At the midpoint of the Feast, quench my thirsty soul with the waters of piety, for You, O Savior, have called out to all: Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. O Christ God, Fountain of Life, glory to You. .
(Dismissal Hymn of Mid-Pentecost)
Truly sweet, refreshing, and life-giving is the water of piety, which flows from the unity of the Church in Christ, nourishing the souls of the faithful whose only longing is for love and the freedom of the spirit. These streams of grace-filled unity, shared with the entire Orthodox fullness, have been bathing our Holy Church for one year now, since on May 9 of last year, the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople, under the paternal leadership of His Divine All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, made the decision to restore the liturgical and canonical unity of the sacred Archdiocese of Ohrid with the entire Orthodox oikoumene. And behold, exactly on the anniversary of that blessed and God-given event, by God’s providence, we were visited by a hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Imbros and Tenedos, Kyrillos, who stayed in our country for several days at the invitation of our esteemed Metropolitan of Debar and Kichevo, His Eminence Timothy, as a precious guest. Together, they celebrated the commemoration of the Great Martyr of universal renown—Saint George the Trophy-Bearer. Before departing for his sacred Metropolis of Imbros, Metropolitan Kyrillos visited our Monastery, where, along with our beloved Elder, the Bishop of Antania Parthenius, and our monastic brotherhood, we celebrated the anniversary of the historic decision at the all-radiant Phanar.
And how could we more fittingly celebrate this immeasurable mercy of God than by being united in the love of God around the one Cup of the Lord, in the Divine Eucharist? Therefore, this very thing took place: a joint service of the bloodless sacrifice of Christ at today’s Holy Liturgy, served by both hierarchs, His Eminence Kyrillos of Imbros and His Grace Parthenius of Antania, in concelebration with the Archimandrites of Bigorski Monastery, Kyrillos and Anatolios, as well as the Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, Alexander Dimovski, and Hieromonk Nikodimos, who came from Ohrid for this occasion with the blessing of His Eminence Timothy of Debar and Kichevo.
After the completion of the liturgical mystery, which once again was a living revelation and real experience of Paschal joy, a solemn doxology—a glorification of God—was held in honor of the anniversary of the establishment of church unity. On this occasion, Elder Bishop Parthenius addressed Metropolitan Kyrillos with the following words:
Your Eminence, Holy Metropolitan of Imbros and Tenedos, Kyrillos,
Reverend Brothers in Monasticism,
Beloved Faithful,
In the New Testament book of Acts of the Apostles, which according to the liturgical order of the Church is read precisely during this period following the glorious Resurrection of Christ, among the many beautiful narratives, the author, the Apostle and Evangelist Luke, recounts the missionary journeys of the Apostle Philip. When he entered a certain Samaritan city, the narrator tells us, great joy came to that city (cf. Acts 8:8).
Our beloved brother and fellow servant in Christ, Holy Bishop of Imbros and Tenedos, today great joy has come to this spiritual city of the Honorable Forerunner as well, because you have entered it, bringing us the blessing and love of the First-Throned Mother Church from Constantinople and of the beloved and All-Holy Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Indeed, love and unity in Christ are the most powerful driving forces that order the affairs of the Church and attract the wonders and magnificence of God. Is not your very presence here, precisely on the anniversary of the historic decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to restore the liturgical and canonical unity of the most-holy Archdiocese of Ohrid, a fruit of that love and of Christ’s own prayer and desire that all may be one (cf. John 17:21)? Therefore, great are the mercy and blessing of God upon us, that we have you with us today as a spiritual son and fragrant offering from our great benefactor, His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, after you were a guest for several days in our holy city of Ohrid, at the invitation of our esteemed and holy Metropolitan of Debar and Kichevo, His Eminence Timothy, who takes special care for the unity of the Church. We rejoice and give thanks to God that we had the honor to celebrate together with you the feast of the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer at the solemn procession in Struga, a beloved saint of the people, who is also the patron of the venerable Patriarchal Church in the Phanar—the beacon of Orthodoxy, from which the light of the knowledge of God has been received by many peoples, including our own.
