Two-Day Anniversary celebrations at the Stockholm Cathedral

With peculiar splendor and spiritual reverence, the two-day day events of the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia were held, connected the juncture of the completion of 50 years since the transfer/donation of the Saint George Cathedral of Stockholm from the “Catholic Apostolic Church” to the Holy Metropolis of Sweden of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; an lawsuit constituting a historical and spiritual landmark for the Orthodox beingness successful Sweden.

On Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, the work of the Resurrectional Vespers took place, presided implicit by His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Elaia.

Subsequently, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Bartholomew, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou connected Mount Athos, delivered a spiritual code entitled: “The Dynamics of Prayer successful the Contemporary Era.”

The code was distinguished by its theological depth, highlighting the value of ecclesiastical offering, tradition, and the surviving religion of Mount Athos, arsenic a preeminent spot of supplication successful the modern world.

The inspired code of the Holy Abbot moved the assemblage and highlighted the timeless radiance of Athonite monasticism arsenic a beacon of spirituality.

In his effect of thanks, His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia stated, among different things:

“Most Reverend Holy Abbot, we convey you from the depths of our hearts for responding to the invitation of the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia and for honoring with your beingness the celebrations of the fiftieth day of the Saint George Cathedral of Stockholm, a ineffable spot of peculiar humanities and spiritual significance, arsenic 50 years are present completed since its transportation and donation to our section Church.

Your beingness successful the North constitutes not lone an honor, but besides a important reinforcement of the pastoral and missionary enactment of our Metropolis.

We explicit our deepest gratitude for your prayerful enactment toward the Holy Metropolis of Sweden, which constitutes a surviving enslaved of emotion and unity betwixt Mount Athos and the Orthodox Diaspora.”

A reception followed successful the Cathedral Fellowship Hall, successful grant of the invited guests and attendees. The mentation of the refreshments was undertaken by Mrs. Alexandra Zorpidou, Mrs. Olga Karapanagiotidou, Mrs. Aikaterini Kalvatzis, Mrs. Spyridoula Karakatsani, Mrs. Maria Mylona, and Mrs. Ioanna Skondra, to whom our hearfelt acknowledgment are expressed.

The day celebrations for the aureate jubilee of the Saint George Cathedral of Stockholm culminated successful the solemn concelebrated Divine Liturgy (with 2 bishops), connected the Fourth Sunday aft Pascha, May 3, 2026, presided implicit by His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas, with the information of His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Elaia; the Very Reverend Archimandrites Bartholomew, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou connected Mount Athos, and Demetrios Koukoulekidis; the Reverend Protopresbyter Nikolaos Rigas, Assistant Priest of the Parish of Apostle Cleopas successful Kalmar; portion praying successful the Holy Altar was the Reverend Presbyter Georgios Kanakaris, Dean of the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos successful Oslo.

The hymns were chanted by the unpaid chanters Dr. Andreas Selamsis, Dr. Georgios Sidiras, Mr. Isaak Isaksson, Mr. Ilias Gergi, Mr. Miltos Soultanis, Ms. Eliana Antoniou, and different members of the Cathedral’s Byzantine Choir.

In summation to the ample congregation, authoritative representatives of different Christian Denominations and Christian Confessions were besides present: the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See successful Sweden, His Excellency Archbishop Julio Murat; the Roman Catholic Cardinal of Stockholm, His Eminence Anders Arborelius; His Grace Bishop Anba Abakir of the Coptic Church, who offered to His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas commemorative gifts, namely a blessing Cross and an icon of Christ; arsenic good arsenic representatives of the “Catholic Apostolic Church.”

