On Sunday, October 22, the memory of Saints Gabriel and Kyrmidolis, who became martyrs at the historic site of the Monastery 500 years ago, was celebrated at the Monastery of St. George in Old Cairo.
Metropolitan Nikodimos of Memphis and Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo presided over the Divine Liturgy along with the Abbot of the Holy Monastery, Archimandrite Damaskinos, Archimandrite Theodoros and Deacon Yousef.
In his homily, Metropolitan Nicodemus of Memphis referred with deep love and humility to the life and martyrdom of the New Martyrs, saying: “In this place, two 20-year-old men passed away. The cause of their martyrdom was their faith in Christ. They refused to betray their faith. Referring to his disciples, Jesus Christ tells them that if they persecuted him in this world, they could be sure that they would also persecute them. From the moment Christ became man, an abysmal persecution against him began. For three centuries it was enough to admit that one believes in Christ in order to be led to death. So we have the first martyrs and the great martyrs of the faith, like Saint George. And let’s not be surprised, but there are some places on Earth, fortunately not many, where some people die for their faith in Christ. This should strengthen our faith and strengthen our trust in Jesus Christ.”
Afterwards, Metropolitan Nikodemos ordained Mr. Antonis and Mr. Elias Shemaan as Readers. These two young men from Lebanon have been living in Cairo in recent years and are regular and pious members of the congregation.
After the end of the Divine Liturgy, a meal followed for all those attending the festive day.
