she who, through purification and complete communion with God, became the “boundary between the created and the uncreated.” The Panagia thus reveals that the ultimate destiny of the human person is not merely moral improvement, but deification the participation, by grace, in the life of God.
For this reason, her Dormition is not a defeat before death. Death, which entered human history as the tragic consequence of the Fall, has already been overcome in Christ. The Theotokos, as the “Mother of Life,” participates in a singular way in the mystery of her Son’s victory over death. Saint John of Damascus, in his renowned homilies on the Dormition, proclaims that she who gave birth to Life itself “has passed over into life.” Her Translation is therefore an icon and foretaste of the universal resurrection, whose first fruits are found in the risen Christ.
The Orthodox Church, therefore, neither absolutizes earthly life nor death. All things are understood in the light of the Resurrection. The Panagia thus becomes a living eschatological image of the Church; in her person we already behold that which the Church awaits for all humanity in the fullness of the Kingdom of God.It is not by chance that the Apolytikion of the Feast proclaims: “In giving birth you preserved your virginity; in your Dormition you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos.” The Panagia does not abandon the world, for her love, united with the love of Christ, remains within the mystery of the Church as a maternal presence, protection, and intercession.
In our own age, in which the human person so often experiences alienation, spiritual confusion, loneliness, and fragmentation, the Theotokos offers a different anthropology: the human person as a person of relationship, self-offering, and communion. She teaches us that true freedom is not found in self-sufficiency, but in communion with God and in selfless love for our fellow human being.
Let us therefore approach the sacred services of this Feast with faith and reverence. Let us place before the Panagia the concerns of our families, our young people, the sick, the elderly, and all those who journey through trials. Let us especially pray for the spiritual steadfastness of our Greek Orthodox communities, for our Greek schools and educators, so that the Greek language, the Orthodox faith, and our spiritual and cultural heritage and tradition may be transmitted authentically and faithfully to the generations to come.
And let us hold deeply in our hearts the message of this great Feast: the Dormition is not the end; it is a passage into the fullness of life in Christ. The Theotokos, the Mother of Life, stands before us as a witness that the human person, when freely entrusting his or her entire existence to the grace of God, is called not to corruption, but to life; not to despair, but to Resurrection; not to isolation, but to eternal communion in the Kingdom.
Especially during this year’s Feast, I feel the need to express my personal joy and anticipation. I look forward with great joy and emotion to coming to blessed Canada, to having the opportunity to meet all of you in person, to visit our parishes and communities, and to journey together, in a spirit of unity, love, and mutual trust, in our common ministry within the Holy Church.
I come to you with feelings of fatherly love and deep gratitude to God and to our Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness Bartholomew, for the blessing of this new ministry, taking as my guide and example the humble obedience and complete self-offering of the Most Holy Theotokos.
May the Most Holy Theotokos, “more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim,” watch over our Holy Archdiocese, strengthen our Holy Clergy, bless our families, and lead us all toward her Son and our God, our Lord Jesus Christ, “the One who is truly Life and the true Life.”
With much love in Christ and paternal blessings,
† APOSTOLOS
ARCHBISHOP OF CANADA