Today, we also celebrate the Mid-Pentecost of the Feast of Pascha, and in the midst of this Paschal rejoicing, we gratefully remember the anniversary of the joyful good news from Constantinople, from the Mother Church of Enlightenment, which brought joy and peace to the countless souls of generations upon generations of clergy, monks, and believers who had long awaited its fulfillment. For unity in the Church, through the honoring of the First Throne in Orthodoxy—Constantinople, which is established by the sacred canons and decrees of the Holy Ecumenical Councils, represents, at the same time, unity with the world of the saints, where the Head is Christ Himself. And this blessed unity was achieved through the prayers and holy longing of these souls we have mentioned, through the wise and responsible action of our esteemed Archbishop Stephen and the holy hierarchs, who in 2018 sought an appeal from the First-Throned Church, an appeal which was welcomed and supported by our statesmen as well, and undoubtedly through the enlightenment, magnanimity, and paternal care of the All-Holy Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who, together with his hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, accepted the appeal of our Church and state. Moreover, guided by canonical law and history and moved by Christ’s desire that all may be one, through the wisdom and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, the All-Holy Patriarch, as in many cases before, showed himself to be a careful and caring physician, who knows how to heal even the deepest wounds with the balm of Christ’s love. We thank God that the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was respected by most of the local Churches and that, by its blessing and recommendation, we have resolved the majority of the administrative misunderstandings with the sister Church of Serbia, which, for its part, has recommended our Church as ready for autocephaly, leaving only the matter of integrating the sacred clergy of the autonomous Church under Archbishop Jovan.
We rejoice that we have the opportunity once again, through you, to express our gratitude to the All-Holy Patriarch, to the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to you personally, as a great champion of unity in the Church and as a laborer of God’s love, and to all those who brotherly helped and contributed to the healing of the festering wounds of the schism in which our Church found itself for more than half a century. We know that some of God’s people made truly great sacrifices and endured severe blows and scorn from the adversary of salvation to bring about the desired unity, and therefore our prayers are constantly with them, that the righteous Judge may inscribe their names in the Book of Life.
We are especially honored and privileged to have been given the opportunity to reciprocate, Your Eminence, according to our strength and means, for the hospitality with which you welcomed and hosted our brothers in your Sacred Metropolis on Palm Sunday. There, on the saint-bearing Imbros, the birthplace of the All-Holy Patriarch, under your protection and with your efforts, and with the blessing of our Most Blessed Archbishop Stephen and the relevant Eminent Metropolitan Timothy, abundant blessings, sacred honors, and dignities were poured out for our Church and our monastic community, which after nearly two hundred years, following the shining presence of the Bigorski monk Anatolios, has once again been deemed worthy to have Archimandrites on the Ecumenical Throne—two of our monks. What could we say about this work of love that surpasses human bounds? And how could we adequately repay the honor bestowed upon us? We can only promise you that in our hearts and prayers we will forever and with gratitude cherish the name of the All-Holy Ecumenical Patriarch, your name, and the names of all those who made these great honors possible for us.
Finally, we humbly ask you to convey to His All-Holiness our deepest thanks and sacred gratitude for the care and love he has shown as the true Father of the Orthodox. Indeed, it is a blessing and an honor to live in his time. And to you, Holy Bishop, we wish good health and grace-filled strength from God, so that you may continue with great achievements in the cross-resurrection arena to attain Christ’s crown of victory.
Many Years!
As a response, Elder Metropolitan Kyrillos, with love and gratitude shining from his face, expressed the following words:
Most Reverend Bishop, Holy Bishop of Antania, Parthenius, beloved, cherished, and holy brother in Christ,
Honored Fathers, Most Reverend Archimandrites of the Ecumenical Throne,
Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne,
Honored Fathers, dear brothers and sisters, and beloved nuns,
At the midpoint of the Feast, during the very Feast itself, I find myself once again here, in your beautiful homeland, in this very lovely place. I have come at the invitation of your Most Reverend shepherd, His Eminence Timothy, Metropolitan of Debar and Kichevo. I have come at the gracious invitation of the Holy Metropolitan of Debar and Kichevo and with the blessing of His Divine All-Holiness, our Ecumenical Patriarch, to celebrate that great and universal Saint of our Church, Saint George. I was deeply moved by the honor and love the people showed toward this great Saint, and by the events held in his honor, culminating in the grand procession in Struga. Once again, I extend my thanks to your Most Reverend Metropolitan and shepherd.
