The Procession of the icon of the Theotokos from Gethsemane to the Patriarchate took place on September 5th, 2024.
The day began with a Divine Liturgy at the Theotokos’ Tomb, followed by the Procession.
Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, the Hegoumen of the Shrine, carried the Icon of the Dormition at the forefront of the Procession, which included nuns, monks, the Byzantine choir, Hierodeacons, and Priests. They were accompanied by a crowd of faithful singing hymns of the Dormition.
The Procession passed by the Shrines of Saint Stephen, Saint Anna, Saint Nicodemus, Praetorium, Saint Charalambos, and Sayda Naya, with prayers and special reverence at the Christian Quarter.
Upon reaching the Patriarchate, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, along with the Holy Sepulchre Fathers, and other dignitaries, venerated the Holy Icon. The veneration concluded with the Polychronion of His Beatitude.
The Procession made its way to the Courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the Fathers of the Church venerated the Icon, offering prayers before finally placing it in the chapel at the Metochion of Gethsemane for safekeeping until the following year.
Afterwards, Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis hosted a reception at the rectory to thank the Priests and all those involved in the successful execution of the Procession.
