Archbishop’s Divine Liturgy at Saint George

A Divine Liturgy at a monastery can sound like a routine church calendar item. But this one had a little more weight. On Sunday of the Paralytic, Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria presided at the Holy Monastery of Saint George Epanosifis in Crete, with the blessing of Archbishop Eugenios of Crete, and the day turned into both a liturgical event and a visible gathering point for clergy and pilgrims. ### What actually happened? The central event was a hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Saint George Epanosifis Monastery. Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria led the service, and he did it with the canonical blessing of Archbishop Eugenios of Crete. The liturgy marked the Orthodox Sunday of the Paralytic — one of the Sundays in the Paschal season, tied to the Gospel story of Christ healing the paralytic at the pool. (orthodoxtimes.com) ### Who was there? This was not a one-man appearance. The service was concelebrated by the monastery’s abbot, Archimandrite Dionysios, along with Archimandrite Bartholomew Vogiatzoglou, Archimandrite Bartholomew Ungureanu, Archdeacon Porphyrios Zervakis, and the monastery’s fathers. Pilgrims were there too, which matters because these events are as much lived community moments as they are formal worship. (orthodoxtimes.com) ### Why this monastery? Saint George Epanosifis is not just any local church. It is one of the largest and historically richest monasteries in Crete. It flourished during Ottoman rule, became an important intellectual center on the island, and still carries that reputation as a major religious site. So when a senior hierarch serves there, the place itself adds significance. ### Why was Metropolitan Arsenios the one presiding? (orthodoxtimes.com) That detail is the real hinge of the story. Arsenios was not just visiting as a guest bishop. The monastery is described as his monastery of repentance, and it is the place where he was tonsured a monk. Basically, this was also a return to a formative spiritual home — not just a ceremonial stop on a calendar. (orthodoxcrete.com) ### What was the message of the homily? Arsenios used the Gospel reading to make a bigger theological point. He framed the paralytic not just as a man who was healed, but as an image of fallen humanity — weakened, isolated, and unable to move fully toward the good without divine grace. The phrase “I have no one” became, in his reading, a picture of spiritual separation and broken communion. (orthodoxtimes.com) ### Why does that matter in Orthodox worship? Because in Orthodox preaching, these feast-day and Sunday Gospel readings are not treated as old stories sitting behind glass. They are read as patterns of human life now. Arsenios connected the healing to Christ’s initiative, to baptism, and to the wider restoration of human nature. The point was not just that one man got up and walked, but that Christ meets weakness first and calls people into renewal. (orthodoxtimes.com) ### Did the event end with the service? No — and that is part of why these monastery liturgies matter locally. After the Divine Liturgy, refreshments were offered in the reception hall, Arsenios gave a spiritual talk to the pilgrims, and a festive meal followed, hosted by Abbot Dionysios. Archbishop Eugenios also attended afterward and greeted the pilgrims with his blessing. Worship flowed straight into fellowship. (orthodoxtimes.com) ### So what is the bottom line? This was a church service, but also more than that. It brought together a senior metropolitan, the Archbishop of Crete, local clergy, and pilgrims at one of Crete’s most important monasteries. Turns out the news is less about spectacle and more about continuity — a historic monastery still working as a real center of prayer, teaching, and communal life. (orthodoxtimes.com)