The Patriarch of Alexandria at the Patriarchal Church of St. Nicholas in Ibrahimieh

On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the eve of the great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Savior, Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa presided over the Great Patriarchal Vespers, celebrated at the Patriarchal Church of St. Nicholas in Ibrahimieh, Alexandria. He was flanked by Metropolitan Germanos of Tamiathis and Bishop Damaskinos of Mareotis, Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria, in the presence of a large congregation.

Following the Litany and the blessing of the grapes, one of the most moving and historic moments for the local Church took place. The Patriarch performed the monastic tonsure of two young Egyptian women who, after a long period of spiritual preparation, testing, and obedience, dedicated their lives entirely to Christ the Savior, receiving the monastic names Xenia and Matrona.

The first of the two nuns took the name Xenia, in honor of both St. Xenia and the late Elder Xenia of Aegina, the first Abbess of the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Aegina, founded by St. Nektarios. The blessed Elder Xenia, though deprived of physical sight, was one of the first and most cherished spiritual daughters of the Saint, distinguished for her deep…