The Forefeast of Epiphany was celebrated at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem on Saturday, 18 January 2025.
In the morning, Patriarch Theophilos III presided over the Matins service and Divine Liturgy at the central monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen.
Following the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude performed the Blessing of the Waters for the Eve of Theophany, surrounded by members of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre.
After the blessing of the water, a procession moved to the Patriarchal Hall, blessed by Archimandrite Stephanos.
Representatives from the Cathedral of St. James the Brother of the Lord then arrived to bless the Patriarchal Hall, after conducting their own Divine Liturgy and Blessing of the Waters.
His Beatitude proceeded to Jericho, passing by the Monastery of the Prophet Elisha and the office of the Governor of the Palestinian Authority, where greetings and gifts were exchanged.
Arriving at the Monastery of the Holy Forerunner and Baptist John, His Beatitude was warmly received by the Hegumen, Archimandrite Bartholomew.
A procession towards the Jordan River took place, where His Beatitude blessed the waters from a platform.
Afterward, he made his way down to the banks of the Jordan River, where he offered blessings to the waters. A group from the Archdiocese of Amman stood on the eastern bank, chanting the hymn “When You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord.”
Following the blessing, His Beatitude went up to the Monastery of the Holy Forerunner. There, the Hegumen and renovator, Archimandrite Bartholomew, hosted a lavish fasting feast in celebration of the occasion.
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