Deacons open the Beautiful Gates and Nikanor get out from sanctuary, and raise hands to Lord and start with prayer. After few quiet prayers, the bell ringer began to ring the bells. Than Nikanor say out loud:

Evlogimeni i vasileia tou Patros kai tou Yiou kai tou Agiou Pnevmatos, nun kai aei tous aionas ton aionon. (Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.)

People answer Amen, and deacon continue to read litany. Sacrist bring chairs for Nikanor, Macarias and Nectarion. They read prayers quiet, while deacon reading litany.

Such a great occasion, so fully promoted by the latest events, in the greatest cathedral of the capital of Christendom, in the presence of the entire Orthodox clergy and led by two Patriarchs and countless bishops could not be of little amplitude. No less than twelve deacons were reciting the litanies and a choir of a hundred persons standing of the first floor of the Hagia was giving the answers. The impression of faithful fervor was hard to bear. The voices of the deacons, well trained in the vastness of the sacred space were resonating to every corner and piercing to every heart of the people attending. And when the calm voice of the Patriarch ended with the blessing: For Thou art a good God and lovest mankind and unto Thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. the crowd sighed in peace.

And so the Liturgy of Preparation continued, with the choir singing the first and the second antiphons, and when the time was right for the Third Antiphon, in preparation for the Little Entrance, the head priest gave the book of the Holy Gospels to the proto-deacon, who carried it, preceded by the subdeacons with the dikiri and trikiri and the sacrmaental fans. The priests followed, in the order of their rank; and the whole procession, made the circuit of the Altar, and coming through the North Door, went to their Beatitudes' dais, while the Beatitudes were being sung:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

And the Apostle was being read, and silence covered the grand hall, for there came the time of the reading from the Gospel and the entire assembly came to their knees, but for the bishops and their Beatitudes. And the choir gave the answer in the end, to the lifting of spirit of many, for the Liturgy of Preparation was coming to an end, with The Litany for the Catechumens, after the litanies of fervent supplication and the litany for the departed, for they cannot pray for themselves any longer.

And now, the Litany of the Catechumens was coming to its close.

Suddenly, Macarias stood, and made his way to the altar.

"What could this be? the congregation wondered; what indeed? on such a day when already everything seemingly was stood on its head."

"This is the day which the LORD hath made", spake Macarias

"And on this, the Lord's Day, let us say as he said: 'suffer the little children and forbid them not' no! not on this Day! Let the Catechumens Remain!"

And with that, the Litany of the Faithful was begun, the first and the second, and Macarias returned to his seat.

And then begun the Cherubic Hymn, the Choir singing as the Angels do; and the Great Entrance.

And now Macarias rose, and beckoned Nectarion with a wave of his hand, and together they went amongst the Deacons.

And then they seized him bodily, Theodossios and brought him to the altar.

And Macarias spake thus: "Command!"

And then Nectarion: "All Command!"

And Macarias again: "Command, holy Master, the one who is now being presented to you."

And all three looked to the Patriarch Nikanor.

When Patriarch Macarias and Bishop Nectarion brought Theodossios to the altar, Theodossios made three great bow in front of Nikanor, and Nikanor quiet read:

In the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then Nikanor sit on chair in left corner of altar, Macarias and Nectarion led Theodossios three time around altar, and others Bishops, priests and deacons was singing:

Hear us, you martyred Saints who have fought the good fight and received crowns, entreat the Lord, to have mercy on our souls.
Glory to you, Christ our God, the Apostles' boast and pride, the Martyrs' fervent joy whose preaching is the consubstantial Trinity.
O Isaiah dance with joy, for the Virgin is indeed with child and brought forth a son, Emmanuel. Who came both as God and man, Day-at-the-Dawn is his name, and by magnifying him, we call the Virgin blessed.

Theodossios kneels before altar, and put his hands on it, and head upon hands. Deacon said: Let us be attentive! Nikanor put hands on Theodossios head and said the prayer: The divine grace, which always heals that which is infirm and completes that which is lacking, ordains the most devout Deacon Theodossios to the office of Priest. Let us, therefore, pray for him, that the grace of the All-Holy Spirit may come upon him.

Clergy answer: Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Deacon red: Let us pray to the Lord.

Nikanor said: O God without beginning or end, Who are before every created thing, and Who honors with the title of Presbyter those whom You deem worthy to serve the word of Your truth in the divine ministry of this order: You, the same sovereign Master, preserve in purity of life and in unswerving faith this man whom You have been pleased to ordain through me by the laying on of hands, graciously imparting to him the great grace of Your Holy Spirit, making him wholly Your servant, well-pleasing to You in all things, and worthily exercising this great honor of the Priesthood which You conferred upon him by the power of Your wisdom.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of ages.

People answer to Nikanor Amen. One priest quiet red litany and others clergy singing: Lord have mercy. At the end they said: To You, O Lord.

