New Year Message 2016

With thanksgiving to the benevolent God, we enter today the new redeeming year 2016. At the same time we look back with gratitude what our Most Gracious Heavenly Father offered to us during the last year and thank Him for the blessings He bestowed upon us. Of course, we cannot but remember the distressing events we experienced, due to our own mistakes or other external factors. Yet, despite all this, the blessings we received from God by far outweigh the negative incidents we had to face so far.
Particularly, those of us who inhabit the boundaries of Pissidia, Antalya and Alanya have additional reasons to thank the Leader of our Church, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the precious gifts he gave us last year. The blessings we received are numerous:

• Having renovated the historic Church of St. Alypius in Antalya, five years ago, we were deemed worthy by the Most Gracious Lord to acquire our own Orthodox Church of Panagia Pisidiotissa in Alanya last year. It is worth noting that these two churches are open every day, to enable the faithful to pray, to communicate with their priests, participating in the Divine Worship, without time limitations, as it was previously the case.
• The Opening Ceremony of the Orthodox Cultural Center and the holy Church of Panagia Pisidiotissa was officiated by His All Holiness our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with the participation of Bishops, many Priests, Deacons, and hundreds of believers from different parts of the country and from abroad, as well as representatives of the Local Authorities, the District Officer (Kaymakam) the Mayor, the Mufti and others. For us, it was truly a special blessing from God.
• The Renovation of the church of St. George of the Mountain by the Local Authorities, after having been closed for 93 years, the celebration in this church the Service of Vespers on 14/ 11/2015 officiated by our Ecumenical Patriarch as well as the permission to celebrate the Orthodox  Divine Liturgy on the first Sunday of each month.
• The installation in Alanya - like in Attaleia some years ago- of a permanent priest, Fr. Constantine Shevchenko with his Presvytera Anna, to whom His All Holiness our Patriarch bestowed the office of Steward, during the first Divine Liturgy in the Church of Panagia Pisidiotissa.
• The celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the historic Metropolitan Cathedral of the Birth of the Theotokos in the city of Sparta, Pisidia (Isparta) on the day of the Feast of the church, 08/09/2015, for the first time after 93 years  from the persecution of Christians in 1922, with the participation of Orthodox believers from Antalya and Alanya. This historic event was a source of great excitement, not only for those who attended the prelatic Divine Liturgy, but also to all those who were informed, especially those whose origins were from Sparta and their descendants still live as refugees away from her.
• The inclusion in our church in Antalya and Alanya 51 new members through Holy Baptism and Holy Chrism during the last three years.  
• The love, Interest and assistance of so many of our fellowmen, from the interior of the country and abroad, in order to realize what has already been reported, the Clergy and laity, the Orthodox and heterodox, Christians or not, as well as the State representatives, the Local Authorities of the Prefectures of Antalya, Isparta and Burdur.

For all these and many more other blessings, that were given to us by the generosity of the Most Merciful God, we convey to you today our heartfelt thanks to Him, to the Most Holy Theotokos, in whose honor we erected the new Church, and to all the Saints of Pissidia, Side and Antalya.

May our Lord deem worthy of all His benefactions and to use them for our spiritual benefit.

My beloved Brothers and Sisters, I pray that the Lord may grant peace between the warring nations throughout the New Year and may He grant to all of you good health, peace of mind, His spiritual joy and everything that you wish for.