On Saturday morning, June 1, 2024, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia visited Oslo, where he first met with the Board of Directors of the Association of Parents and Guardians of the Greek School (TEG).
Present at the meeting were members of the Ecclesiastical Council of the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Oslo, including Kyriaki Papadopoulou Samuelsen, Michalis Bikoulis, Anastasia Golfi, Maisi Bäckman, and Theocharis Yfantidis. Representing the Greek School were Dr. Nikolaos Gavriilidis (President), Dr. Elias Zilakos (Vice-President), and Mrs. Chara Markomanolaki (Secretary).
The school representatives informed the Archbishop that the school currently has 108 students, with an anticipated increase to 130 in the coming school year. The school, which began operations officially in 1983, had an earlier attempt at establishment in 1973 by a seminary teacher from Greece, which lasted only six months. Students at the school participate in Greek language examinations, with 15 students recently taking exams across the first five of the six European levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1.
Regarding the local Church’s support for the school, the Archbishop emphasized that the facilities of the Metropolitan Church of Oslo are always available for the school’s use. He expressed his desire to visit the school again and invited the students, teachers, and parents to visit the church for events and celebrations. It was noted that the school comprises 50% mixed families, some of which include children who are not Christian Orthodox.
The meeting concluded with a commitment for the School and Church to exchange proposals for closer cooperation and to co-organize events of common interest. This was followed by a meeting of the parish’s Ecclesiastical Council, chaired by the Metropolitan, where they discussed the progress of the parish and plans for in-depth restoration of the church’s reception hall.
The following morning, Sunday, June 2, the Metropolitan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Church of Oslo, with Deacon Dr. Volodymyr Pozhydayev. The service was broadcast live on the Facebook pages of the parish and the Holy Metropolis of Sweden.
Afterwards, the Metropolitan presented the Ecclesiastical Council with his recently published study, “The Missionary Ministry of Archimandrite Eusebius Vittis in Scandinavia 1965-1980,” thanking them for their support during his research in the parish’s historical archive. The hymns during the service were performed in Greek, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Slavonic, Swedish, and English by the clergy, Mr. Panagiotis Katsivalis (Protopsaltis of the church), and members of the church’s Byzantine choir.
A reception followed in an adjacent hall, where the Metropolitan extended his hospitality to the attendees. Later, he performed Holy Sacraments at the Metropolitan Church and, in the afternoon, returned to his headquarters in Stockholm. He committed to making his next pastoral visit to Oslo on July 13 and 14, marking his 27th visit.
Photos: Michail Bikoulis
