The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrates the Feast of the deposition of the Relic of the Holy Great Martyr George the trophy-bearer

This news is shared from the website of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On Saturday, November 3/16, 2024, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the memory of the deposition of the holy relic of Saint George the Trophy Bearer to the Holy Land.

During this celebration, the whole Church, especially the one in Jerusalem, remembers that Saint George was a military officer, a Cappadocian by father and a Palestinian by mother and that he went to Rome to obtain higher military positions. Moving to Rome, he saw the persecution and torture of Christians and confessed his faith. Consequently, he was tortured and martyred by Diocletian in AD 305.

Before his martyrdom, he pledged to his servant to transport his remains to his native Lydda. Obedient to this command, the servant brought his relic to Lydda, which the Christians preserved, until piety shone upon the reign of the glorious king and equal-to-the-apostles Saint Constantine. His mother, Saint Helen, came to the Holy Land and erected great Churches, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Basilica of Bethlehem, she also erected a magnificent Church on the Tomb of Saint George in Lydda, which has been a shrine of the Patriarchate until today.

In honour of this event a great solemn Liturgy was officiated by His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, with co-celebrants their Eminences, the Archbishops, Damascene of Yaffo and Aristarchos of Constantina, Archimandrite Alexios, who was first in the rank of the Priests, Priests from various areas of the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate and the Head of the Russian MISSIA, Archimandrite Vassianos. His Beatitude received a warm welcome from the Scouts and the congregation, who also attended the service, under the hospitality of the Hegoumen Archimandrite Markellos.

Before the Holy Communion, His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“As the husbandry tilled by Christ, as the one valiant in martyrdom, let us sing the praises of wise and noble George, the fearless preacher of truth, the ever-living and verdant branch that doth blossom with the fruit of the Vine of eternal life and that welleth up with the sweet wine of piety and gladdeneth those faithfully observing the Martyr’s yearly memorial” (Matis, praises, Troparion 1), the hymnographer of the Church proclaims.

Beloved brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims

The grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us all today in the magnificent Cathedral of the Great Martyr George, to celebrate the commemoration of his Cathedral’s consecration and the deposition of his holy relic in his mother’s historic hometown.

“Wondrous and very great in all truth is the report of thine unspeakable martyrdom” George, his hymnographer proclaims. Today’s celebrated George is distinguished among the “compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses” (C.f. Hebrews 12,1), whose martyrdom of blood is inextricably linked with Christ’s witness during his confession to Pilate: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18,37)…

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This news was originally published on the website of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Please click here to read the full text.