From the morning of Ash Monday, 3rd March 2025, to Ash Wednesday, 5th March 2025, the services of Matins with the Hours in the morning and the service of the Great Compline in the evening were held. On the morning of Ash Wednesday, the service of Matins was followed by the Divine Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts, presided over by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem with the participation of the Holy Sepulchre Fathers, bishops, priests, monks, nuns, and pilgrims, along with Professor Yagos.
The first Divine Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts for the Holy and Great Lent was also celebrated on the Horrendous Golgotha on the morning of Ash Wednesday, led by the Elder Sacristan, Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis, with the co-celebration of the priests of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, under the chanting of the chief cantor, Deacon Eustathios Tsoumanis, and the participation of a devout congregation consisting of monks, nuns, and pious pilgrims. Among the pilgrims were, Her Excellency the Minister of Culture of the Hellenic Republic, Ms. Lina Mendoni, accompanied by her staff and the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos.
Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis and Elder Sacristan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre guided Her Excellency the Minister and her delegation on a tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the nearby sacred sites. After the tour, a small fasting refreshment was offered to them in the office of the Church.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem
