Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who returned to his hometown of Imbros on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, to celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, presided over the Great Vespers at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Schinoudi that afternoon.
The Ecumenical Patriarch, addressing the congregation, expressed his deep joy and emotion at being among his fellow compatriots to jointly honor the Virgin Mary.
He then spoke about the patron saint of Pontus, Panagia Soumela, mentioning that he has had the honor of performing the Divine Liturgy at her Monastery ten times since 2010.
He expressed particular emotion when recounting the story of the transfer of the icon of the Virgin Mary and other sacred relics to Greece in 1931 by Fr. Amvrosios Soumeliotis. These relics had been carefully hidden by the Monks near the Soumela Monastery when they were forced to abandon it during the population exchange.
In concluding his speech, he offered heartfelt wishes that the Virgin Mary would watch over everyone and that peace would prevail in our war-torn world, particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Maximos Charakopoulos, a Member of the Greek Parliament and Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), along with several Schinoudiotes and other residents of the island, were also in attendance at the service.
At noon, the Ecumenical Patriarch arrived at the island’s port, where he was warmly welcomed by Metropolitans Kyrillos of Moschonisia, Chrysostomos of Myra, and Kyrillos of Imbros and Tenedos, along with Bishop Parthenios of Antania, the Abbot of the Bigorski Monastery, accompanied by members of his Brotherhood. Also present were members of the female brotherhoods of the Ohrid Archdiocese, Archons Offikalioi of the Great Church of Christ, and many of his compatriots, including numerous young children and youth who greeted him with bouquets. Immediately afterward, the Ecumenical Patriarch proceeded to the Metropolitan Church of the Virgin Mary, where he blessed the clergy and the faithful. With deep emotion, he responded to the warm welcome extended by the Shepherd.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou
