A Christmas celebration organized by the Catechetical Ministry of the Holy Metropolis of Derkoi was held with great success on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in the packed Community Hall of the Church of Saint George in Makrochori, in the distinguished presence of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The children of the Catechetical Ministry presented a theatrical performance entitled “Like at Christmas”, highlighting the contrast between today’s world of mobile phones and the true meaning of the Feast of the Nativity of the God-Man.
This was followed by the children, young people, and members of the Women’s Choir of the Holy Metropolis of Derkoi “Dafnes”, who sang traditional Christmas carols from various regions of Greece, including Thrace, the Peloponnese, Crete, Ikaria, and Chios, as well as Pontic carols, the so-called “Byzantine carols”, and carols of the Feast of Theophany.
During the celebration, traditional Christmas sweets, mulled wine, and hot chocolate were lovingly offered to all those present by the Philoptochos Brotherhood of Makrochori and the parents of the children.
Among those attending the event were, as mentioned above, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew; Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi; Metropolitan Maximos of Selyvria and Metropolitan Ioakeim of Bursa; the Mayor of Makrochori and physician Ayşegül Ovalıoğlu; the Director of Culture of the Municipality of Makrochori Mithat Yolcu; clergy from Constantinople and abroad; the Director of the Historical Archive of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Dr. Antonios Chatzopoulos; as well as a group of faithful from Ankara and Greece.
The celebration concluded with an address by the Elder Metropolitan of Derkoi, Apostolos, who, with deep emotion, thanked the children and their parents for their cooperation in all the activities of the Holy Metropolis of Derkoi.
He also expressed his gratitude to the catechists, Deacon Daniel Zafeiris and Efstathia Mania, for their valuable contribution to this beautiful work, as well as to those who assisted in the organization of the celebration: the President of the Baloukli Hospitals and President of the Community of Saint Stephen, Konstantinos Ioannidis; the Vice-President of the Community Council of Makrochori, Christos Pestemaltzioglou; member of the same Council Ms. Christina Dizoglou; and the entire Philoptochos Brotherhood of Makrochori.
At the conclusion of the event, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Mayor of Makrochori Ayşegül Ovalıoğlu, and the Elder Metropolitan of Derkoi Apostolos distributed gifts to all those present, following a commemorative photograph.
