On Leaving Church Early On Pascha After "Christ is Risen!"

By Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras

As we approach Holy Pascha and are preparing to venerate the Honorable Passion of our Savior Jesus Christ and glorify His Resurrection from the dead, many thoughts flood my mind and many emotions flood my heart.

It would take too much space and time to explain what I feel as an Archpriest all that shakes my inner world. I believe that all people's feelings, on these holy days, are comparable to mine.

Our Lord is lifted up on the Cross and offers His Most-Holy Blood; He descends to Hades and is resurrected on the third day to give us new life and make us heirs of His eternal Kingdom.

"We praise His Passion, hymn His Burial, and for His Resurrection cry out: Lord, glory to Thee."

I am moved by the participation of the People in our Sacred Worship Services, and rejoice because Greeks have deeply rooted in their souls faith in God and devotion to the Church and His Resurrection.

But our joy, unfortunately, is tempered, or rather, it is overshadowed when I think of the way we celebrate Holy Pascha. I will only refer to one issue. Thousands of faithful flock to the sacred temples around them during the ceremony of the Resurrection and are expecting with joy and jubilation to receive the Holy Light.

Creation is illuminated by the unwaning Light of the Risen One, and angels with men celebrate chanting triumphant hymns to the lightbearing Resurrection of the Lord. "Let us celebrate the death of death, the destruction of Hades, the never-ending beginning of another life."

And while all are glad, many (perhaps most) of the participants in the ceremony of the Resurrection, as if by magic they are seized by the evil one, and they avert their faces from the Risen One and rush to leave the heavenly and earthly feast together; the Gathering of heaven and earth is in a hurry to leave the Lord, Who is sacrificed on the Horrific Altar and is offered as drink to the faithful, finding it more worth while to reach the same or other villages (in the homes) for the enjoyment of worldly joy and physical tables.

In no other case do I feel so sad, but at that time. It is a very great sorrow, when we chant the verse, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee from Him", knowing that people are fleeing, they are scattering, whoever was previously glorifying the Risen One.

Mentally at that moment I see and hear our Lord asking, while showing the marks of the nails, the question which He asked His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemene: "Could you not keep watch with Me for one hour?"

My children, He says, why are you leaving? Are you that tired? Could you not take any more shedding of heavenly light? Are you hungry perhaps?

My children, why do you forsake Me? My people, what have I concocted against you and why do you reciprocate? Instead of My love, you give Me oblivion! Instead of My sacrifice, you give Me denial! Instead of My descending into Hades to lift you to heaven, you give Me ingratitude! Instead of accepting the invitation to the Eucharistic Resurrection Supper, you give Me ungratefulness!

My people, why do you exchange heaven with dirt, the eternal with the transitory, the immortal food with temporary eating, the joy of the Reign of God with false worldly fun?

My people, why do you extinguish the light of the Resurrection and run to illuminate the darkness of your soul with the false lights of this vain world?

How will we answer our Lord to these questions of His? No human logic can interpret this fact. We try to analyze this phenomenon and explore its essence.

It is strange to listen to and a horrible spectacle. It is unfortunate this has occurred in recent decades and is the result of ignorance of the depth of the feast and its Mystery, of the Resurrection, and salvation.

It is a product of secularization that has plagued our lives and our society.

It results from the influence of the devil, who rejoices with this attitude of the people.

In conclusion, the departure of people from the holy church before the Liturgy of the Resurrection is a great sin and betrays frivolity in relation to matters of faith. All the struggles one has undergone until Pascha, prove futile.

Some have an excuse ready: "Not everyone will fit in the church, we will be outside. What should we do then? We will leave, I can't endure it."

To this question - it is an excuse rather - I answer: The Grace of the Resurrection of the Risen One fills everything and the light of the Resurrection encompasses both inside and outside the holy temple and illumines the faces of the children of the Resurrection. "Now all things are filled with light: heaven and earth, and the nethermost regions."

And furthermore...

The Lord became man, humbled Himself, was punched, wore a crown of thorns for us, was spat upon, whipped, ascended Golgotha carrying the Cross on His shoulder, given bile and vinegar to drink, was lifted onto the Cross, and descended into Hades. He rose from the dead to raise fallen man. All these things we have forgotten and we leave...because we are burdened?

I would like to talk to you about two shocking experiences that I have lived with people of faith, who waited for hours to express to God their feelings.

I will limit it to two of them:

- When serving as the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, I accompanied Archbishop Christodoulos for a peaceful visit to the Church of Poland. There, we liturgized in the Monastery "Grabarka" during the feast of the Holy Transfiguration. Thousands of people had flooded the hill of the Monastery. During Holy Communion rain broke out.

My thinking was that people would scatter. But nobody left the Fearful Mystagogy, but with patience remained in the rain, to commune the Pure Mysteries, receiving the All-Holy Body and Precious Blood of the Lord. Nuns were holding umbrellas, not to protect the priests, but the Holy Chalice.

- The second shocking experience was in Bucharest, Romania last October, where we carried the Holy Apostle Andrew's Skull for a blessing and sanctification of the Romanian people.

Thousands of Romanians waited almost twelve hours day and night, in terrible cold, to await their turn to venerate the Holy Skull. They had a splendid serenity on their faces and their eyes seemed to be of sweet anticipation for the meeting with the Saint.

My brethren, it is time to change our attitude regarding certain issues that are vital for us. The center of the life of our Church is the Resurrection and the Resurrectional Supper, the Resurrectional Table.

The celebration of Pascha should not be external, but should be a matter for the inner man.

Untiring should be our ability to return back to the Kingdom of God, and let it not be a secular opportunity for turbulence and a luxurious life.

I believe that this Pascha we will change our attitude, and we will want to stay for the Supper of the Kingdom, listening to the golden-worded panegyric of Saint John Chrysostom crying festively:

"Are there any who are devout lovers of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!"

And having acquired the experience of being drunk at the immortal table of the Resurrection, let us depart for the goods of the other table in our homes, which will have the fragrance of the Resurrection, and as gifts of God will give us pleasure and material enjoyment, since man is a psycho-somatic entity, and as a mixed pilgrim, according to Sacred Gregory the Theologian, we will be sanctified by the Church of the Resurrection.

My brethren, do not leave from the church on Pascha before the Divine Liturgy. Do not forsake the Lord. Do not commit this great sin.

A Good Resurrection to you.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Greek Bombs Trouble Tarpon Springs On Easter

An inert Greek bomb, shown at actual size, is on display in the Tarpon Springs Heritage Center at Craig Park.

Jeff Klinkenberg
April 8, 2012
Tampa Bay Times

Nobody knows what will happen when Orthodox Greeks celebrate Easter next Sunday. Perhaps the holiday will be joyous with loved ones gathered to glorify the Resurrection with a feast of lamb. But perhaps, and this is what causes certain folks some sleepless nights, it might turn out to be another Greek-bomb Easter.

When the clock tolls midnight on Easter morning, homemade bombs sometimes explode along the Dodecanese Boulevard riverfront. Explosions shake buildings and break windows on Athens Street. Back in the neighborhoods, teenage boys toss bombs and run from the cops. It's a rite of passage that happens to be a felony.

But really, nobody ever knows what will happen until it happens in Tarpon Springs, population 25,000. This year, police hope, nothing louder than the cries of the yellow-crowned night herons will be heard down by the famous sponge docks. That will mean rambunctious teenagers have heeded the annual request of Father Michael Eaccarino, the pastor of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, to light candles instead of bomb fuses.

Bomb explosions during Easter season have been part of the Tarpon soundtrack for generations. It's a custom that goes back to where so many of the town's 3,000 Greek-American residents trace their roots: the islands of Kalymnos, Symi and Halki in the Aegean Sea. There, high-spirted Easter celebrants fling dynamite from mountain cliffs and occasionally blow themselves up in the process.

In Tarpon Springs an Easter bomb is typically made from shredded newspaper, twine, duct tape and powder purchased in a gun shop. There's more to it, of course. Just know the creation produces an impressive explosion. Even so, the ear blast is never enough for the most competitive bombmakers. Cpl. Scott Brockew, a Tarpon Springs police detective and Pinellas County's only bomb technician, once confiscated a homemade explosive about the size of a watermelon.

"Somebody was driving around with it in the trunk of his car,'' he said recently. "It contained 12 pounds of black powder. We took it to a remote spot and exploded it. From 300 yards away you felt the concussion in your chest. It left a 4-foot crater in the ground. Can you imagine if it went off in a crowd?''

