A multi-day devotional and historical program will be hosted by the Church of Agia Varvara in Paralimni, focusing on the arrival of the holy icon of Saint George of Peristereotas and the venerable relics of Saint Kallinikos of Edessa.
The events will take place from Thursday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 20, combining the ecclesiastical honor of Saint George with the historical memory of Pontic Hellenism and the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus.
The reception of the holy icon of Saint George Peristereotas and the holy relics of Saint Kallinikos of Edessa will take place on Thursday, May 14, at 10:00 a.m., in the courtyard of the church of Saint Barbara in Paralimni. On the same day, at 6:15 p.m., Vespers will be celebrated and at 7:00 p.m., a Prayer to the Great Martyr George Peristereotas.
On Friday, May 15, the program begins in the morning with Matins and Divine Liturgy, from 6:30 to 8:15 a.m. In the evening, at 8:00 p.m., a Service with the blessings of the Holy Communion will be held, while at 8:30 p.m. the Salutations to Saint George the Trophy Bearer will follow. From 9:00 p.m. to 12:30 after midnight, a Vigil and Divine Liturgy will be held. During the vigil, the Most Reverend Archimandrite Fr. Maximos Hatzis will preach, referring to the life and the transfer of the relics of the modern Saint Kallinikos of Edessa.
On Saturday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m., a procession of the holy icon of Saint George of Peristereotas will take place in the Paralimni settlement, with the participation of the children of the Catechism School. In the afternoon, at 6:30 p.m., Vespers will be celebrated.
The program for Sunday, May 17, Blind Sunday, is particularly important. In the morning, at 6:30 a.m., Morning Prayer and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated, while a memorial service will be held for the 350.000 Greeks of Pontus who were exterminated during the Genocide.
In the afternoon of the same day, at 5:00 p.m., a treat of iced coffee and Ioannina sweets will be offered in the church yard, while there will also be a free discussion with Fr. Maximos Hatzis. At 6:00 p.m., an event dedicated to the Great Martyr George and his historic Monastery in Pontos will be held, coordinated by Panagiotis Kleanthis.
The event will be addressed by Archimandrite Fr. Maximos Hatzis, Protosyngellos of the Holy Metropolis of Edessa, Pella and Almopia, on the topic: “Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick…” – Aspects of the life and miracles of the Great Martyr George. It will be followed by a speech by educators Aristides Iordanidis and Aristides Kyriakides, on the topic: “The historic Monastery of Saint George of Peristereotas in Pontus and the moving story of the holy icon of the Great Martyr.”
On Monday, May 18, the program includes Matins and Divine Liturgy in the morning, while in the afternoon at 5:30 p.m. Vespers will be celebrated and at 6:15 p.m. A Prayer to the Great Martyr George Peristereotas. At 7:30 p.m. a historical documentary about the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus will be presented, in the multi-purpose hall of the Paralimni Lyceum "Nikos Kapetanidis".
The culmination of the events will take place on Tuesday, May 19, the day of remembrance of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus. In the morning, Morning Prayer and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated, while at 6:45 p.m. the icon of Saint George Peristereotas will be transferred to the inauguration site. At 7:00 p.m. the inauguration of the Central National Monument to the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus will take place, in the square that has been created next to the "Agia Varvara" park.
The program concludes on Wednesday, May 20, with Matins and Divine Liturgy at 6:15 a.m., a day on which the Easter Triduum is also commemorated. At 6:00 p.m. the departure of the icon of Saint George of Peristereota will take place and at 6:30 p.m. Vespers will be celebrated.
Source: pontovoice.gr