Nikanor said: For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of ages. And people answer Amen. After this Nikanor continue: O God, great in might and inscrutable in wisdom, marvelous in counsel above the sons of men: You the same Lord, fill with the gift of Your Holy Spirit this man whom it has pleased You to advance to the degree of Priest; that he may become worthy to stand in innocence before Your altar, to proclaim the Gospel of Your kingdom, to minister the word of Your truth, to offer to You spiritual gifts and sacrifices; to renew Your people through the font of regeneration, that when he shall go to meet You, at the second coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Your only-begotten Son, he may receive the reward of good stewardship in the order given to him, through the plenitude of Your goodness. For blessed and glorified is Your all-holy and majestic name, of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever and to the ages of ages. People said Amen.

After this Nikanor remove hands from Theodossios head take him for the right hand and lead him through Beautiful Gates, and in front of it said: Axios, and gave to Theodossios epitrachelion, and he put it on him. Again Nikanor said Axios, and gave him zone. Deacon help Theodossios to tie zone, and again Nikanor said Axios and gave him phelonion to put on himself. Nikanor said Axios and gave him Prayer book, and at the end Nikanor once more said Axios, and Theodossios bow to all. People singing Axios (Worthy) while Nikanor giving vestments to Theodossios.

Nikanor finished this ordination with: Receive this Divine Trust, and guard it until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, at which time He will demand It from you.

After ordination people continue to sing Cherubic Hymn, and deacons to red Litany and Petitions.

Once more, Macarias strode to the altar.

"Catechumens, you have now witnessed the ordination of our dear brother Theodossios, accordingly, it is now time for you to leave us. Let all of the catechumens depart! Depart, ye catechumens; let none of the catechumens remain!"

Vested as a priest now, Theodossios bowed to the senior Patriarch first, and then to the second Patriarch, to the bishops and the clergy, according to their ranks, as the doors closed after the people not yet baptised. And soon the grand basilica fell in silence, for The Anaphora began, and the bishops raised their hands in the sanctuary above the chalice and the palet containing the Holy Gifts, while the entire assembly knelt. And the prayer to the Lord followed, and then th Holy Gifts were sanctified by the action of the Holy Spirit. And after Nikanor said in loud voice, from the sanctuary:

Especially for our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and ever virgin Mary.

the grand basilica echoed and every heart felt moved when the first baritone of the choir sung the Hymn to the Theotokos:

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More hnorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim: without defilement you gave birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify you.

The Liturgy then continued, in solemnity and deference, with the Lord's Prayer, the communion of the people, and the Litany of Thanksgiving, and soon the two Patriarchs stood surrounded by the whole clergy in front of the Holy Doors, while the senior Patriarch said the closing of the Liturgy:

May He Who rose from the dead, Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure Mother; of the holy, glorious, and all laudable apostles; of our father among the saints, John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople; of the Saints whom we commemorate today; of the holy and righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us, for He is good and loves mankind.

The Liturgy has ended, and the people were waiting for the sermon to begin, wondering who in such a day would speak the teaching words. It was usually in the long past of the Church for the sermon to be spoken right after the Gospel, but in these days, when all the world tended to be so rushed and impatient, practice was for the sermon to take place after the Liturgy.

Again Macarias approached the altar.

"It is said that St. John Chrysostum could conceive a sermon in the time it took him to walk to the altar. Alas, I am not he! But then, neither am I called to lead the See of St. Andrew, as he was. Therefore, let the one who is called to that office, deliver our sermon today."

Theodossios gathered all his strength for this task. So avid the crowd was staring at him, and with so much calmness Macarias invited him to the pulpit, that the young man felt his knees softening. His first sermon, and here, in the capital of the Church of Christ and in front of so many. God help me! he signed himself with the sign of the cross before climbing, real slowly, the stairs.

Your Beatitudes and Your Most Reverend Fathers and Your Eminences!
Your Highnesses and Your Graces!
Noble ladies and men of the earthly power!
Sisters and brothers in Christ!

His Beatitude Macarias reminded us about St. John Chrysostum, and before him His Beatitude Nikanor, when closing our Holy Liturgy of today. For indeed this great Saint of our Church wrote the most Holy of our religious service, the Liturgy, which only other two Saints the Lord bestowed the Holy Grace upon them to put the such words into ritual – St. Basilios the Great, and St. Gregory of Rome. And even if in our One Catolikos Church, during the year, we hold the St. John’s more often, the others’ are of no less holiness.

