In Valia Kalda, the heart of Mount Pindus, the beginning of the ecclesiastical year is celebratedtranslated

On September 1, the day on which our Holy Church commemorates the start of the new ecclesiastical year, Most Reverend Metropolitan David of Grevena traveled to the heart of Mount Pindus, to the uniquely beautiful Valia Kalda, where, together with the priests and a great multitude of faithful from the wider region, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the Blessing to mark the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the magnificence of creation, beneath the dome of the heavens and amidst the majestic trees of Mount Pindus, offering all a profound spiritual experience and the opportunity to feel more deeply the presence of God within His creation.

September 1 is simultaneously the day established by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Most Holy and Ecumenical Patriarch, His Holiness Bartholomew, as a day of prayer and awareness for the protection of the natural environment and creation.

In his address, Most Reverend Metropolitan David emphasized the unique significance of celebrating the Divine Liturgy within nature, stating characteristically:

“Today we stand within the greatest church of the world: creation, the work of the Almighty God. Beneath the dome of the heavens…”