Metropolitan Alexandros of Nigeria celebrated on Sunday’s Divine Liturgy at the Holy Church of Saints Athanasius, Nicholas & Photios, a metochion of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa in Kypseli, Athens, which he presided, assisted by the Representative in Athens of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, Metropolitan George of Guinea and a number of priests.
Immediately after the Divine Liturgy, the Vespers of the Holy Mass was celebrated. Many faithful were present, but all the necessary and prescribed measures against the spread of the Coronavirus were observed.
In his homily, the Metropolitan of Nigeria stated:
On the Pentecost, the Church celebrates the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who descended on the threshold of Jerusalem to inaugurate a new salvific period in the history of humanity (Acts 2:1).
His coming was described as “a sound out of heaven as of a violent breath” and His visible presence was as “tongues like fire”, which He “breathed into each of them (the disciples) one by one” (Acts 2:3-4).
His Eminence George offered gifts of love to His official guest and after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, he ordained Christos Vassilopoulos as Reader (the new Right Chanter of the Chapter), who works as nurse of the Intensive Care Unit of the 401 GSNA, and then a reception was held in the precinct of the Monastery of St. Athanasios.
This year marked the 23rd anniversary of the consecration of Metropolitan Alexander of Nigeria as Bishop by the late Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria.
As he states on his personal Facebook account, “On the completion of 23 years of Episcopal ministry to the Orthodox of Nigeria, Benin and Togo, I praise the name of the Lord for His blessings.
I pray for the soul of Blessed Patriarch Peter who ordained me. May the Lord richly bless all those who stand by my side and those who choose to stand opposite. To my brothers and fellow priests, I extend a great thank you and a reminder, “If you have many children in Christ, but not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you” (A Cor 4:18). Together with a promise that I will continue to embrace you ‘in love in the spirit of kindness’ (A Cor. 4:21)