Metropolitan of Serres: In the Holy Temple of the Dormition of the Theotokos of Serres, the Metropolitan of Serres and Nigrita, Mr. Theologos, celebrated the Divine Liturgy today, Sunday, August 16, 2026. During the Divine Liturgy, the mystery of the ordination to the diaconate of Mr. Michail Alexoudis was also performed; responding to the call of our Lord, he has been organically integrated as a married cleric into the living force of the Church of Serres.
The Most Reverend, inspired by the verse (4:1-5) of the First Epistle to the Corinthians by the Apostle to the Gentiles Paul: "So let a man consider himself a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God...", delivered patristic exhortations and advice to the newly ordained deacon, emphasizing patristically, among other things, the following: "Today, my child Michail, by the grace of the Holy God, you come freely to receive the first degree of the Holy Ordination, so that you may serve, as a faithful deacon of Jesus Christ, His Holy Church. You come before the Lord today, with firm determination, to serve Him with all your soul and to receive the unmanufactured robe of the Holy Ordination.
Your work, my child, obeying the sweetest voice of our Lord, will be to build up and spiritually enrich your ministry upon the living stone of faith, upon Jesus Christ, as God, Savior, and Redeemer of the world. The mission of clerics in the world is to sanctify, to teach, to heal, to shepherd, but also to listen—as nurturing fathers—to the thoughts, the sufferings, the falls, the failures, and the slips of people, and to heal them with the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit.
People seek in the Church authenticity, truth, understanding, acceptance, a safe harbor in which they will find spiritual rest, and a sanctuary of love and healing, as all these are revealed and embodied authentically and exclusively in the all-holy divine person of our one and only Savior, Jesus Christ.
You must, my child, cultivate in your soul the great virtues of silence and humility; imitate the character and life of the blessed Theotokos, our Church's Mother by grace, who, with deep humility and obedience, always heard and kept the word of God. Our Panagia, through Her humility, preserved for Herself the function of unceasing prayer and eloquent silence.
Many people believe that silence constitutes inaction, weakness, incapacity, or a deficiency. They are wrong! Eloquent silence, according to the Holy Fathers of our Church, is the secret language of the angels, the language of the age to come, the certainty of the great mysteries of faith that cannot be expressed in words, the language of the believing heart with which it converses with its Creator.
Silence has power, it has a voice, it has grace and spiritual wealth, and it leads man to the joy and consolation found in Christ. God watches over and finds rest in souls adorned with humility, purity, meekness, serenity, silence, and stillness. Silence, my child, is part of our Church's proclamation in our turbulent era. It is a powerful protest and condemnation of arrogant and impudent sin. Know when to speak and when to be silent, making your silence an active and fruitful prayer. Guard your ministry from frivolous, self-centered, and senseless speech, but also from complacent, fearful, and selfish silence.
Proceed in your ministry with faithfulness and absolute trust in the mercy of God, love, self-denial, and a sacrificial mindset, so that you may always have the protection of God in your life. Be ready to taste the bitter cup of abandonment, betrayal, and ingratitude from men. However, as your love for Christ increases, the more you will recognize the image of our Lord in the faces of your fellow human beings.
May strength and inspiration, consolation and response, be God Himself and His Holy Church, the great family of Christ, from whom you will draw strength and blessing. Be affectionate and, above all, evangelically truthful toward every person.
Your duty, from this day forward, is to sacrifice yourself daily for His love, fighting steadily against the human imperfections that we all, as humans, possess and which struggle to nullify our work and testimony. Do not fear; believe and strive! Much labor, patience, prayer, struggle, perseverance, and above all, absolute trust in the love of our Lord are required. What seems impossible by human standards is entirely possible through the almighty Divine Grace, which heals the sick and replenishes what is lacking.
Be strong and take courage, then, my child Michail! Always remember what your name means: Who is like God! The Almighty God of the hopeless and the wonderful! Enter, then, rejoicing and trembling into the joy of our Lord! Rejoicing for the honor and trembling for the responsibility.
May His grace, through the intercession of all the saints, especially of the most highly venerated Lady Theotokos, our Mother by grace and abundant nurturer of love, and the patron and protector of our Church and your personal life, the sun-faced great Archangel Michael, always guide your life and grant you heavenly joys and sweetness.
May you become, through your life, your words, and your character, a living guide who will always and exclusively point to the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. May you remain throughout your entire life a humble and conscious servant of our Lord. May this Lord of ours always be your helper in all things. We all accompany you with our love and our unceasing prayer!"
Before the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, the Most Reverend invoked the divine power and the mighty protection of the most highly venerated Theotokos upon the new Deacon, Fr. Michail, upon the one performing his name-day, the Protopresbyter Fr. Panagiotis Karambalasis, and upon the lives of the pious faithful. He also praised the always zealous and fruitful work of the President of the Church Council of the Holy Temple, Archimandrite Gabriel Paliouras, and his collaborators, both clergy and laity, in the spiritual, liturgical, and philanthropic sectors of this multi-populated parish of the city of Serres.
The Most Reverend, within the context of the upcoming feast day, announced a significant and historic initiative of the local Church: the creation and operation of a philharmonic band by the Church of Serres, which will bear the name "MELODIA".
The operation of the ecclesiastical philharmonic is expected to begin within the month of September. For this purpose, the Most Reverend issued an open call to all those who possess musical talent, especially the youth of the region, to join "MELODIA".
"Our Church," emphasized the Most Reverend, "remains upright and fighting on the ramparts, expanding and multiplying its good works, which spiritually armor, support, and strengthen man, preserve history, safeguard and cultivate the culture, and promote the rich spiritual and cultural heritage of our place!"
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