• • •

Tarpon Springs, which became a Greek enclave in 1905, is one of Florida's great tourist towns. On Epiphany every January, visitors head for the bayou to watch Greek youths dive for a cross thrown by the bishop. Visitors throughout the year fill bags with gift-shop sponges and eat spanakopita, dolmades and baklava at lunch.

Some might argue that Easter bombs are as much a part of Greek culture as bouzouki music. Others, mostly people in law enforcement, would say that the occasional explosion in the downtown shopping district stopped being a quaint but noisy custom sometime after Sept. 11.

"It's a collision of folk customs with the American legal system,'' says Tina Bucuvalas, a Tarpon Springs folklorist who has sometimes been awakened by distant explosions early Easter morning. She never stops trying to understand the tradition of Easter bombs.

"Don't even call them bombs,'' an elderly Greek man explained to her recently in a casual conversation on the sponge docks. "Bombs are what al-Qaida makes in Afghanistan and Iraq. People here make their own firecrackers. You should call them firecrackers.''

He did not reveal his name, of course, another custom when the subject of Easter bombs arises.

"Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks,'' he went on. "In Tarpon Springs, we celebrate the fact that Christ has risen from the dead with our own fireworks. It's the happiest day of the year.''

No kid, he grew up in Kalymnos and remembered stealing dynamite and building bombs with the powder as a teen. He carried his bombs to the mountaintop overlooking town, waited for midnight, ignited the fuse and heaved with all his strength. The explosion turned night into day, shook the mountain, shook the town below.

"My father was in church at the time,'' the retired gray-haired bomber told Bucuvalas. "He later told me that my bomb was so loud it made the old women weep.''

By tradition he passed on his Easter bombmaking skills to his American-born son. The son, now married with his own children, tells people the custom will end with him.

• • •

Male Floridians with more than a few wrinkles often think fondly about youthful adventures that may have included family summer trips through the Deep South where dangerous fireworks were legally sold — even to 12-year-old boys.

Back in Florida, the boys exploded their Cherry Bombs, M-80s and Ash Cans in back yards and parking lots without killing themselves, though everybody claimed to have heard of someone who had lost a finger or two. In 1966, the federal government outlawed the sale of the most dangerous explosives.

In Greece, Easter bombers accidentally kill themselves or innocent bystanders every spring. It has yet to happen in Tarpon, though not for lack of trying.

During the 1988 Easter season, a 20-year-old man waited too long to throw a bomb on Hope Street. The explosion broke his arm.

In 1991, police arrested a 14-year-old boy in possession of a 1-pound bomb.

In 1994, an 18-year-old was arrested for having a bomb. He wore a T-shirt showing a picture of three dead police officers sprawled at the feet of a man who was wearing a rat's head. "Dirty Rats,'' said the caption on the shirt. "Justice Is Served.''

Easter, 1996: A teenager was stopped driving on Dodecanese Boulevard because his passenger, a small child, wasn't properly restrained. The driver was arrested after two bombs were discovered inside his car. Later that night, police found a bag containing seven bombs on the sponge docks.

In 1997, a powerful bomb rocked Athens Street and did $3,000 damage to the National Bakery and the Greek Coffee Shop. The following Easter a bomb went off in the alley behind the famous Zorba's Greek Taverna. The front window shattered, whiskey bottles flew off the shelves and a $1,500 neon sign had to be replaced.

In 2000, after an enormous blast broke 13 windows along Athens Street, police arrested two 18-year-old boys. That Easter another bomb shattered the window at Paul's Shrimp House on Live Oak Street. On Athens Street, a bomb blew the bumper off a parked car and damaged the radiator.

In 2010, during the Easter Eve church service at St. Nicholas Cathedral on Pinellas Avenue, an illicit fireworks show, triggered by a remote control device, began on the roof of the 70-year-old structure and went on for 11 minutes.

Last Easter, fearing the worst, Tarpon Springs police Chief Bob Kochen requested helicopter help from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Hovering over the cathedral, the pilot saw a suspicious package on top of the church kindergarten. It turned out to be a box containing a remote control device apparently intended to set off another fireworks show.

On the Greek orthodox religion's holiest night, the police chief ordered the church, filled with about a thousand worshipers, evacuated. Then, to the chagrin of many in the congregation, the Tampa Bay Regional Bomb Squad filed through the empty church with specially trained dogs.

The dogs sniffed out no bombs and worshipers returned to their pews. From the church courtyard, police heard the sporadic explosions of Easter bombs in the distance.

• • •

Detective Scott Brockew was born on the Fourth of July. "For years,'' he tells people, "I thought all those fireworks were meant for me.''

He's 43 now and has done police work since he was 19. One hat he wears in Tarpon Springs is "bomb specialist.'' "Nobody in law enforcement in other parts of the country can believe what we face here,'' he tells people.

Tarpon Springs has 49 police officers who know never to ask for a day off during Greek Easter. Every available patrolman is on the street, on foot or in their vehicle, watching and listening.

"It's a cat and mouse game,'' Brockew said recently. Some mice build bombs with long fuses. When the bomb explodes and the cats arrive, the mice are blocks away. Other mice ignite commercially purchased smoke bombs, toss their powerful Greek bombs and escape in the mist.

"I hate to even talk about this,'' Brockew said. "I don't like to give them publicity.''

Officer Barbara Templeton spent her first Greek Easter 25 years ago in a squad car. "Somebody rolled a bomb under me,'' she said. "When it went off it was so loud I thought I'd lost my hearing.'' Her boss sent her to the emergency room.

"At the time I was one of the few women on the force,'' said Templeton, now a captain. "My first Easter and I had to go to the hospital. It was embarrassing.''

The police have their customs, too. Every spring for at least a half century, the police chief has written a letter to the pastor of St. Nicholas asking for help keeping the city quiet. On March 15, Kochen sent his annual message to Father Michael and the Parish Council.

"In the interest of safety,'' the police chief wrote, "I am respectfully asking that the Parish Council partner with the police department to openly denounce the use of fireworks and homemade bombs . . ."

• • •

Devout Greek Orthodox Christians in Tarpon Springs shun meat and alcohol during Lent. So determined are they to honor their savior's sacrifice that they avoid dairy products, cooking oil and even sex. Father Michael, the pastor at St. Nicholas, is their leader. He's 62, tall, with gray hair. He was born in New York and raised in Miami. As a boy he threw a firecracker or two into a lake just to see what would happen. What happened was a big explosion and dead fish.

After college he ran a bike shop and still keeps his Bianchi at the rectory, though he never seems to find time for a ride. He was ordained in 1991 and served in South Florida, Washington and Denver. In 2006 he came to St. Nicholas, one of Florida's most beautiful churches, and heard about the Easter-bomb tradition. He had never heard of such a thing, at least in the United States.

At first he embraced the tradition. "Bang! It's a big celebration. Christ has tramped down death," he says. "It's a wonderful moment.''

He had second thoughts after hearing about midnight bombs that left craters, blew off car bumpers and broke arms. At a church service three years ago he held a baby above the congregation and asked, "What are we going to do if a bomb goes off nearby and harms this child?''

It turned out to be a relatively quiet Easter. But a year or so later an altar boy — an altar boy! — was arrested for having a bomb. In 2010 there was that unauthorized fireworks show that originated on the roof of a church building, which he did not approve of. He's all for avoiding a repeat of last year's police search of the church.

"We intend to cooperate with the police,'' Father Michael said. "But we want to express ourselves according to the old customs.''

Father Michael has a solution that he hopes will make everyone happy — the traditionalists and the safety conscious, too.

The Easter Eve service will go on as always. During the liturgy, all lights will be extinguished in church, except for one, on the altar, a lit candle.

Bishop Nikitas Lulias, who grew up in Tarpon Springs but now lives in Turkey, will be officiating with Father Michael's assistance. Bishop Nikitas will approach the lit candle and light his own. With that candle he will light the candle of someone else, who will light a candle of still another worshiper. Eventually the church will be lit by a thousand candles.

Then everyone and their candles will follow Bishop Nikitas and Father Michael outside to the courtyard.

"Christos anesti!'' the bishop will proclaim. "Christ is risen!''

And everyone in the courtyard will answer "Alithos anesti! He is risen indeed!''

And then, if everything works out, if they can raise $5,000 and all the permits are in place, a 10-minute fireworks show organized by the church will erupt. It will be a noisy manifestation of the congregation's overwhelming joy. And no one will get hurt.

