The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos was celebrated at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Smyrna with great reverence. This marked the first time the Orthodox Church was granted permission to celebrate the annual feast. Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia presided over the services and delivered a vibrant homily on the significance of the feast. The local Orthodox community also achieved a historic milestone by acquiring a church that now serves the multinational flock in modern Smyrna.
Special prayers were offered during the Artoklasia for the health and strength of the community’s Shepherd, clergy, and faithful of the Church of Smyrna.
Archbishop Ignatios led the Hierarchical Co-liturgy at the Metropolitan Church on Sunday, August 18, with Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna co-celebrating. Metropolitan Bartholomew expressed gratitude to Archbishop Ignatios for assigning Fr. Joel Podaropoulos to serve the Orthodox faithful in the region. He praised Archbishop Ignatios for his ecclesiastical vision and stressed the importance of unity.
Archbishop Ignatios spoke about the significance of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos and highlighted the strong ties between the Metropolises of Demetrias and Smyrna. He emphasized the collaborative spirit between the two Metropolises and the importance of working together to serve the Orthodox Church as a unified body.
Following the Divine Liturgy, a Trisagion was held in memory of the late Protopresbyter Marinos Georgakopoulos, father of Metropolitan Ignatios, on the fifteenth anniversary of his passing.
Source: greek.vema.com.au / Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
