A Memorable Holy Week

With the special visit of His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, the rainy Good Friday evening procession of the Epitaphios, along with the early morning proclamations of “Christ is Risen!” under the Entry Portico, Holy Week 2025 will not soon be forgotten!

His Eminence traveled up and down the state of Arizona during Holy Week, and celebrating the Divine Liturgy with us on Holy Saturday morning, with the joyful hymn, “Arise, O God!” while scattering rose petals and bay leaves throughout the inside of the church, and concluding with a very humbling and surprising personal blessing of the office of Proto-Presbyter, it truly was a special Holy Week.

The beautifully decorated Epitaphios, the Good Friday Youth Retreat, Easter Sunday Egg Hunt and amazing family Potluck brunch were all fantastic!

Every Sunday – until the feastday of the Ascension of our Lord – will begin with the chanting of “Christ is Risen/Christos Anesti!” For this 40-day period, Jesus meets with His disciples, teaching them, forgiving them, and telling them of their responsibility to proclaim His resurrection to the ends of the earth.

We, today, also bear this same responsibility. The Christian gospel is not simply to be limited as an historical event of the past, but a reality fully present today as well. This is why the Church proclaims “Christ IS Risen,” and not “Christ has Risen. It may have happened long ago, but the Church maintains that event as fully present today and forever!

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!