And if the fireworks don't happen, well, it'll still be Easter and on that holiest of nights, Father Michael will try not to listen for explosions in the distance.

Read also: Tarpon Springs Explosion Rocks Greek Religious Celebration

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A Unique Epitaphio in Ouranoupoli

In Ouranoupoli the women have a unique way of decorating the Epitaphio - with thousands of pearls and flowers.

Preparations began a month ago when women gathered more than 70,000 pearls and 30,000 flowers to make their Epitaphio into a real jewel.

This is a tradition in Ouranoupolis that goes back ten years and attracts thousands of visitors in the peninusula area.

Each year the women choose a Byzantine pattern, usually taken from Mount Athos, then they decide on the colors, order the flowers and pearls, and then both old and young participate in the decorating.

On Good Friday evening everyone then takes part in the procession with the Epitaphio through the streets of the village.

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82-year-old German Woman Converts To Orthodoxy in Agrinio

Areti Kotseli
April 12, 2012
Greek Reporter

An old German woman, resident of Agrinio, converted to Christian Orthodoxy on Palm Sunday at St. George’s Church. The old woman, who lives in the Nursing House of Agrinio, expressed her wish to become Christian Orthodox.

Sofia Seilbord lived in Agrinio for 42 years and was married to a local man who passed away many years before her decision. Even though she had children, none of them live in Greece.

Her loneliness made her shut down during the last years. Living helpless, almost blind because of a severe cataract, her life was difficult. She had been a rather unsociable person, which explains why she can’t speak Greek very well, despite her 42-year presence in Agrinio.

Sofia was living in unfavorable circumstances until another German woman also living in Agrinio found her and arranged her transfer to the Nursing House of the Christian Union in Agrinio.

The 82-year-old woman found a new life. The lifestyle of the people who lived with her at the Nursing House since last September – when she was taken there – had her ask to be converted to Christian Orthodoxy. They helped her, offered her companionship, and arranged for her optical surgery to restore her vision. She visited Carpenisi Hospital twice, and Sofia can now enjoy her sight again.

“I want to have Jesus in my heart,” are her words in an interview with Agriniopress, when asked why she decided to become Orthodox.

The baptism ceremony took place last Saturday (Lazarus Saturday) and every person in the Nursing House attended the ceremony.

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Video: A First Look At the Holy Light of Jerusalem 2012

Today at 2:20pm the Holy Light, known in the West as Holy Fire, once again descended into the Tomb of Christ as Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem knelt in prayer within the Holy Sepulchre. With 33 candles in each hand he distributed the Holy Light to all the faithful, amidst great joy and celebration.

Below is video of todays miraculous event:

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A Prayer Before the All-Holy Sepulchre

By Fr. Mitrophanes, Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre

Lord Jesus Christ our God, Who art Risen from the dead, receive our prayers and supplications and also my pilgrimage to Thine All-Holy Tomb; and raise us up, Who art Risen from the dead, granting Thy resurrection to all, and raising all who have fallen. To bring us into communion and show us Thy Resurrection, Thou didst descend into Hades. To illumine our darkness, Thou camest as Light into the darkness and dispelled the darkness of Hades, and as an arrow and lightning and uncreated tongues of fire the Holy Light of Thy Resurrection illumines our darkness and purifies our vision. Thou art our Resurrection from the sufferings of life. Thou art our Light leading us through the darkness of this present life. Thou art our Resurrection who art fallen into the traps of the enemy of our salvation. Thou art our Peace distinguishing disharmony. Thou art our Joy, for the Myrrhbearing women cried "rejoice!". Thou art the Bread of Life Who came down from Heaven, of which whosoever eats none will go hungry, and sanctifiest those who participate and raisest them from corruption. Thou art our Resurrection, providing resurrection to all who have fallen, and to Thee do we ascribe glory together with Thine Beginingless Father and Thine All-Holy, Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.


Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ, ό Θεός ημών, ό Άναστάς εκ νεκρών, πρόσδεξαι ημών τας εύχάς και τας δεήσεις και το προσκύνημα κατενώπιον τον Παναγίου Σου Τάφου και άνάστησον ημάς ό Άναστάς εκ νεκρών και πάσι την Άνάστασιν την Σήν χαρισάμενος και πάσι τοις πεσούσι παρέχων Άνάστασιν! Ίνα γαρ κοινωνούς ημάς δείξης της Σης Αναστάσεως, κατήλθες εν τω Αδη! Ίνα φώτισης το σκότος ημών, κατήλθες το Φώς εν τω σκότει και διέλυσας τα σκότη του Άδου, διό και βολίσι και αστραπαίς και ακτίσι και πυρίνοις γλώσσαις το Αγιον Φώς της Σης Αναστάσεως φωτίζει ημών τα σκότη και όράται απεριέργοις και καθαροίς όφθαλμοίς. Σύ γάρ ει ή Άνάστασις ημών εν τοις του βίου δεινοίς, Σύ ει το Φώς ημών πορευομένων έν τω σκότει της παρούσης ζωής, Σύ ει ή Εγερσις ημών πεσόντων παγίσι του εχθρού της σωτηρίας ημών, Σύ ει ή Ειρήνη ημών έν άσυμφωνίαις διακρινουμένων, Σύ ει ή Χαρά ημών, ότι «χαίρετε» εβόησας γυναιξί μυροφόροις, Σύ ει ό Άρτος της Ζωής ό εκ τον Ουρανού καταβάς, ό πάντοτε έσθιόμενος και μηδέποτε δαπανώμενος, αλλά τούς μετέχοντας αγιάζων και έγείρων εκ φθοράς, Σύ ει ή Άνάστασις ημών, ό τοις πεσούσι παρέχων Άνάστασιν και Σοί την δόξαν άναπέμπομεν σύν τω Άνάρχω Σου Πατρί και τω Παναγίω και άγαθώ και Ζωοποιώ σου Πνεύματι, νύν και άεί και εις τούς Αιώνας των Αιώνων. Αμήν

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Greek Customs and Traditions for Good Friday

Pascha is uniquely celebrated in Greece, and one of the most important days anticipating the feast is Good Friday, which is a strict fast day and has its own unique ways throughout Greece of how the pious show their honor for the day. Lets take a look at how some areas of Greece display their piety on Good Friday:

Thrace: In Thrace an important custom is the "Burning of Judas". According to this custom, children make an effigy of Judas Iscariot and parade it from house to house begging for sticks of wood. They will use these following the procession with the Epitaphios where they will light a fire and burn the effigy of Judas. Then they take the ashes and throw them in the cemetery.



Hydra: Hydra has a unique custom for Good Friday. In the Kamini district the Service of Lamentations is held in the sea, followed by fireworks which illuminate the sky.



Zakynthos: On the island of Zakynthos the procession with the Epitaphios is done differently than other places in Greece. According to ancient custom, the procession with the Epitaphios, which symbolizes Christ's descent into Hades, is done right before sunrise in the early morning hours, and when the sun rises the Bishop raises the victory flag of the Resurrection.



Litochoro: The decoration of the Epitaphios is done Holy Thursday night in Litochoro by unmarried girls, who throughout Great Lent make flowers out of fabric. Then on Good Friday evening the Epitaphios is processed to the center of town where various choirs meet, creating an amazing spectacle.

Aitoliko: Pilgrims specifically travel to the Dormition of the Theotokos Church in Aitoliko to visit a historic Epitaphio which dates to the 13th-14th century.

Nafpaktos: Good Friday evening a large crowd gathers for the procession with the Epitaphios with lit torches and they all gather at the harbor lighting the torches at the castle, which transports everyone to another era. And at the harbor entrance torches form a large cross that offers a spectaculor view.



Macedonia: Beginning on Holy Thursday the people of Macedonia put a red towel, symbolizing the blood of Christ, out their window or on their balcony. They keep it there till Pascha, and during this time the women don't do any laundry.

Syros: In Syros there is an Orthodox parish and a Catholic parish which celebrate Pascha according to the Orthodox calendar. The Catholic Epitaphio leaves from Ano Syro from the Church of Saint George and in Hermopolis it leaves from the Evangeliston Church. The Orthodox procession begins from the Church of Saint Nicholas, the Church of the Dormition and the Metropolis of the Transfiguration. They all meet at the center of town and offer a prayer together.

Paros: In Marpissa on the island of Paros the Epitaphios procession has fifteen stops. At each stop a section of the mountain lights up, and children dressed as Roman soldiers or disciples of Christ depict scenes such as the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, the prayer on the Mount of Olives, and the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. On Holy Saturday the island is full of lights with countless fireworks.

