On May 5, 2024, the Feast of the Pascha of Christ, a solemn divine service at the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem was presided over by Blessed Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine. His Beatitude was accompanied by a host of bishops of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, clergy of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood, and clergy from among the pilgrims.
The service was conducted in Greek, Arabic, Church Slavonic, Romanian, Georgian and Moldovan languages. Many pilgrims from all parts of the Orthodox world prayed in the church.
From the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, Hegumen Nikon (Golovko), deputy head of the RSM, took part in the Easter service, the RSM website reported.
The RSM website reported.
On Easter night, services at Jerusalem's Trinity Cathedral were led by RDM chief archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev). In the cathedral was celebrated midnight vigil, during which the Shroud of the Savior was solemnly brought into the altar, and exactly at midnight began the Easter procession. Following the procession in Easter Matins and the Divine Liturgy were celebrated in the main Russian church of the Holy Land.
His Eminence was served by the staff of the Russian Orthodox Church: Hieromonk Tikhon (Proyaev), Hieromonk Philotheus (Artyushin), Deacon Macarius Petukhov and pilgrims in the clergy. The temple was full of those praying.
During the Liturgy, the riddle from the Gospel of John was read in different languages.
Before Communion, the Easter message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was read.
Before Communion, the Easter message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was read.
After the end of the service, parishioners and pilgrims of the Trinity Cathedral were invited to the refectory of the Russian Orthodox Church for an Easter feast.
After the service, the parishioners and pilgrims of the Trinity Cathedral were invited to the refectory of the Russian Orthodox Church for an Easter meal.
At around 2 p.m. on May 5, a solemn procession of Greek clergy made its way from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to the Church of the Resurrection, where Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem presided over the service of Great Vespers with the Easter rite.
At the end of the service, the Greek clergy and pilgrims were invited to attend the Great Vespers with the Easter rite.
From the Russian Orthodox Church Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), Hegumen Nikon (Golovko) and Hieromonk Tikhon (Proyaev) took part in the service.
The special feature of the service is the reading of the Gospel conception in different languages. According to ancient church tradition, on this day, under the vaults of the Katholikon, at the door of the emptied Life-bearing Tomb, twelve different languages were read in twelve different languages. The words about the appearance of the risen Savior to the disciples were read: «On the same first day of the week in the evening, when the doors of the house where His disciples were gathered were locked for fear from the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you.
The reading of the Gospel passage in Church Slavonic was performed by Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev).
EVCS Communication Service/Patriarchy.ru
