Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the official signing of the Patriarchal and Synodal Act adding a new saint to the liturgical calendar of the Orthodox Church. The solemn ceremony took place on Saturday afternoon, August 30, 2025, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint George in the Phanar.
Archimandrite Bosporios, Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod, read the Act of Canonization of the blessed priest Dimitrios Gagastathis.
Following the reading, the Ecumenical Patriarch, together with the Synodal Hierarchs. Athanasios of Kolonia, Andreas of Arkalochori, Kastelli and Viannos, Athenagoras of Belgium, Paisios of Leros, Kalymnos and Astypalaia, Sebastian of Atlanta, Athenagoras of Kydonia, Maximos of Silivria, Makarios of Australia, Maximos of Switzerland, Iakovos of Ireland, and Iakovos of Mexico, signed the Act in the official Codex of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Among those present were Elder Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi, Metropolitans Ezekiel of Dervi, Theoliptos of Ikonio, Hilarion of Winnipeg, Apostolos of New Jersey, and Chrysostomos of Trikki, Gardiki and Pyli, who had formally submitted the request for canonization through the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. Also in attendance were Metropolitans Myron of New Zealand, Ioakeim of Bursa, and Adrianos of Alikarnassos. The service was witnessed by Abbess Isidora, her sister, and other family members of the newly canonized saint, as well as the Deputy Regional Governor of Trikala, Chrysa Ntinti, the President of Urban Development SA of the Municipality of Trikala, Georgios Zogas, municipal officials, and a large number of pilgrims from Trikala.
In his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized, inter alia:
“At the very heart of ecclesiastical life is revealed the presence of the Saints, who, through their participation in the holiness of the ‘only Holy’ God, embody the ‘communion of saints’—the communion of theosis—which is the very life of the Church itself, marked from its beginning by their witness and sanctity. This same reality is present today, as the people of God continue their journey into the future ‘in the footsteps of the Saints.’
The newly canonized Saint is a living icon of a God who does not remain enclosed in His inaccessible transcendence but is ‘God with us,’ the ‘God of relationships,’ who is glorified in His Saints and invites us to share in His holiness.
He was distinguished by his simplicity and humility, ‘numbering himself among the least,’ devoting himself to vigils and prayers. Virtuous and ascetic, he was a vigilant confessor of Orthodoxy, endowed with proactive spiritual gifts, sanctifying, miraculous, and healing, even after his repose. Long before his official inscription in the diptychs of the Saints, his name had already been engraved in golden letters upon the hearts of the faithful.
The blessed priest of Trikala, through his God-loving and philanthropic life, multiplied the grace he had received from God. He is a priceless heavenly gift to the people of Trikala, to the Christ-loving faithful, to the Orthodox world, and to all humanity, proclaiming ‘to the ends of the earth’ that ‘there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12), except Christ, who has delivered us from the bondage of the adversary.”
Concluding his address, the Ecumenical Patriarch stated:
“The inclusion of a new Saint in the Hagiology of the Church is a significant event for the people of God. At the same time, it invites each of us to reflect on what holiness means for our own lives as members of the Church of Christ.”
Earlier, the Ecumenical Patriarch had been addressed by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Trikki, Gardiki, and Pyli, who presided over the Vespers service with the Patriarch’s blessing and encouragement.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou