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The Dirge of the Panagia: A Good Friday Tradition

The "Dirge of the Panagia" (Μοιρολόι της Παναγιάς) is a long narrative funeral song which narrates the Passion of Christ as it was lived by the Virgin Mary and the Myrrhbearing women. One could find hundreds of variations throughout Greece, Cyprus, Asia Minor and southern Italy. According to the the Swiss Hellenist professor of the University of Geneva, Bertrand Bouvier, in his book Le Mirologue de la Vierge (Geneva 1976), there are two hundred and fifty six variants. In fact, there may be over a thousand, since each village has its own unique version, and in certain Greek islands like Samothraki there are at least three versions circulating.

These songs probably date back to around the 13th century and are based upon the canonical and apocryphal Gospels, as well as the ecclesiastical hymns of the Church. In other words, it is a folk liturgical drama of the Middle Ages which can be found in both east and west. They are today one of the most striking and beautiful examples of Greek folk music.

According to the study of Samuel Baud-Bovy, these melodies were used for actual laments. In these dirges or laments of the Panagia ordinary women with song share in the pain of the Panagia, who is a universal and timeless symbol of all mothers who attended the martyrdom of their children and experienced the absurdity and inevitability of death.

Although there are local differences in individual elements of the song or the melody or the pronunciation, structure and form of the laments, the functions are strikingly similar from southern Italy to Pontus and Cyprus.


Photios Kontoglou, in one of his writing "Σήμερον κρεμάται", gives us a basic version of the the Dirge of the Panagia:

Today the sky is black,
today is a black day,
today they crucified,
the King of all things....

Or in Greek:

Σήμερον μαύρος ουρανός,
σήμερον μαύρη μέρα,
σήμερον εσταυρώσανε,
τον πάντων βασιλέα.
Σήμερον όλοι θλίβονται
και τα βουνά λυπούνται.
Σήμερον έβαλαν βουλήν
οι άνομοι Εβραίοι,
οι άνομοι και τα σκυλιά
οι τρισκαταραμένοι.
Σαν κλέφη τον επιάσανε
και σαν φονιά τον πάνε
και στου Πιλάτου τις αυλές
εκεί τον τυραγνάνε.
Κι' η Παναγιά η δέσποινα
κ' οι άλλες οι γυναίκες
έπιασαν το στρατί στρατί,
στρατί το μονοπάτι.
Το μονοπάτι τς' έβγαλε
μεσ' στου ληστή την πόρτα.
Τηρά δεξιά, τηρά ζερβά,
κανέναν δεν γνωρίζει.
Τηρά και δεξιώτερα
βλέπει τον Άγιο Γιάννη
-Άγιε μου Γιάννη Πρόδρομε
και βαπτιστή του γυιού μου
μην είδες τον υιγιόκα μου
και σένα δάσκαλό σου;
-Δεν έχω γλώσσα να σου πω
γλώσσα να σου μιλήσω,
δεν έχω χεροπάλαμο,
για να σού τονε δείξω.
Βλέπεις εκείνον τον γυμνό,
τον παραπονεμένο,
οπού φορεί πουκάμισο
στο αίμα βουτημένο;
Οπούναι τα ματάκια του
ραμμένα με μετάξι,
κι οπού φορεί στην κεφαλή
αγκάθινο στεφάνι;
Εκείνος είναι ο γυιόκας σου
και μένα δάσκαλός μου.



In places like Cyprus these dirges have even become an art form with more elaborate music, as can be heard here, here and here. Most other places have a more simple melody, as can be heard in Kalymnos below:



It is worth noting that Samuel Baud-Bovy (Δοκίμιο για το Ελληνικό Τραγούδι) says that the Greeks of Asia Minor, especially the Cappadocians, would sing in Turkish the History of Abraam, the History of Joseph, and the Dirge of the Panagia.

The Dirge or Lament of the Panagia is sung on different occasions and with different methods according to local folk tradition. Some women sing it following the Service of the Twelve Gospels on Holy Thursday either standing or sitting or kneeling around the Cross of Christ. Others sing it the following morning as they are decorating with flowers the tomb of Christ. While others sing them after they have decorated the tomb of Christ as they stand around the epitaphion, or even following the Service of Lamentation when the epitaphion has been processed around the church or village. They are traditionally only sung by women, usually beginning with the older women and gradually the younger women join in as well. The song takes usually around 30-60 minutes, and in some places the women sing them all night either in the church or going from church to church lighting all the oil lamps along the way.

Today in most churches the well-known Lamentations of Good Friday are sung within the liturgical Service of the Lamentations on Good Friday, so in most parishes the Dirge of the Panagia has fallen into disuse being now replaced by the offical Lamentations.

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The Passion of Christ According to Theophanes the Cretan

Theophanes the Cretan (Θεοφάνης ο Κρης) was a leading icon painter of the Cretan school in the first half of the sixteenth century, and in particular the most important figure in Greek fresco-painting of the period. Frescoes bearing his signature survive in the Greek monasteries of Mt. Athos, especially Stavronikita Monastery and Great Lavra, and Meteora which has his earliest dated work, from 1527. In Stavronikita he depicted beautifully the entire Passion of Christ, which can be seen in part below:

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Fr. Mitrophanes, Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre (3)

Many times when in the morning I would visit him, this would happen. Usually every Thursday I would first find him "almost dead", but when I would leave he would be like an "18 year old lad". Such grace showered his face, such a change would happen with the Elder, that he talked about the greatness of God. He ardently desired to be in constant communication with the world, to narrate the greatness of God which they granted him. He wanted this grace to transfer to his guests, and he did this one hundred percent, because no one ever left from him without changing and without being moved, after hearing his grace-filled words which came out of the blessed mouth of the Elder.

His Rule he did continuously and without fail. At 5:00 am he would arise with difficulty and with his walker he would go to the basin of water, wash his hands, dry them off good, and immediately grab his prayer rope. Several times the chambermaids would find him lying down on the ground. And despite being 97 years old, he would continuously stick to his Rule. From the day, however, when he could no longer arise from bed without help, he took a "downward spiral", and saw a defect in his Rule. But even prostrate, he would not stop with the same faith and effort to speak of the greatness of God, full of grace. He would often say: "Whoever has faith in God, love for his fellow man, and his thoughts on the memory of death and the memory of Paradise, should not fear anything." Other times, again, I would urge him to speak of a few of his experiences in the All-Sacred and All-Holy Sepulchre. And he, immediately and without delay, would begin to tell us a great narrative about all the wonders he lived, and his face would shine with the grace that showered him.

Once in a while he would ask: "Can you hear me? Can you understand me?" He was afraid that whatever he said that was beneficial and with grace could not be heard or understood, lest his effort be lost due to his not so good articulation of speech. But whatever came out of his grace-filled mouth was so understood by those thirsty in soul that he immediately moved them, and they would break out with tears of repentance and relief. Whenever I would bring to him faithful people, which was often, roughly every Saturday and Sunday, they would see in the face of the elderly Holy-Tomb-Dweller Elder Mitrophanes a change from the grace which showered him. A grace, which in turn, was transferred to all the faces of his guests. Such was the spiritual change that would happen with the pilgrims, that it became a habit for me to bring guests every Sunday so I could often live these sacred and unforgettable moments, watching analytically their faces changing by the grace of the Elder.

To the girls he would say: "Find a good Christian, not a handsome man, because only a Christian is for the home."

To a novice nun who visited him, he said: "O, you have made the best choice, to be a bride of Christ. What else do you want? This is perfection."

To another female visitor who had come from Athens to take care of him and groom him, and to give him whatever he wanted in his old age, he said: "Thank you, my daughter, for everything. You have received your reward as you would have received it, and if I was going to come to Athens with you, I could not follow you, because tens of thousands pass from here every day, who invariably have the same need, the same passion as you, to hear of the greatness of God by me a sinner. You see, they even need me here, which is why I am waiting here."

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Video: The Sanctification of the Holy Myrrh (2012)

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Φώτιος Κετσετζής: "Εξέδυσαν με..."

Εξέδυσαν με τα ιμάτιά μου και ενέδυσαν με χλαμύδα κοκκίνην.
Έθηκαν επί την κεφαλήν μου στέφανον εξ ακανθών
και επί την δεξιάν μου χείρα έδωκαν κάλαμον,
ίνα συντρίψω αυτούς ως σκεύη κεραμέως.

