In the Roman Catholic Church of Santa Maria, which was recently granted by the Roman Catholic Church to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Orthodox believers of the Holy Metropolis of Smyrna celebrated the Resurrection of the Lord and Holy Pascha.
The resident Metropolitan, through an informative announcement that was issued, refers in detail to the liturgical program of Holy and Great Lent, which culminated in the Holy Services of Holy Week, the Resurrection, and Pascha.
Read below the announcement:
The members of the Christ-loving flock of the Apostolic and Apocalyptic Holy Metropolis of Smyrna, having accepted the spiritual invitation and challenge of their Shepherd, Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna, in the growing of their physical and spiritual strength, having passed through, as it were, repentance, fasting and prayer, the stadium of Holy and Great Lent, taking part in the rich program of divine services. All the services prescribed according to the typikon of our Holy Church were conducted in the Holy Church of Saint Fotini and were presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Bartholomew, who, during this period, invited Russian-speaking, Ukrainian-speaking, Georgian-speaking, and Romanian-speaking clergy for their healing through the Holy Mystery of Confession for the same-speaking believers and the healing of their other spiritual needs, performing the Divine Liturgy on the occasion (held on Saturdays or the Liturgy of the presanctified gifts) in their native language.
The Holy Services of Holy and Great Week were also performed as per common practice, whose hymnological richness was rendered perfectly and excellently by the Honourable Mr. Sotirios Tsepidis and Mr. Ioannis Takakis, now being permanent collaborators of the Holy Metropolis in the ministry of the Holy Chanting Stands during the great feast days of our Faith.
The participation of the faithful people in the Holy Services of these Holy Days, especially of the Resurrection and Holy Pascha, was universal. During these great days, the faithful overflowed the now-granted Roman Catholic Church of Santa Maria, to the Holy Metropolis of Smyrna, where for the first time Holy Services were performed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Church will be handed over to the regular use of the Holy Metropolis of Smyrna from 1 May 2023, and the start of its regular operation will be announced shortly.
