Vespers for the Nativity of the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God by the Patriarch of Alexandria

With particular splendor in a full church on the evening of Tuesday, September 7 2021, His Beatitude Theodoros II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, officiated at and preached the Homily at the dignified Great Vespers, in the historic Holy Church of Saint Sava the Sanctified in Nicosia, which houses the Exarchate of the Alexandrian Throne in Cyprus.

Many believers gathered at the dependency of our Patriarchate to celebrate the great feast of the Mother of God but also to receive Patriarchal prayers and blessings from the Primate of Alexandria.

Many were those who arrived at the Holy Church presenting breads for the Artoklasia of Vespers in honour of the Most Holy Virgin and mother of all mankind.

In his homily to the faithful, His Beatitude expressed his joy for the presence of the people in the Church of St Savvas, while he praised the need of the people to feel close to the Most Holy Virgin. " My children, the reason we have gathered at these beautiful Vespers for the Mother of God is to praise our own mother. It is to open our hearts and say, All Holy Virgin, thank you for everything. All Holy Virgin, come to us, to our thoughts, to our sufferings, to our diseases, to our difficulties but also to our joys. Because if we have you with us, our joy becomes greater, our homes have a blessing, and even more so this blessed island of our All Holy Virgin, Cyprus, as tomorrow is the Feast Day of the All Holy Virgin of Kykkos.

The Primate of Alexandria then went on to emphasize the joy that the Mother of God's Birthday spreads in the Church, while he did not fail to mention the parents of the Theotokos. Joachim and Anna, who will be honoured by our Church as a continuation of today's Feast of the Mother of God, on Thursday.

His Beatitude then spoke about the apostolic nature of the Churches of Alexandria and Cyprus since the Founding of both Churches is due to Mark and Barnabas respectively.

In closing his homily, our Patriarch, in view of the feast of the armed forces, prayed that our All Holy Virgin would give many blessings to the blessed island of Cyprus. "The All Holy Virgin, day and night, raises her hands and pleads for all of us. You have the blessing of Christ. Many years to our Cyprus.

Tomorrow a Doxology will be sung, for the national anniversary on our island to thank the Champion Leader for the blessings she gave to the whole world. And to ask her to give many blessings to the blessed island of Cyprus as well”.

After the end of Vespers, His Beatitude gave out the artos and small icons of Ss. Gabriel and Kyrmidolis, New Martyrs of the city of Cairo.