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The Sanctification of Holy Myrrh in the Orthodox Church

An Explanation of the Holy Myron

By Rev. S.T. Kezios

Prologue

Holy Myrrh is the Chrism Oil used in the Orthodox Church for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Myrrh is sanctified by the Ecumenical Patriarch with the participation of a host of Bishops and other clergy, as well as lay people. Whereas the chafing of the Holy Myrrh takes place in a building adjacent to the Patriarchal Chapel of Saint George it is stored and kept in the Sacred Repository of Holy Myrrh located in the Tower, elsewhere on the Patriarchal grounds. The Ecumenical Patriarchate distributes the Holy Myrrh to the Orthodox Churches throughout the world to be used for Confirmation, one of the Seven Sacraments. In the Orthodox Church this Sacrament of Confirmation is administered at Baptism.

Approximately every ten years the reserve of Holy Myrrh nears depletion. The Ecumenical Patriarch then informs the Holy Synod which resolves and requests for the replenishment of the Holy Myrrh during Holy Week of the forthcoming year. His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch informs the Primates of Orthodox Churches throughout the world and extends to them, and other Hierarchs, an invitation to attend and participate. A request is also made to many of them asking for a specific offering of a precious oil or element mandated for inclusion in the preparation of the Holy Myrrh.

Metropolitans of the Ecumenical Throne and lay people as well, are assigned to comprise the body of those responsible for all the appropriate preparations. In the year 2012, Metropolitan Athanasios of the Senior See of Chalcedon was appointed to preside. Metropolitan Cyril of Imvros and Tenedos, Metropolitan Dimitrios of Sevasteia, Metropolitan Theoliptos of Iconium and the Grand Archimandrite Athenagoras as secretary, were the ranking clergy appointed. The lay people appointed were Stefanos Bairamoglou, George Savits, Joseph Constantinides, Christos Hamhougias, Theodore Messinas, Aris Tsokonas, Constantine Agiannides, and Catherine Malita.

Historical Overview of the Sanctification of the Holy Myrrh in the Orthodox Church

By His Eminence Metropolitan Paul of Sweden

In the Orthodox Church, Holy Myrrh is sanctified to be used in the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Chrism (Confirmation). Thus it becomes a visible means of the bestowing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon those who are baptized.
In the early years of Christianity this bestowing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon those who were baptized was done by the “laying of the hands” of the Apostles. “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:14-17)

However, when the churches throughout the world had multiplied, and the number of those who had been baptized increased substantially, to make a mission similar to the one to Samaria was impossible. It was then that anointing by Holy Myrrh was introduced in the Church. This totally replaced the bestowing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon those baptized by the “laying of hands”. The date on which this replacement was accomplished is not known. In any event, it is most likely that it took place during the apostolic times. “In lieu of the laying of hands, this was given by the Apostles to those baptized in Christ” (Symeon of Thessaloniki).

The use of Holy Myrrh was introduced into the Church mirroring the existing practice in the Old Testament. “Furthermore the Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Also take for yourself aromatic spices, the flower of costly myrrh, five hundred shekels worth, and fragrant cinnamon, half as much, two hundred and fifty, and two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet smelling calamus, and five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. You shall make from these holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be an oil of holy anointing’. (Exodus 30, 22-25)

Throughout the ages, the following terms have also been used in referring to Holy Myrrh: oil of thanksgiving, oil of anointing, chrism, chrism of thanksgiving, heavenly chrism, mystical chrism, myrrh, divine myrrh, great myrrh, holy and great myrrh. Generally today, the term “Holy Myrrh” is in common usage.

The Holy Myrrh is prepared from oil and a variety of fragrant essences. These symbolize the diverse gifts of the Holy Spirit which are received by the Christian who is being anointed. The most ancient particular references, concerning the materials for the myrrh, and for the preparation and chafing of the ingredients to be used, date from the 8th century. This is the earliest description we have, and it has been preserved to this day. In the Ecumenical Patriarchate an official register exists defining the various aromatics which are to be used and compose the Holy Myrrh; they number fifty seven. Details as to the manner of the sanctification of Holy Myrrh during the first centuries of Christianity are totally non existent.

The earliest relevant information is a reference by Hippolytos in his The Apostolic Tradition. Newer ordinances concerning the sanctification of Holy Myrrh are included in the published Great Euhologion, presently in use, and in the Euhologion of Goar. About the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century specific efforts were made at the Ecumenical Patriarchate to review the existing Order of the Service of Sanctification of Holy Myrrh in use until then. This was done with a view toward revision. Relevant Services were published during the years 1890, 1912 and 1960.

In accordance with the established rubrics for the sanctification of Holy Myrrh, and the order of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on Palm Sunday, upon the completion of the Doxology, the Patriarch blesses the Archon Perfumer and his Deans. They are responsible for the chafing of the Holy Myrrh and are attired in full length white robes. The Patriarch then places upon the Archon Perfumer a silk apron.

On Great and Holy Monday, at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Patriarch approaches the appropriately adorned “Kouvouklion” (ceremonial canopy) adjacent to the Most Venerable Patriarchal Church of Saint George the Great Martyr and Trophy Bearer. This is where the cauldrons for the chafing of the Holy Myrrh have been placed.

He then blesses the beginning of the series of sacred services for the sanctification of Holy Myrrh by celebrating the ritual for Holy Water. After this Sacred Service, he sprinkles the materials which have been prepared, the utensils to be used, and the cauldrons, with the Holy Water. Then, holding a lit candle, he ignites pieces of old holy icons mixed with kindling which have been placed under each cauldron. Continuing, the Patriarch reads certain chapters from the Holy Gospels. The reading of these passages from the New Testament is continued by the holy Hierarchs present, the Clergy of the Patriarchal Court, and other clergy. This order of readings continues all day throughout Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday.

On Great and Holy Tuesday, at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Patriarch again approaches the holy Kouvouklion wherein the Lesser Supplication to the Theotokos is chanted, as he commemorates all who either with materials, with monetary gifts, or with their labor have contributed for the preparation of Holy Myrrh.

On Great and Holy Wednesday, at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Patriarch once again approaches the holy Kouvouklion and after a brief prayer service pours rose oil, musk and the remainder of the fragrant oils into the cauldrons. By the end of the day the chafing of the Holy Myrrh and the preparation of all the relative remaining needs have been completed.

On Great and Holy Thursday, after the dismissal of the Service of Orthros, conducted in the Chapel of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the vesting of the Patriarch and the holy Hierarchs takes place. Then, they descend from the Patriarchal Manse to the Most Venerable Patriarchal Church proceeding in litany with the ringing of the bells. During this descent the Patriarch bears a small chrismatory (vial for Myrrh). The most senior of the Hierarchs bears a global vase of alabaster containing Presanctified Myrrh (that is to say, Holy Myrrh from a previous sanctification) while the second Hierarch in seniority carries one of not as yet sanctified Myrrh. The remainder of the holy Hierarchs bears small silver vessels containing Myrrh prepared for sanctification. There follow twenty four Archimandrites, in pairs, holding on either side, twelve great silver urns containing Myrrh which is to be sanctified.

Toward the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, and after the intonation “And may the mercies of our great God…” the Grand Archdeacon intones, “Let us be attentive!” The prayerful congregation then kneels while the Patriarch sanctifies the Holy Myrrh according to the Prescribed Order. Upon the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, in a procession identical in order as was that of the earlier descent from the Patriarchal Chapel to the Patriarchal Church, the Holy Myrrh is brought to the Patriarchal Repository of Holy Myrrh wherein the alabaster global vases and the other vessels containing Holy Myrrh are deposited. The dismissal of the Divine Liturgy then follows.

The sanctification of Holy Myrrh is celebrated only by bishops, never by presbyters. This tradition in the Church is steadfast and unanimous. With the passing of time however, whereas this tradition concerning the presbyters remains firm, it becomes modified for bishops. This common right of all bishops gradually devolved to the bishops of certain established Churches; to the Patriarchs, and finally only to the Ecumenical Patriarch. In other words, whereas each and every bishop has the hierarchical right to sanctify Holy Myrrh, canon law does not permit him. It appears there are three principal reasons which contributed to this curtailing of the right of bishops to sanctify Holy Myrrh. To begin with, it was given to the Primates of each ecclesiastical jurisdiction and then ultimately given to the Ecumenical Patriarch.

