The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Service of the Paraklesis Canon at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Neochori of the Bosphorus on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
At the conclusion of the service, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia, Supervisor of the Bosphorus District, warmly welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch. The Patriarch expressed to the Metropolitan and to the Administrative Committee of the Community his satisfaction and appreciation for the work being carried out within the Community.
In his response, the Patriarch spoke particularly about the person of the Most Holy Theotokos, noting, among other things:
“In the Orthodox world, ‘salvation as joy’ and ‘the joy of salvation’ are experienced above all through reference to the ‘cause of joy,’ the ‘joy of the world,’ the Most Holy Theotokos. In our Holy Churches throughout the world, the icon of the Mother of God occupies the foremost place on the iconostasis, to the left of the Beautiful Gate. Here as well, the honor shown to the Theotokos serves as an expression and symbol of the unity of the Orthodox Church.
In the person of the Virgin Mary, the mystery of divine philanthropy is revealed: the love of God for humanity, which surpasses every word and understanding, and the pure faith of humankind toward the Lord of glory, the unwavering certainty that ‘the things which are impossible with men are possible with God’ (Luke 18:27). The Theotokos also represents and reveals the ‘mystery of silence.’ ‘Rejoice, you who gave birth ineffably to the Light; rejoice, you who taught no one how.’ As our late elder, Metropolitan Meliton of Chalcedon, used to say, the Virgin Mary is ‘the personification of silence.’
‘What is the life of the Mother of God? An endless and profound silence. The Virgin Mary spoke very little. The Evangelists preserved only a few of her words for us, and most of these were spoken before Christ was born. Afterwards, everything sinks into a great silence. And how could it have been otherwise? The Virgin Mary spoke the incarnate Word, the one and only Word, the “Word in the beginning” who was with God and was God. What, after Him? What beyond Him? What more than Him could she possibly have said? What else, except silence?’ (Chalkedonia, p. 450).
The ‘silent Virgin Mary’ sends forth the salvific message of ‘holy silence,’ the ‘silence of holiness,’ and the ‘silence of love,’ a message so relevant in our times, in the ‘age of many words.’
Orthodox theology understands the life of the Mother of God as the revelation of the true meaning of freedom. The word freedom characterizes the vital center of human existence. Directly connected with the way we understand and exercise our freedom are our dignity, our moral character, our witness, our happiness, and our misery. Our Panagia teaches us that true freedom is not the ‘No,’ but the ‘Yes’ to God. Freedom means humility and submission to the will of God—a stance that is not imposed by Him, but flows freely from the depths of our soul. Clearly, freedom is not whatever constitutes our own individual desire and choice. Indeed, enslavement to our own personal will is often described as the harshest form of bondage.
All of this constitutes an invitation and a positive challenge for us to understand the depth and spirit of these days of the Dormition Fast. Let us ask the Most Holy Theotokos to intercede with her Son and God, that He may strengthen our struggle for liberation from our ‘beloved ego’ and grant us the strength to become ‘co-workers with God’ on the journey of His people toward the Last Things.
The strength of the Church is spiritual. Today, the Holy Great Church of Christ, in the face of the uncertainty of human affairs, the providentialism of economic power and technology, and the idols of isolated self-realization, lives and proclaims the freedom in Christ that is doxological, eucharistic, and filled with love. It distinguishes the Good from mere goods, the One Thing ‘which is needful’ from the many things over which people are troubled, to contribute to the transformation of the world and keep open the gate of heaven.”
At the conclusion of his address, the Ecumenical Patriarch declared the opening of the Community’s cultural events entitled “Theotokos 2026.”
“To the spiritual joy of the Paraklesis to our Panagia is added today the joy of the beginning of this year’s Theotokeia, which, since 2019, have formed the core of the spiritual and cultural parallel events accompanying the annual feast of our Church. Congratulating all those who, from the beginning until today, have participated in the organization of the Theotokeia, which have now become an institution for the Greek community, we proclaim the opening of Theotokeia 2026 and wish every success to all the events, beginning with the presentation of the book ‘Zacharias Chanentes of Neochori.’”
Afterwards, in the courtyard of the Church, in the presence of the Patriarch, the first event of the 8th Theotokeia festival took place. A greeting was delivered by the President of the Church’s Administrative Committee, Mr. Nikolaos Kalamaris, who, together with its member Ms. Yvonne Vigka, referred to this year’s cultural events. This was followed by presentations by Mr. Nikolaos Papageorgiou, First Cantor of the Church, and Mr. Harun Korkmaz, University Professor.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou
