With Ecclesiastical order and the appropriate splendor, today, Sunday, November 24, the day on which the Church celebrates the sacred memory of our Holy Father among the Saints, Saint Gregory Palamas Archbishop of Thessalonica, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated, officiated by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, at the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of our Venerable and God-bearing Father Savvas the Sanctified, in the City of Alexander the Great and Queen of the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria in Egypt, in the presence of Priests from the Patriarchal Court and Faithful Christians.
Before the end of the Divine Liturgy His Beatitude the Patriarch consecrated to the Office of Elder Sacristan of the Patriarchates and the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas the Sanctified, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Pavlos Iosifides, whom he congratulated for his general contribution to the Church, his Theological and musicological knowledge and particularly for his preaching and spiritual work, at the same time expressing his Patriarchal pleasure for his continuation of this work at the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas.
Briefly describing the duties of the Elder Sacristan, he pointed out that it is an Office, which was awarded for the last time in 1671, in other words almost four centuries ago, by his late Predecessor Patriarch Paisios and after so many years, it was awarded again on this day.
His Beatitude then expressed fervent gratitude to the Prelate till now of the Elder Sacristan, His Eminence Barnabas Metropolitan of Neapolis and Stavropolis, with whom His Beatitude is spiritually connected for many years, for the enormous support he has given over so many years to the missionary efforts of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in all corners of Africa.
A reception was then held in the Great Hall of the Patriarchal Monastery.
CURRICULUM VITAE OF THE ELDER SACRISTAN PAVLOS IOSIFIDIS
The Very reverend Archimandrite Pavlos Iosifidis, was born in the year 1954 in Damiano Giannitsa. He was tonsured a Monk in 1971 on Mount Athos. After receiving his Degree in Theology from the Theological Faculty of the Aristotelian University of Thessalonica, he was ordained Deacon in 1977 and then Priest in 1983, receiving the Office of Archimandrite, by the late Metropolitan Dionysios of Neapolis and Stavropolis. As Priest he served at the Holy Church of St Panteleimon for 25 years. He participated in Ecclesiastical missions and is a colleague of His Eminence Barnabas Metropolitan of Neapolis and Stavropolis in many fields, holds a degree in Byzantine music, having first learned this with Hieromonk Thomas Mikragiannanitou. Seconded to the Ancient patriarchate by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, he was appointed on 24th March 2019 as Elder Sacristan of the Patriarchates and the Holy Monastery of St Savvas the Sanctified.