Also contiguous were Her Excellency the Ambassador of Greece to Sweden, Ms. Ekaterini Fountoulaki; His Excellency the Ambassador of Cyprus to Sweden, Mr. Solon Savva; the Archons Offikialioi of the Great Church of Christ, Messrs. Rafail Poumeyrau and Fredrik Styrlander; Mrs. Kyriaki Papadopoulou and Fotini Batsela, Members of the Metropolis Executive Board; the existent and erstwhile Presidents of the Greek School of Stockholm, Messrs. Petros Anastasiadis and Georgios Konstantinou, with their spouses; the physicians Dr. Alexandros Georgiadis and Dr. Vasiliki Kakani, Dr. Ioannis Rigopoulos and Dr. Katerina Tzovla; erstwhile Members of Parliament Messrs. Nikos Papadopoulos and Roger Haddad; the President of the Panepirotic Society of Stockholm, Mr. Georgios Mokos; the entrepreneurs Messrs. Christos Meletis and Patrick Walsh; and different distinguished guests from Stockholm and Oslo.

The honorable beingness of each underscored the tone of dialogue, communal respect, and peaceful coexistence that is cultivated implicit clip successful Swedish society, highlighting the relation of the Church arsenic a span of connection and unity.

To the joyousness of this day solemnisation was added the elevation (cheirothesia) to the fertile of Protopresbyter, by His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas, of the until-now Reverend Economos Nikolaos Rigas, a unpaid clergyman of the Holy Metropolis, doc and Director of the Nephrology Department astatine the Hospital of Kalmar, Sweden, and astatine the aforesaid clip Assistant Priest of the section Parish of Apostle Cleopas, who was accompanied by his wife/Presbytera and their 2 children.

Within the model of these events, and instantly aft the Divine Liturgy and the memorial work for the founders (Ktetorikon Mnemosynon), the presumption of the Anniversary Volume/Commemorative Album was held by His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Elaia.

The measurement was authored by His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden successful Greek (800 pages) and English (620 pages), dedicated to the Saint George Cathedral of Stockholm, and published by the Ecclesiastical Organization/Publishing House of the Apostolic Diakonia of the Church of Greece, nether the attraction and supervision of its Director General, His Excellency Metropolitan Agathangelos of Fanarion, and his esteemed collaborators.

This work records the humanities people of the Cathedral, its publication to the enactment of the Orthodox Community successful Sweden, arsenic good arsenic important testimonies and archival material, with a affluent photographic appendix.

In his bilingual code during the publication presentation, His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas stated, among different things:

“With deepest emotion and doxology to the Triune God, we basal contiguous successful this ineffable Cathedral of the glorious Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer, successful bid to observe the completion of 50 years since the archetypal solemnisation of the Divine Liturgy successful this beatified place, arsenic good arsenic since its historical transportation to the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia.

This time does not represent simply an day celebration, but a surviving grounds of God’s providence successful the people of our section Church, for 50 years ago, amidst hard circumstances and constricted means, the foundations were laid of a spiritual beacon, which since past continuously illuminates the Orthodox faithful successful the countries of Scandinavia.

This Cathedral Church is not lone an architectural jewel successful the halfway of Stockholm, but supra each a ‘harbor of salvation and ark of grace,’ a spot wherever supplication meets history, wherever representation is transformed into hope, and wherever the Church becomes consolation for humankind.

Here was celebrated the archetypal Divine Liturgy successful the Greek language; generations were baptized; Holy Sacraments were celebrated; and the individuality of the Orthodox faithful was strengthened wrong a multicultural and demanding society.

During these two-day celebrations, with the Resurrectional Vespers, the theological code connected the dynamics of prayer, the hierarchical concelebration, the memorial work for the founders, and the presumption of the day volume, we experienced the unity of the Church arsenic the Body of Christ, which lives, prays, and records its travel done time.”

A repast followed successful the Cathedral Fellowship Hall, offered by the owners of the edifice Cypern, Messrs. Nikos Athanasiou and Sakis Kalpakas.

The Holy Metropolis of Sweden expresses its gratitude to Mr. Nikolaos Kitsios, who was liable for the unrecorded broadcast of the events via the Facebook leafage of the Holy Metropolis, arsenic good arsenic to each those who contributed to the palmy enactment of the events, and particularly to the participants and invited guests who honored this year’s historical day with their presence.

The completion of 50 years since the donation of the Cathedral of Saint George constitutes not lone an juncture for reflection, but besides a springboard for the continuation of the pastoral and spiritual enactment of the Orthodox Church successful Scandinavia for the adjacent 50 years.