The first of these reasons is the rarity of the elements involved and the difficulty for each bishop to procure them for the preparation of the Holy Myrrh. Second, is the constantly increasing exaltation of the First, or Primate of the broader ecclesiastical jurisdictions. Third, is the prominent place, with the passing of centuries, which the Ecumenical Patriarchate received form the Patriarchates of the East, and the maternal bond of the Church of Constantinople with the Churches whose people received the Christian faith from its missionaries.

In reality, the concentration of this right to sanctify Holy Myrrh given to the Ecumenical Patriarchate is not to be understood as a dependency or subordination of the other churches, but rather as a tangible and visible sign of the unity and the bond of the various Patriarchates and Autocephalous Churches toward the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This is a necessary point, not for the exaltation of the position of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Orthodoxy, but for the existence of a perceptible indication of the unity of the totality of the local Orthodox Churches. That notwithstanding, today in the Orthodox Church the Patriarchates of Moscow, Belgrade, and Bucharest sanctify Holy Myrrh in addition to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and perhaps even some other Orthodox Churches.

As was mentioned in the beginning, Holy Myrrh is mainly and primarily used in the celebration of the Sacrament of Chrism which is immediately administered upon Baptism. It constitutes however a particular and distinct sacrament apart from Baptism. According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, the gifts and grace of the Holy Spirit are bestowed upon those baptized by the Sacrament of Chrism. They are thus strengthened in the Christian life in which they have been initiated through baptism, and are fortified in the struggles against sin and the attacks of evil, thereby increased, “…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4, 13)

Holy Myrrh is also used for the reception of converts into the Orthodox Church and for those who have fallen away; for the dedication of Churches; the consecration of holy Altars; the consecration of holy Antimensions; and for certain other instances of ritual. In the past it was also used to anoint Orthodox Kings during their coronation.

The Celebration and Sanctification of the Holy Myrrh through History (1833-2012)

1833* by Patriarch Constantine I from Sion (1830-1834)

1856 by Patriarch Cyril VII from Amasia (1855-1860)

1865 by Patriarch Sofronios III from Amasia (1863-1866)

1879 by Patriarch Joachim III from Thessaloniki for the first time, during his first patriarchal tenure (1878-1884)

1890 by Patriarch Dionysios V from Hariton (1887-1891)

1903 by Patriarch Joachim III from Thessaloniki for the second time, during his second patriarchal tenure (1901-1912)

1912 by Patriarch Joachim III from Thessaloniki for the third time, during his second patriarchal tenure (1901-1912)

1928 by Patriarch Vasilios III from Nicaea (1925-1929)

1939 by Patriarch Benjamin from Heraclea (1936-1946)

1951 by Patriarch Athenagoras from the United States of America (1948-1972) for the first time

1960 by Patriarch Athenagoras (1948-1972) for the second time.

1973 by Patriarch Dimitrios from Imvros and Tenedos (1972-1991) for the first time.

1983 by Patriarch Dimitrios from Imvros and Tenedos (1972-1991) for the second time.

1992 by Patriarch Bartholomew from Chalcedon (1991- ) for the first time.

2002 by Patriarch Bartholomew (1991- ) for the second time.

2012 by Patriarch Bartholomew (1991- ) for the third time.

It is worthy to note that in these latter years of the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate there is recorded the instance of the late Patriarch Joachim III who sanctified the Holy Myrrh thrice (1879, 1903, and 1912). Emmanuel Gideon dedicated his treatise, On the Holy Spirit, useful knowledge for the faithful, Constantinople 1912, "for just cause" to the Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop of Constantinople Joachim III from Thessaloniki, “…for alone among the Patriarchs in these latter years, to have been made worthy to sanctify the Holy Myrrh, the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Our present Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was made worthy to sanctify the Holy Myrrh three times (1992, 2002, and 2012).

------------------

* The year 1833 chronicles a beginning date. From this date forward the dates for the sanctification of the Holy Myrrh in the Ecumenical Patriarchate are known and can be attested with absolute certainty.

View photos of The Beginning of the Process of Sanctification of Holy Myron »

View photos of The Sanctification of the Holy Myron (Myrrh) at the Phanar »

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Scientists Ponder Fresco 'Miracle' in Skopje

Experts say analysis should shed some light on the alleged miracle in St Demetrius Church in Skopje where frescoes that appear to have changed colors have drawn thousands of Orthodox believers.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic
April 9, 2012
Balkan Insight

Macedonia's National Conservation Centre says it will release the results of analysis of the frescoes next week, after Orthodox Easter.

“We have taken samples from the church walls and from the frescoes and they are currently being subjected to analysis to see what might have caused this,” one official told Balkan Insight.

He said he “does not wish to speculate ahead of time” about what might have caused the frescoes to change colour and tone.

Orthodox believers continue to flock to the church in Skopje to see what they believe was a genuine miracle. Long lines of believers have appeared since Monday after a TV report on the occurrence was aired the previous day.

The gold aureoles around the painted saints on the church walls have become brighter while the paint itself is noticeably sharper than before.


Kosta Balabanov, an art historian, says the apparent cleansing of the frescoes might be due to increased humidity, which could have caused condensation on the walls.

The slick golden surface of the aureoles was most noticeably cleansed of decades-old deposits generated by smoke from candles, he notes.

He says that the cleansing effect is less visible on the wall paintings, which may be because the deposits penetrated deeper into their surface, making them harder to clean.

“This occurrence is well known and documented,” he says. “Certain interventions from the human factor most probably helped speed this process.”

Experts from Macedonia's Directorate for Cultural Heritage Protection have also taken a look. Pasko Kuzman, head of the Directorate, made no predictions.

“I do not wish explanations offered by experts to infringe on people’s belief in a miracle,” Kuzman said.

After initially proclaiming the event a miracle, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the country’s principal religious community, is now sounding more cautious.

“Time will tell if it’s a miracle,” said Bishop Petar, a spokesperson for the Church, “but I don’t think anyone came in at night and cleaned the frescoes, especially those located high up on the ceiling.”

The church, located in the old Jewish district between Skopje’s Stone Bridge and the entrance to the Turkish Bazar, is one of the oldest existing churches in the city.

Believed to have been erected in the 16th century, the church gained its modern form in the 1890s after a thorough reconstruction.

The frescoes have been a matter of discussion between Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at their meeting on Tuesday in Istanbul, the President’s office said.

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Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas and the Troparion of Kassiani

Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas, born in Constantinople in 1910, was the Archon Protopsaltes of the Great Church of Christ under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He had a unique talent and ability in Byzantine Chant and his fame spread while still a Lambadarios throughout Constantinople primarily for the beauty in which he executed the complex "Σὲ ὑμνοῦμεν" (We praise you...), the Communion hymns and foremostly the "Troparion of Kassiani", which after chanting it at the Patriarchate he was called to chant it also at other churches of the City "at the modest patriarchal command". Stanitsas was Lambadarios for 20 years opposite Constantine Priggos, and thus sucked in all his art and majestry. After a lengthy illness of his predecessor C. Priggos, in 1960, Stanitsas was promoted by the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I into Archon Protopsaltes of the Great Church of Christ. Stanitsas died on the 18th August, 1987. (Read more here)

Below Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas can be heard chanting the longer version of the Troparion of Kassiani, for which he was famous, on 16 April 1957 in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George.

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Υμνο: Η Απεγνωσμένη

Στο παρακάτω βίντεο, θα ακούσουμε τον ύμνο «Η Απεγνωσμένη», απαγγέλλει η Κατερίνα Λέχου και ψάλλει η Σοφία Μάνου:



Η απεγνωσμένη δια τον βίον, και επεγνωσμένη δια τον τρόπον, τα μύρα βαστάζουσα, προσήλθε σοι βοώσα· Μη με την πόρνην απορρίψης, ο τεχθείς εκ Παρθένου· μη μου τα δάκρυα παρίδης, η χαρά των Αγγέλων· αλλά δέξαι με μετανοούσαν, την ουκ απώσω αμαρτάνουσαν Κύριε, δια το μέγα σου έλεος.

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Fr. Mitrophanes, Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre (2)

A certain lady approached him and asked him: "Elder, will we be saved?" And the Elder responded to her: "If you ask me, I will give you my opinion. I tell you that we will all be saved, as long as we make some effort. If I, who am the most sinful man in the world, say these things to you, then God, Who is ENTIRELY LOVE, will He not want such a thing? What do you say?"

When we would say, "Good Paradise, Elder!", he would say to us: "You give me the greatest blessing, but this will not happen by our works, because we are very sinful, but by the compassion of God."

Another time when I told him, "Good Paradise!", he said to me: "Pray that I may enter, and after, do not worry, all will be easy for you."