It was impossible for me not to come to Bigorski, to meet our beloved Elder and all of you holy and venerable persons, and to serve together on the Feast of Mid-Pentecost. For the first time, I am serving with the clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate—Archimandrite Kyrillos, Archimandrite Anatolios, Protopresbyter Fr. Alexander, and our dear Fr. Nikodimos, who came from Ohrid today so that we may all serve together. Truly, today’s Divine Liturgy was a blessing from God, but it was also a blessing because, as the Holy Bishop of Antania has said, today is a jubilee Divine Liturgy. We celebrate, glorify, and praise the name of the All-Holy God, because exactly one year ago, yesterday, our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and our Holy Synod made the decision—despite all the difficulties and obstacles that some people set and continue to set—to right a wrong and restore communion with you, after you had been marginalized for so many years as schismatic clergy. After so many years of isolation, loneliness, punishment, accusations, and slander, you once again became part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. The Patriarch, with the courage and boldness that he possesses, overcame all obstacles and moved forward. He saw the traps, and he even knows those that are being set now, but trusting in the Archdiocese of Ohrid, he knows that this Church will not once again betray the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We hope that Archbishop Stephen of Ohrid and the hierarchs are striving and working to put things in order, so that the practical difficulties that had become entrenched for so many years may be overcome. We hope to surpass these challenges and arrive at the long-desired moment when the Archdiocese of Ohrid will receive from the honorable hands of the Ecumenical Patriarch the Tome of Autocephaly.
When, once upon a time, the disciples of the Apostles, speaking of Christ, said: I am with the Apostle Paul, I am with the Apostle Peter, I am with Cephas, the Apostle Paul said to them, “Is Christ divided?” Is Christ divided, or does He split into parts? Likewise today, we must overcome these snares. We are neither of the Russians, nor of the Serbs, nor of the Africans, nor of the Europeans, nor of the Americans, but we are all of Christ. Christ is the Head of the Church, and under Him are all of us who desire to be true Christians. On earth, God established the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the First Throne among the Orthodox—not to oppress others, but to serve, to love, to support all local Churches. Throughout history, for so many years, the Ecumenical Patriarchate granted autocephaly and patriarchal dignity to Russia, granted autocephaly and patriarchal dignity to Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia, granted autocephalies to Albania, Greece, the Czech lands, and so many other Churches! Most recently, it made the bold and significant decision to grant autocephaly to Ukraine—a land that, unfortunately, is now scourged by a war between Orthodox Christian brothers. For many years, they sought to attain their own autocephaly, to live as free people, and the Patriarch granted them this opportunity, just as he granted it to you with the recognition of your canonicity.
With much prayer, love for all, and humility, we will continue to strive together, to pray and labor, so that all these divisions may vanish from our Church. So that it may truly be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church for all of us. When we stand before the Royal Doors and say, “Let us love one another,” let us be able to embrace everyone, one another. Let us give the kiss of love and commune together in the unity of the Body and Blood of Christ.
We congratulate the Archdiocese of Ohrid. We wish and pray that all things may come into their proper order, and that the Tome of Autocephaly may be granted, so that this day may become a jubilee day of joy and celebration for all the people of this land.
Once again, my beloved Elder, I thank you for everything! Honored Fathers, my dear brothers, know that in your presence, I feel as if I am at home, in my own Metropolis. Unfortunately, we do not have monasteries, neither for men nor for women, to experience this love, this warmth, this beauty. We once had them, but they were burned, blown up, and destroyed. Glory be to God for everything!
Christ is risen!
