On Friday, January 5, 2024, on the eve of Epiphany, when the temperature reached -11 degrees Celsius, the Vespers service was celebrated in St. George’s Cathedral in Stockholm, followed by the Sacred Liturgy of St. Basil. , the Swedish capital Cleopas and all of Scandinavia preside over Colostasia.
Immediately after the Divine Liturgy, he also celebrated the service of the Great Blessing of the Waters.
The Greek Ambassador to Sweden, Ms. Ekaterini Foundouraki, was on hand for the service.
On Epiphany Day, Metropolitan Cleopas celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. George’s Cathedral in Stockholm, assisted by the cathedral’s parish priests, Archdeacon Bartholomew Iatridis and Deacon George Arvanitides. celebrated.
According to the liturgical tradition of this day, just before the service of the Great Blessing of Waters, Metropolitan Cleopas asked all the children in attendance to come forward and hold vessels of water to be consecrated. I asked everyone to form a circle around the table. They observed the service of immersing the Holy Cross in water, during which he explained to them the details of the service.
That afternoon, Metropolitan Cleopas traveled to Denmark and celebrated the Holy Scriptures on Synaxis Sunday of St. John the Forerunner in the parish of St. George Ioannina, Roskilde, with the assistance of Bishop Sosipatros Stephanoudis.
Greece’s Ambassador to Denmark, Frangiskos Kostelenos, also attended the service with his wife.
In his homily, the Metropolitan praised the attendance and participation of children and young couples in the day’s services and reminded the entire congregation of the importance of this feast day in the life of the Church and in the course of human events.
After the Divine Liturgy, in accordance with local custom, the entire congregation headed to the adjacent lake in a temperature of -11 degrees Celsius, where the service of the Immersion of the Holy Cross was held with Mr. Periklis Lentopoulos. Rose retrieves the cross from the water.
All those present then returned to the church hall, where the Metropolitan blessed Vasilopita, offered a small pectoral cross as a blessing to Mr. Lentopoulos, and blessed the meal, which was generously provided by Mr. Michael Brilakis of Crete.
During the luncheon, young people and women from the congregation sang traditional holiday carols.
