Yesterday evening, August 17, 2024, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over the Great Vespers of Consecration of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His Eminence led the Holy Rites of Consecration with His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit and St. Nicholas parish priest Nicolaos Kotsis, entombing the Holy Relics of Saints Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Healer, Haralambos the Hieromartyr and Wonderworker, and Barbara the Great Martyr within the holy altar at Saint Nicholas Church.
In his homily during Great Vespers, His Eminence spoke about the significance of the Holy Relics, stating, “The tradition of sealing the relics of Martyrs in the Holy Altar is very ancient, stretching back to the very first centuries of our Church. In the days when the Divine Liturgy was still being celebrated in houses, it was also common for Christians to gather at the tombs of Martyrs, and to celebrate the Eucharist atop their sacred bones. In the case of Saint Haralambos, his disciples actually celebrated the Liturgy on his newly-reposed body after his martyrdom! This connection to a cemetery, in Greek: κοιμητήριον – which literally means “the place of those who sleep” – is still understood by the Church. The association of these sacred and blessed grounds with the building of Temples found its first fulfillment in what are called “Μαρτύρια” – the buildings raised up over the tombs of the Martyrs. The most famous in the world is, of course, the Ἀνάστασις in Jerusalem, normally called the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in English. Today, it contains not only the Empty Tomb of our Lord, but the site of Golgotha as well, where the Lord Jesus sacrificed His life for the life of the world.”
Photos: Jennifer Patselas.
