On the night of Holy Saturday, 19th April 2025, at 11:00 p.m., the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, led by Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, descended from the Patriarchate to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
There, in the Catholicon, the Canon of Pascha was chanted until the Patriarch, the Hierarchs, Priests, and Deacons vested in their Paschal vestments.
Following this, a litany circled the Holy Sepulchre three times.
After the litany, His Beatitude read the Gospel of the Resurrection before the Holy Tomb, followed by the chanting of “Christ is Risen” by His Beatitude, the Hierarchs, the clergy, and the faithful. The joyful acclamations of the faithful then resounded in many tongues—Greek, Russian, Arabic, Romanian, Serbian, and others—each according to their native language.
After this, the Paschal Matins began with the chanting of the Resurrection Canon “This is the Day of Resurrection; let us be radiant, O people” by Saint John of Damascus.
At the end of Matins, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated within the Holy Edicule, presided over by His Beatitude and concelebrated by the Most Reverend Hierarchs: Metropolitan Isychios of Capitolias and Metropolitan Makarios of Ainea (of the Ecumenical Patriarchate), along with Their Eminences: Archbishop Theophanes of Gerash, Aristarchos of Constantina, Methodios of Tabor, Nektarios of Anthedon, and Philoumenos of Pella. Also concelebrating were hieromonks of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood, led by Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nektarios, Archdeacon Mark, other Hierodeacons, and a host of visiting clergy from various Orthodox countries.
Present at the service were Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, and Mr Petros Anagnostaras, Consul. The chanting was led by the lead cantor of the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection, Deacon Eustathios, assisted by novice students of the Patriarchal School of Sion, with a densely packed congregation of many nationalities but one Orthodox faith.
Before the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Paschal Message of His Beatitude was read by the Hegumen of the Holy Monastery of the Precious Cross and Secretary to the Chief Secretary, Archimandrite Christodoulos. Then, the Paschal Catechetical Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom, “If anyone is devout and loves God…” was read by His Beatitude.
Following Holy Communion, which the faithful received with Paschal joy, the Dismissal took place, and the procession returned to the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, where in its reception hall, a Paschal treat was offered along with the blessings of His Beatitude.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem
