On the morning of Sunday, February 2nd, 2025, the Feast of the Ypapanti/ Christ’s Presentation into the Temple, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia presided over the Divine Liturgy in Chorostasia, at the St. George Cathedral of Stockholm.
Cocelebtants were the parish priest, Very Reverend Archimandrite Bartholomew Iatridis, and the Reverend Economos George Arvanitidis, Parish Priest of the Saints Demetrios and Nestor Parish in Örebro, Sweden.
During the Divine Liturgy, before the distribution of Holy Communion to the faithful, as has become a tradition during his episcopacy tenure, the Metropolitan invited the children to come up to the solea, in front of Holy Altar, where he briefly explained the meaning of the feast day. He then drew their attention to the Holy Sacrament of Chrismation, which is essentially the “Ypapanti”—the reception of a new member into the Body of Christ.
The individual being received into the Orthodox Church today hails from Uganda. He is the fruit of the meetings of the St. George Cathedral of Stockholm Youth Ministry, where the youth and those interested in the Orthodox faith are catechized and prepared to be integrated into the Church, either through Baptism or Chrismation, as applicable.
This young man was given the name Mark. He recited the Nicene Creed and the other required prayers as part of the Holy Sacrament, and after being anointed with Holy Myrrh, he received a pectoral cross as a gift from the parish and a beautiful icon of his patron saint Evangelist Mark from his sponsor Dr. Ioannis Rigopoulos.
In his address to the congregation, His Eminence first thanked Fr. Bartholomew for accompaning him during his pastoral visit to the Örebro Parish the day before. He then congratulated Fr. George for his dedicated priestly ministry in the Örebro Parish and for the abrahamic hospitality extended there. His Eminence also explained the significance of the words in the dismissal of the day’s feast: “He who deigned to be held in the arms of the Righteous Simeon for our salvation.”
Praising the name of the Trinitarian God, who blesses the ongoing missionary ministry of the Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Northern Lands, we pray that many more of our brothers and sisters will receive the enlightenment of the Gospel and will be welcomed into the embrace of the Orthodox Church, with missionary zeal and dedication!
