With the traditional modesty and simple liturgical dignity characteristic of the Constantinopolitan Church, the liturgical life in picturesque Neochorion continued throughout Holy and Great Week.
On the evenings of Palm Sunday, Great Monday, and Great Tuesday, the Bridegroom Services were celebrated at the Church of Saint Nicholas.
On Great Wednesday, at the Church of Saint George, one of the dependencies of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in the Queen of Cities, the Sacrament of Holy Unction was celebrated with the participation of many faithful.
On Great Thursday morning, Matins and Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great were celebrated at the Church of Panagia Koumariotissa, and in the evening of the same day, the Service of the Holy Passion was held in the church filled with faithful.
On Great Friday morning, the Royal Hours and the Vespers of the Deposition of Christ from the Cross were celebrated, and in the evening, the Service of the Lamentations and the procession of the Epitaphios took place in the courtyard of the church. Both services were held at the Church of Panagia Koumariotissa.
On Great Saturday morning, at the same church filled with faithful, Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great were celebrated, with the hymn “Arise, O God…” chanted with particular emotion.
Late in the evening, at the same church, the Service of the Resurrection of our Lord and the Paschal Divine Liturgy were celebrated. The “Patriarchal Encyclical for Holy Pascha” was read, and during the distribution of the antidoron, traditional red eggs and cheese were offered. This was followed by a festive meal and the exchange of Paschal greetings in the parish hall.
On Bright Friday, 17 April, the feast of the Life-Giving Spring, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the right aisle of the Church of Saint Nicholas, where there is a second holy altar dedicated to the wondrous miracles of the Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia, Patriarchal Overseer of the Bosphorus District. Among those present were approximately 50 members of the music, dance, and folklore group “Perperouna.” A Paschal reception followed, during which the members of the group sang and danced in the community hall. The artistic programme continued later in the afternoon with great enthusiasm at the “Çamlık” park of Neochorion.
On Thomas Sunday, 19 April, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of Panagia Koumariotissa, where there is an ornate shrine housing the holy icon of the Apostle Thomas, an offering of the “guild of fine craftsmen” dating from 1835, with the same hierarch officiating. A reception followed in the community hall.
The Community of Neochorion greets all its parishioners, visitors, friends, and supporters with the triumphant proclamation “Christ is Risen,” and prays that their lives may bear witness everywhere that “Truly the Lord is Risen.”
