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During Great Vespers for the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos on September 8, 2014 in the Church of Panagia Eleousa in Legrena Sounio, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Mesogaia and Lavriotiki was given a gift of an episcopal omophorion and epitrachelion from the parish priest Fr. Irenaios Georgopoulos as a thank you for his visit. His Eminence responded to this generous gift as follows:
"With so many shrines and churches I have in my Metropolis, if accept the gifts I will die and they will find my Metropolis full of epitrachelia, omophoria and engolpia. I will leave it in the church so that at every festival when a Hierarch liturgizes, even myself, they can wear it.
I will confess to you that I want to die and for my Metropolis to be found empty. I committed at my ordination to say the following: Somewhere Saint John Chrysostom says that the Priest must be more poor than the faithful, and the Bishop more poor than the Priests, and we must do this."
He then addressed the altar boys and stressed that Hierarchs must give gifts, "which is why I am giving you each a gift of a stole so you will all be uniform."
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
