The Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos at the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem
On Monday, 25th March / 7th April 2025, the Patriarchate celebrated the Theotokos’ Feast of the Annunciation. On this feast, the Church commemorates the event when the Archangel Gabriel, who had previously appeared in the Old Testament as the angel of the Mighty God, visited the maiden Mary in Nazareth and announced to her that, by the Holy Spirit, she would conceive and bear the Son of God, the awaited Messiah. In response, despite her confusion and fear, Mary answered: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38, KJV), revealing the holy pattern of humility and obedience by which the mind and sin of the former Eve were overcome, and the way was opened for the incarnation of the Son of God, in accordance with the divine plan for the regeneration and salvation of humankind. Thus, Mary revealed to the world that she is indeed the highly favoured Virgin, of whom the Prophet Isaiah had prophesied: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, KJV).
This feast marks a turning point in human history and embraces all of humanity. By demonstrating such humility, the Virgin Mary calls all people to recognise her Son, Christ, and thus she becomes more honourable than the Cherubim and more glorious than the Seraphim. This universal character was present in the celebration of the Annunciation at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which was as follows:
At the Shrine of the Annunciation in Nazareth in Northern Israel, at the Holy Metropolis of Nazareth, where our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Theophilos, travelled with his esteemed entourage. There, His Beatitude was warmly welcomed by His Eminence Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, with the Scouts leading the procession along the road from the Holy Metropolis to the exact site of the Annunciation, where the Church of the Annunciation stands.
The Divine Liturgy followed in the outdoor area of the Church, presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the Honorary President of the Middle East Council, with the co-celebration of their Eminences; Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Metropolitan Hesychios of Kapitolias, and the Archbishop Damaskinos of Yaffo, along with the Holy Sepulchre monks, led by the first-ranked Elder, Archimandrite Nektarios, and the Archimandrites Leondios, Silouanos, and Christodoulos, and the representative of the Patriarchate of Moscow, the head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Vassianos, priests from the region of Nazareth and Acre, as well as priests from the Orthodox brotherhood of Churches, the Archdeacon Mark, and Hierodeacons Eulogios and Simeon. The chanting was delivered in Greek by the Byzantine choir of the late Balogiorgos from the Holy Metropolis of Trikala and in Arabic by the choir of the Holy Metropolis of Nazareth, with the participation of Orthodox faithful and pilgrims, in the presence of the General Consul of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, the Ambassador of Greece to Israel, Mrs Solomou, the Honorary Consul of Haifa, Mr Konstantinos Zinovios, the Ambassador of Russia to Israel, Mr Anatoly Viktorov, and other diplomatic representatives from Russia, representatives from the Franciscan and Anglican Churches, Arabic-speaking mass media, and representatives from the Patriarchate’s media, with many faithful from various regions of Israel, monks, and devout pilgrims…
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This news was originally published on the website of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, click here to read more.