The Feast of Saint Theodore the Recruit at the Patriarchate
On Saturday of the 1st Week of Lent, 7/20 March 2021, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the boiled wheat miracle by Saint Theodore the Recruit, at the Holy Monastery dedicated to him, which is located on the West side of the Patriarchate Headquarters towards the New Gate.
On this feast, the Church commemorates that Saint Theodore the Recruit appeared to Archbishop Eudoxios of Constantinople in a dream and advised him that the faithful Christians should eat boiled wheat, food used in his hometown Euhaita, in order to avoid being contaminated by the food that Julian the Transgressor had mixed with food offerings to idols. That way, the Christians were protected from sinning by eating contaminated food.
For this feast Vespers in the afternoon and the Divine Liturgy in the morning were officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, with co-celebrants the Hagiotaphite Archimandrites Mattheos and Kallistos, the Arab-speaking Priests Nectarios and George and Hierodeacon Eulogios. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon, as the services were attended by faithful Christians of the Holy City.
During the Divine Liturgy, H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos visited the Monastery for veneration.
His Beatitude, the Hagiotaphite Entourage and the congregation were offered a reception at the end of the Liturgy by the Typikon Keeper and Hegoumen of the Monastery Archimandrite Alexios.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem
