The Blessing of the Waters for the beginning of the school year of the Patriarchal School of Zion

On Friday, 9 October 2026, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem presided over the service of the Blessing of the Waters at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Holy Zion, as a blessing for the new school year of the Patriarchal Ecclesiastical School.

The Secretary General for Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education of Greece, Mr Georgios Kalantzis, was present at the service. Patriarch Theophilos thanked him for his practical interest in the educational affairs of the Patriarchate and for his support of the Patriarchal School. Patriarch Theophilos also thanked the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, and the Chairman of the School Board, Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis, for their practical support of the Patriarchal School.

Patriarch Theophilos addressed paternal words to the School’s teachers, encouraging them in their educational work and in the formation of the ecclesiastical students. He called upon the students to devote themselves diligently to their studies and to prepare for their service in the Patriarchate, should they freely decide to join the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre and serve the All-Holy Sepulchre and all the Holy…