On Meatfare Saturday, which is also the first Saturday of Souls (14 February 2026), the observance began on the preceding evening, Friday, 13 February 2026, with Vespers at the Monastic and Patriarchal Church of Saints Constantine and Helen. The service was presided over by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and concelebrated by the Fathers of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood.
During the service, the Memorial Canon was chanted for the repose of the ever-memorable Patriarchs of Jerusalem and of all members of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood—Hierarchs, Priests, Hieromonks, Deacons, Monks, and Nuns. Their names were likewise commemorated at the Divine Liturgy in the morning and at the Memorial Servic,e which was served at its conclusion by His Beatitude.
For the souls of the departed Fathers of the Holy Sepulchre and the members of the Greek community of Jerusalem, as well as of the Arabic-speaking Greek Orthodox community of the Cathedral Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the chapel of the Cemetery of Holy Sion. It was presided over by the Patriarchal Commissioner, His Eminence Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias, with Fr George and Fr Nektarios. The choir of the Patriarchal School chanted in Greek, and the choir of Saint James, under Mr Rimon Kamar, chanted in Arabic, while the faithful submitted the names of their departed relatives for commemoration.