The Elder always had candy on his table, and once I said to him: "Elder, can I have a candy?" He responded: "One? Not one, but take three."

The last time he received Holy Communion, which he received from a priest of the Taxiarchi Church in Thessaloniki, Fr. Panagioti, "the entire Holy Communion issued myrrh" according to the priest's statement. Something similar to this was related to me by an Athonite hieromonk who asked that I not reveal his name. He told me that when he visited the Elder at Chariseio Nursing Home, "the entire chamber issued myrrh" where he lived. And as he approached him closer, to be certain if this was indeed happening, he noted that indeed "a very strong fragrance issued from the mouth of Elder Mitrophanes".

At the end of his life, a thought tormented him very much, whether or not he received the Great Schema, because due to his old age he began to forget. A relevant confirmation that he did was given by the Grigoriou Hieromonk Fr. Photios Kapsanis who gave him the Great Schema in the Metochion of the Monastery in Stavroupolis.

In the Church of Saint Nektarios, which is outside of the Chariseio Nursing Home, where he would attend church regularly, Fr. Mitrophanes would see "Saint Nektarios praying with the priest in the altar during the Divine Liturgy". He would also see "holy figures" in the Sacred Monastery of Eleftherotrias in Panorama Thessaloniki. He also saw Saint Nektarios at the funeral service of the Hieromonk Fr. Panteleimon, who served as secretary for the Holy Community of Mount Athos: "During the funeral service, Saint Nektarios took the lead."

When someone gave him their name, to commemorate them, "yes" he would say to him. "Why don't you keep the name, Elder, so you won't forget it", they would say. He responded: "Don't worry, because in my prayer I say 'and You saw Lord their name'. God knows your name."

He would frequently give the impression that he "quarreled with God". No, no, even though it appeared he quarreled with God, he wasn't, because the same person questioning was the same person answering. "My God, You have made a mistake. Does God ever make a mistake?" he answered. "Why did You keep me as a guardian of Your Tomb for 58 whole years and I quarrel with everyone? So you can correct yourself," he would respond, "because you Mitrophane are the most sinful person in the world, a zero!" Fr. Mitrophanes would respond again: "If I am, my God, a zero for my God, what else do I need? Is there any better thing than a zero from my God?" At other times he would say: "Here I am eating, drinking and sleeping, and You are paying my God." He was referring of course to His Holiness Metropolitan Panteleimon II of Thessaloniki, who payed for his care following his stroke at the Holy Sepulchre and was brought from Jerusalem to Chariseio Nursing Home in Thessaloniki.

That which made a great impression on me was that he never tired, because from sunrise to sunset, he would unceasingly receive people and be comforted.

And when, usually on major holidays, like Christmas or Pascha, his niece, Miss Popi, would take him to her house during these Holy Days, he would pretend that the climate was bothering him and for this reason he wanted to return again to Chariseio Nursing Home. This was not the truth however. The truth was that the Elder wanted to leave, because in Chariseio Nursing Home he would see many people who gave him solace, and he in turn, so as to not leave them hopeless, would bring them closer to God. If he said to you the same thing ten times, he said it with such Grace, that not only would it not tire you, but it made you "hang from his lips".

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Frescoes at St. Dimitrija Church in Skopje Mystify Worshippers

April 9, 2012
Associated Press

Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers from across Macedonia are lining up to visit a church where a cleric says frescoes of saints have begun to appear brighter in color without any obvious explanation.

Father Zoran of Saint Dimitrija Church in Skopje, the capital, said Monday that the murals, long obscured by the residue of candle smoke, began to appear clearer over the weekend, with red and gold colors becoming more noticeable.

That has prompted worshippers to flock to the church ahead of Orthodox Easter next Sunday.

About two-thirds of Macedonia's 2.1 million people have been baptized Orthodox Christian.

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At Easter, Albanians Recall ‘Dark’ Communist Past

Orthodox Christian and Muslim shepherds share an Easter meal in front of the house of shephard Anastas Karaj in the village of Selta in central Albania. Easter bread, fresh olives, puff pastry and goat meat are all part of the traditional Easter meal.

Eckehard Pistrick
April 6, 2012
The Washington Times

On Easter in the small mountain village of Selta in central Albania, the Orthodox Christian villagers will don their Sunday best.

They will pick a goat to slaughter, bake traditional Easter bread and make the ultrathin sugar-soaked Baklava pastry for their traditional feast, never complete without glasses of homemade brandy.

As locals welcome Easter, they say they can’t help remembering the country’s “dark” communist past where religion was banned and even an Easter egg could land you in jail.

“It was a depressing time,” said Anastas Karaj, 60, a shepherd from the village.

“Everything religious was banned, and you could only celebrate secretly at home. If you were caught, you could end up in prison or labor camp. And if government informants found pieces of painted eggshells on your compost heap, they could take you away.”

In 1967, dictator Enver Hoxha proudly proclaimed “Europe’s first atheist country.” During his 41-year Stalinist regime, more than 1,600 churches and monasteries were destroyed. Priests were kidnapped and sometimes murdered.

After he died in 1985, there was a slow revival of religion that included the construction of churches and mosques, said Armanda Kodra-Hysa, an ethnographer at the Institute for Cultural Anthropology at the Albanian Academy of Sciences in Tirana.

“In the early 1990s, there was a true missionary wave of Baptists, Mormons, Evangelicals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists,” she said.

“Religion was generally booming, even among the established religions [of Islam and the Orthodox and Catholic churches]. There was almost a competition over which religion was able to mobilize the majority of believers.”

Still, in Albania, which is officially 70 percent Muslim and 30 percent Christian, religion has a growing significance only to a point, analysts say.

“A lot of people in Albania claim a religious affiliation or origin, but this often has limited role in the everyday life of the majority,” said Dimitris Dalakoglou, an anthropologist at Britain’s University of Sussex who specializes in the Albania.

Ms. Kodra-Hysa added that practicing believers are still a minority.

“It was especially the young who felt magically drawn to religion from atheism,” she said.

The Orthodox Church of Albania has no money for the small village churches, leaving the upkeep to volunteers.

Residents of Selta recently put a roof on the village's tiny church, which lacked one for two decades. The church has no electricity, but villagers glue candles into cracks in the walls to provide light.

The church is lovingly used. During Easter services, women clad in white headscarves sing hymns during services, even if many don’t know the words.

Mr. Karaj said Easter is a time to celebrate and his close friend Arif Hoxhollari from the neighboring Muslim village will come over to dine, to drink and sing.

The two are inseparable, working the summer pastures together as shepherds.

Although Mr. Karaj is Christian and Mr. Hoxhollari is Muslim, they say their religious differences do not matter. They visit each other on religious holidays and weddings.

“Luckily, in the whole country, the relations between religions, between Muslims and Christians are fairly peaceful and people understand and respect each others’ faith,” said Mr. Karaj. “I have married my two daughters to Muslims. It doesn’t bother us.”

Mr. Hoxhollari added, “In the olden days, we only used to marry among our own kind: They didn’t get our women, and they didn’t give us theirs. Never!

“But for the last 20 years, we’ve had good relations. We slaughter our animals for our feasts. We come together and celebrate as a family. This is also a kind of liberation.”

Just before Easter, Mr. Karaj strolled through his village. In the distance, the rattling clang of the old, broken village bell rang out.

In communist times, even the bell was misused, ringing early in the morning as a collective wake-up call to summon villagers to work.

On Sunday, it will ring to bring villagers together to celebrate the rebirth of Christ.

See also: Easter in Albania Photo Gallery

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Easter Egg Made of 7500 Roses Decorates Kiev Caves Lavra

April 10, 2012
Interfax

On the Great Monday, florists started making an Easter egg of flowers in the Kiev Lavra of the Caves.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church reports on its website that a flower composition in the form of an Easter egg will be set up on the main Lavra square on April 10.

The egg of flowers will decorate the charitable fair Easter Basket that is fundraising for seriously ill teenagers.

7500 fresh red and yellow roses and greenery for decor is used to make the egg of 2.5 meters high. Florists and priests discussed a design of the composition and chose an "ethnic" red-yellow-green version.

The egg of roses will decorate the square for five to seven days, its authors believe.

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Büyükada Greek Orphanage to Become Environmental Center

Areti Kotseli
April 9, 2012
Greek Reporter

The Büyükada Greek Orphanage of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is set to become an international environmental foundation, according to a recent article of the Turkish newspaper todayszaman.com.