But this is not what I want to tell you about today, sisters and brothers, but of something else – of equal importance – St. John in his wisdom and love left for us. The example of his own holy life, and the power of the words he spoke – about priesthood. For too few before or after him spoke so enlightening and convincingly about how great responsibility and merit one must bear to be a member of the clergy. And not only his words, my beloved, but his saintly deeds as well show us today and to the future generations the greatness of the priesthood, above all other positions a man can aspire to. For few know that St. John himself – when invited to accede to priesthood – fled. And even to the great sorrow of his friend Basilios – he denied himself such great honor – not feeling worthy and feeling too drawn still to the weaknesses of this world, to be ready to receive the Grace of priesthood. For maybe his most famous works, aside his Homilies, is his Treaty about Priesthood. And I humbly ask you, my beloved, to take the time and the holy endeavor upon yourselves and read those words. For in such short time we have today, I can’t express the whole amplitude the Saint has revealed us about this dignity. For the Saint says in this work, under the form of his dialogue with his friend, all the reasons which made him to refuse being ordained. And through this, we learn all that means to be not only a priest, but any member of the clergy. And mistake not, brothers and sisters, for being a Christian is not even near enough to accede to such grace – alone.

One of the most important dangers the Saint tells us the priest has to fight is the desire for power. Even the pride, and all other temptations one may face in life, St. John puts this demon in front of all else. For the priest is the servant of the most important and meaningful gifts of God: the Holy Sacraments, and he is invested to give Them to the others, in the name of God, according to the laws and precepts laid down for us by the Fathers of the Church. And thus St. John shows with great vigor and holy anger when telling what was happening – even in his times – in the gatherings of the Church. And he mentions sadly the disputes and the false reasons lying behind the choosing of one or another as clergymen. And so it says the Saint: “When did it happen for evil and sinful men to be raised in honor and be ordained, for deeds they shouldn’t even be allowed to pass on the doorstep of a Church?” And again, he says: “When the care for the faithful ones is given to men so unfit for, or to men for whom priesthood is much above their powers, then the Church is no less different than the turmoil and the cluttering of water in the Eurip strait”. That being, my beloved, a strait in which the irregularity of the tides makes navigation very dangerous, and that is why the Saint compares the Church of his times - the ocean of the faithful ones, with such danger for sailors. For the priest, the Saint teaches us, does not bear only the responsibility of his own redemption – when facing Lord’s judgment – but of all others’ he must guide. And although he bears not the individual guilt of one, he does suffer for the sins of the flock. For it is him who has to guide, to sanctify, to care, to nurture, and to enhance. And if he is not driven by love, and mercy and attention for those under his care, but he is hungry to impose his ideas on others, or to give orders, or to gather wealth beyond measure, or to speak evil of others, then he is not serving the Lord, but the devil, and he is not the instrument of the Lord, but of the devil.

You see, dear brothers and sisters, do not then hurry to envy or to look in awe at those called to clergy, but keep them in close watch, and pity them, if they should fail in their holy task. The burden is greater, and the calling is hard, and only those who are willing to surrender themselves to the Grace should be allowed to pass this threshold. For there is a path with no turning back, and at its end there is but the Pantrocrator in all His Splendor, the Judge, at His Second Coming, and His judgment is Truthful and Just. And the righteous should not fear It, but embrace It, for It is made out of the Divine Love.

And with this Supreme Love in mind, let us thank our Lord for He has shown us His mercy to share ourselves from His Holy Gifts, and let us pray to St. John to mediate for us sinners to the Father, to forgive our many sins, and to deny us not the Kingdom of Heaven. St. John, truly called Chrysostomos, pray to God for us, who humbly speak your name. Amen.

After few days Patriarchs Nikanor and Macarias serving holy liturgy and after litany of Catechumens and before Cherubic Hymn, in Great Entrance.

Theodossios made great metanoia in front of Nikanor, and deacons put Great Tipik on head of Theodossios and Nikanor red: Despota Kirie Isu Hriste o Theos imon, otin Iero sin in harisamenos, to geni imon, ke tis ti avtis doreas, ke timis tin harin imas endisamenos, ke avtus ikanus evlavis katistamenos, tu ieratikos dia tapin, ke diakonin ipovevikotas liturgus ton Mistirion su. Avtos endison ton adelfon imon Theodossios ke ti semnotiti kata kosmiso nanton, tu en arhi istaste won Presviteron tu lau su, ke kalon ipo digmatis met’ avton geneste kataxioson ke met’ evlavias ke edus engirika loteleseton bion evdokhson ke pantas imas os agatos Theos eleison. Oti si I o dotirtis sofias ke sevmni pasa I Ktisis, is tus eonas ton eonon. Amin

Then all in Church said Axios Axios Axios, and Nikanor lace up nadbedrennik on zone. And then liturgy continues.


And next day Patriarchs elevation protosingelos Theodossios to archimandrite and gave him pectorial cross.

Finally the day was come.

It was dawn, and the rising of the sun found Macarias in prayer.

When last a Patriarch had ruled in Constantinople, many of the priests and most of the deacons were still to be born.

Today, that would change; and today the world would be changed forever.

"Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.", he said quietly to himself, and went to seek out Theodossios.