Amidst the fear and anxiety for the political stability of our country, we celebrated on Thursday and Friday, December 5 and 6, 2024, the feast of the holy and glorious St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, at the sacred Cathedral in Seoul.
On the eve of the feast day, after the Great Vespers, the service of Artoklasia was held, followed by a relevant sermon, and a communal dinner of love offered to everyone present. The following day, after the service of Matins, the Divine Liturgy and the regular sermon, a Litany of the icon and the holy relics of St. Nicholas took place around the holy church, followed by a common meal of love.
In both celebratory occasions, Metropolitan Ambrosios of Korea and Exarch of Japan, after first glorifying and thanking God for helping to end soon the imposed martial law, without any bloodshed, then delivered a sermon inspired by the name of Saint Nicholas, which in actuality means “victory of the people”. At the Vespers, he also referred to “the victory against our sinful passions, which also have social dimensions, since it serves as a basis for the respect and protection of human rights, freedom, justice and equality among the people”. Moreover, during the Divine Liturgy, he stressed the “deep humility that characterized St. Nicholas, a virtue that made him a friend of God and a friend of people”.
Many thanks are due to our clergy Rev. Fr Anthony Woo, Rev. Fr. Romanos Kavchak, and Rev. Fr Anthony Lim, and to all those who participated in the celebration. We especially thank the young men and women of our youth group “Syndesmos” for their assistance on Sunday, December 1, in cleaning all the interior and exterior of the church as well as putting up “Christmas” decorations.
On the aforementioned Sunday, before the end of the Divine Liturgy, this year’s pre-celebrations of St. Nicholas feast day began with the transfer of the Icon and Relics of St. Nicholas to the center of the church followed by the traditional distribution of gifts from the Saint to all the children.