THE THRONAL FEAST OF THE ALEXANDRIAN CHURCH

The Thronal Feast of the Church of the Alexandrines took place with devotion on 25th April 2023 on the occasion of the sacred memory of the Saint Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Enlightener, first Bishop and its Guardian.

At the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas the Sanctified a Divine Liturgy was served by His Eminence Panteleimon, Metropolitan of Naucratis, Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod, accompanied in prayer by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, as well as Their Eminences Metropolitan Elder Gabriel of Leontopolis, Patriarchal Vicar General, Narcissus of Pelusium, Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria and Germanos, Superior of the Holy Monastery. The Honourable Consul General of Greece Mr. Athanasios Kotsionis and representative=ves of community societies were also in attendance.

Afterwards His Beatitude received in the Throne Room a group of pilgrims from Greece, among them a group of pilgrims from Xanthi, led by His Eminence Panteleimon, Metropolitan of Xanthi and Peritheorion.

During his address, His Beatitude the Patriarch gratefully referred to the important contribution of the local Church of Xanthi – place of origin of his late blessed mother Cleopatra – to the work of the mission, awarding His Eminence the Metropolitan of Xanthi the Gold Cross of Saint Savvas the Sanctified with a Star.

In his reply, the Metropolitan of Xanthi thanked His Beatitude for the honor bestowed upon him, while he described the missionary activities of Holy Metropolis of Xanthi in Africa, pointing out the importance of the Apostolic work in the continent of the future.

The festive gathering was concluded with the celebratory speech of the day by the Chief Secretary, His Eminence Panteleimon of Naucratis, who mentioned, among other things:  “We honor the sacred memory of our Holy Apostle and at the same time those people, who with missionary zeal, philanthropic attitude and kindness always contribute to the daily arduous work of our Patriarchate, from the surplus or deficit of their hearts. They practice and embody Christian love with their lives.

And today we celebrate something special and particularly interesting for our mental benefit and progress. The presentation of the likable person of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark from patristic tradition has many messages to offer and to teach in today’s times. Messages that have to do with our faith in God, the way we believe and express ourselves and our relationship with our fellow man. Faith as a way of life, faith not as a frivolous confession and external behavior, but as a deeper and essential experience and daily self-sacrifice, practical life and attitude, beneficial creativity and cross-resurrected witness…

From the first moment of his ascension, by the grace of God, to the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria, our Blessed Father and Primate, Pope Theodore II, had as his sole and main concern the promotion, increase, coordination and further organization of the Missionary and humanitarian work of our Patriarchate. Work that is carried out so subtly, quietly, modestly but with a good will, a zealous effort to contribute to our fellow man, a work that is inspired by the sacrificial love of the Crucified and Resurrected Jesus.

It is true that insurmountable issues constantly arise regarding the organization, financing and manning of the mission, the training of the staff, the translation into the local dialects of the sacred and liturgical texts, the lurking comparability, the sometimes weak human nature and even evil. These issues have always existed and will always exist because mission means contribution through the management of a living but above all fluid and changeable reality in all the fifty-five states that make up the African continent..

Concluding our humble thoughts, we firmly believe that hope and vision, even if their course is temporarily blocked by difficulties and obstacles, always find outlets for expression and realization even under the most adverse conditions. The hope and vision will be summed up, under the inspired guidance of our Blessed Pope and Patriarch, the Patriarch of Love, in the triptych: intact preservation of the orthodox Apostolic legacy and teaching, organic implantation of it in the African land thirsty for spiritual rebirth and transformation, through this, of the life of the African peoples”.

It is noted that the Blessed Primate of the Alexandrian Church received the wishes of His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the Enthronement Feast telephonically.