On Sunday 18th January, the day on which our Church honours its two Great Alexandrian Fathers, Ss Athanasios and Kyrillos, their memory was celebrated with due solemnity at the Holy Church of St Athanasios in Benoni, South Africa by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa with a festal Divine Liturgy.
Present at the Divine Liturgy were the Ambassadors of Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Serbia, Romania, as well as the Consuls of these countries. Also present at the Divine Liturgy was the Ambassador of Egypt.
Also there were the Chairman of the Federation of Hellenic Communities of South Africa, Chairmen of many Communities and Brotherhoods as well as many faithful who had congregated at the Church from early on.
During his homily His Beatitude spoke of the two Great Fathers of the Orthodox Church and his Predecessors on the Alexandrian Throne, emphasized those elements which made them truly Great, their faith in God, their love for Jesus Christ and our All Holy Virgin, whom they championed and proclaimed genuinely and theologically, not sparing labour and not shying away from adversity and persecution.
He asked of all the faithful to preserve the Orthodox faith of their fathers and not to fear the difficulties of life.
Facing the holy icon opposite the Throne which depicts Christ holding the hand of Peter with little faith, pulling him through the waves, he addressed the faithful and said: “So you too should not shy away from the adversities, the difficulties, the waves of life. Only faith in Jesus will bring serenity and calm. Always have faith in Him and the tempestuous sea of life will be quieted”.
He wished everyone a Good Year, peaceful, full of health and success.