A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in June 2010 stated that the Turkish government should re-register the historic Orthodox orphanage on Büyükada to the İstanbul-based Phanar Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. Following the ECtHR ruling, the orphanage will probably be turned into a global environmental center, according to comments made by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I to the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

The progress of the transformation of the building has been slow but ongoing. The orphanage has been exposed to harsh weather conditions due to the reported delay.

“It has taken us so long because we have been working very seriously on this project. We have completed our analyses. The foundation will not serve as a religious institution but as a civil society organization working internationally,” said Laki Vingas, representative of non-Muslim foundations at the Prime Ministry’s Directorate General for Foundations (VGM).

The foundation’s name will be the Prinkipos Environmental Foundation, using the Greek word for “prince.” Büyükada, which means “Big Island” in Turkish, is the largest of the nine islands, comprising the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, close to İstanbul, explains the newspaper.

After the foundation was registered with the Phanar Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in 2010, a board of directors was established comprising Patriarch Bartholomew, Vingas, two prominent businessmen and two Metropolitans of the Patriarchate.

Restoration of the building is expected to be completed in two years, and in the meantime, funding will be sought to support the foundation, which will act independently but under the auspices of the Patriarchate. The environmental foundation is expected to serve all academics working on environmental issues. Regular symposia will be held to establish dialogue between religions on the issue of the environment.

The orphanage, which is said to be Europe’s largest wooden building and, and the second largest in the world, was built in 1898 as a hotel called Prinkipo Palas by a French company. It was bought by the Patriarchate in 1902 and its management was handed over to the Büyükada (Buyuk Island) Greek Orphanage Foundation in 1903. The title deed of the orphanage has been under the control of the VGM since 1997 and was registered as a property of the Büyükada Greek Orphanage Foundation by the directorate through a court order dated 2004, reports the article of todayszaman.com.

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Fr. Mitrophanes, Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre (1)

For 58 years the blessed monk Fr. Mitrophanes (+ 1997) was guardian of the All-Holy Tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is the first in a series of posts about this blessed Elder's counsels and experiences by one of his spiritual children.

Once a husband and wife from Tripoli went to the Elder. With the husband we had just returned from a pilgrimage to Mount Athos. This couple did not have children. The husband would carry oil from Tripoli to the various Monasteries of Mount Athos and pleaded for prayers so they might have a child. Returning from Mount Athos he picked up his wife whom he had left in Thessaloniki, and we went the three of us to Elder Mitrophane to get his blessing. There they told him:

"Elder, you know God, until now, has not given us children."

Then the Elder raised his voice high and said to them: "God does well - or better - God has done well by not giving you a child."

Upset, the couple asked him: "Why Elder?"

The Elder answered: "Because if God had given you children from the beginning, you would have thought that you were something, that you made the child and would not have gone from church to church and monastery to monastery. God didn't give you children so you can come to know Him first. Now that you have come to know Him, well, there is a God. So now do not lose hope."

After this the couple left very excited and happy.

Usually, as is well known, women are more God-fearing and make more sacrifices than men and they attend church more frequently than men. Naturally then, many more women would visit Elder Mitrophanes. So when they approached him, they would say that things weren't going well with their husbands, because they are easy to get angry, they are insolent and they scorn them. And the Elder responded to them:

"You women are to blame for everything."

"But how? Are we not humbled by these things the men do to us?"

"Why don't you kiss the feet of your men, to take pity on them?"

"Of course we haven't done that."

"If you do this to them, what I told you, it would be much better for you and you would be more understanding. Do it from now on and you will immediately believe it with their behavior."

Also, I went to the Elder with priests, fathers from Mount Athos, and many others to get the blessing of the Elder. Fr. Mitrophanes, whenever he saw a priest enter his Cell, would immediately ask him: "Do you have the priesthood?" And when they responded to him: "Yes, I am a priest", then he would not stop kissing his hand. And when the priest requested that he stop, the Elder would say to him: "No, leave me alone, don't bother me, these hands I want to embrace, I want to continually kiss them, because in these hands, with your prayers, the bread turns into the body of my Lord and the wine into the blood of my Lord. For this, leave me to embrace them."

Of course here I must say something, which a certain woman who attended to him, Miss Fevronia, believes. Every time he asked her to bring another spiritual father to him, according to her, the Elder wanted to choose his spiritual fathers, to see if they were alright with their spiritual obligations, if they were worthy of being spiritual fathers. In some way he wanted to test them for this, and every once in a while he would bring in another priest, who was a spiritual father, to see them "up close", as Fevronia put it.

Sometimes we would come with other believers to receive his blessing, of course without preparing to do so, that is, without bringing him anything, a certain gift, something to eat. We would arrive to the Elder and would tell him:

"Elder, we didn't bring you anything."

"What are these things you're telling me, that you didn't bring me anything? You brought me joy, you brought me satisfaction. I want you, whom God sent me, I don't want any of your things."

Once, one summer, I brought him an ice cream. "Constantine", he told me, "I don't want your ice cream, I want you." Slowly I convinced him and he took the ice cream. Smiling he said: "I will take it". When he tasted it, he said: "I'm a bit wicked. I acted as if I didn't want it, but deep down I wanted it." When he ate it, he told me: "I liked it very much. Of course, these things are also necessary, but we shouldn't give much importance to material things, as much as spiritual goods." Of these things the Elder constantly reminded us.

Again, one morning, I went with a colleague to see him, around 11:00 am. The Elder was sleeping at that time, and I told my colleague that we should wake him. Then my colleague got angry and told me: "Aren't you ashamed? The Elder is sleeping and we are going to wake him?" I gave in to my colleague's anger and we left. In the evening I went again by myself, around 5:00 pm, and told him: "Elder, we came in the morning around 11:00 am to see you with a colleague of mine and you were sleeping so we left." Then he got very angry and told me: "Why did you do that? I lost my treasure. What else do I do all day but eat, drink and sleep, and you both lost your treasure, because God would have enlightened me with something at that time to tell you." So we see that the Elder did not regret, but rejoiced to have lost his quiet constantly from sunrise to sundown. He always wanted to tell the world that he lived in the Holy Sepulchre.

Many times, again, the Elder would ask me: "Constantine, what does the word "Έντεύξεις" mean?" Then I would tell him: "The word "εντευξις", Elder, is a complex ancient Greek word which stems from the intention "εν" and the verb "τυγχάνω" and means "a meeting" "an interview" or "prayer". Further, the word "εντευξις" in our Ecclesiastical language means communication with God," which the Elder constantly had.

Once, the Elder decided, at 95 years old, to have surgery for his eyes. And I, teasing him, said: "Elder, isn't it enough what you have learned in your 95 years, all that you heard and seen? Do you still want to learn and read and other things?" "Yes", he responded, "because whatever I didn't read, when I could, I must read now." Surely he meant things for the repentance and salvation of his soul. What do we do, now that we have our sight and health? Let us learn from the example of the Elder, who until the last moments of his life, wanted to learn about the great things of God.

Another time, when we visited him and didn't bring him a gift, me and other visitors, he told us: "I want all of you, because you brought me to heaven. I want nothing else. Be aware of your body, my children, to keep them clean with regular Confession and frequent Communion."

When I asked him, at one time, "do you also pray for us, Elder?" he responded: "Yes, without ever stopping I pray for my visitors: Those who visited me from Chariseio Nursing Home protect, guard and keep, as well as me the sinner, the prodigal, the lice, who served you for 58 whole years, All-Holy Tomb of the Great King Christ."

He always put himself last in his prayers with quite humiliating epithets, which showed the true humility of the Elder.

He did the same thing when he submitted names for memorials. He would begin, first, with his enemies, then he would write those down whom he knew, then relatives, as well as friends and, lastly, he would write his own name with a number of humiliating epithets following his name.

He would often say to those who were sad or hopeless, who were not prepared: "Don't worry, because even after one sin, with devotion and heartfelt contrition, before our death, God can save us."

To every visitor, he would say the verbs "protect, guard and keep" and would make the sign of the cross over their heads. To his visitors he would often say, smiling: "Constantine, who brought you here, is the wickedest of all of you." And then, with a serious tone, he would say: "He does this because he loves God very much, which is why he carried you here." "Today", he would say, "we are, tomorrow who knows. May your mind always be on death and Paradise."

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Video: Passion Week On Mount Athos

This news report was done by George Theoharis from the Greek Mega channel. It shows how monks and ascetics of Mt. Athos celebrate Holy Week.

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