On Sunday, July 2, 2023, the Feast Day of the Apostle Paul was celebrated at the church in the city of Incheon dedicated in his honor. At the Orthros (Matins) and at the Divine Liturgy, the Metropolitan of Korea and Exarch of Japan Ambrosios presided over with co-celebrants Archimandrite Fr. Marcellos Karageorgiou from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Dean of the parish of St. Paul, Rev. Fr. Daniel Na.
In his sermon, the Metropolitan referred to the sufferings of the Apostle Paul for Christ and mentioned the saying of St. John Chrysostom: “If I were told to choose between the gift of raising the dead and the possibility of being chained for Christ, I would choose the chains”, in order to emphasize that any sacrifice we make for the sake of our love for Christ is superior to any other heavenly gift. The struggle and exercise to get rid of the passions, with which the devil “chains” us, is a higher act than miracle-working. If we suffer irony, injustice, persecution, etc. because of our faith, it is a special gift of God for our salvation.
Before the Dismissal, the procession of the Icon of Apostle Paul and the special Service of Artoklasia took place in the forecourt of the church.
This was followed by the common meal of love in the Church Hall, during which Fr. Marcellos referred to the Holy Lands and their importance in a short speech. In the dialogue that followed, the lively desire of the faithful and the catechumens to visit Jerusalem, to venerate the places where Christ walked and where the most shocking events in human history took place, was clearly evident.
The Metropolitan’s visit to the parish of the Apostle Paul ended with his participation in the meeting of the Ecclesiastical Council to study the future of the church in view of the demolition of all the buildings in the area around the church and the construction of some new multi-story complexes under a large State construction company.