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The Ecumenical Patriarch at the Church of St. Kyriaki of Kontoskali

July 7, 2026 · 1 min read

“Saint Kyriaki, who through her steadfastness and patience in her ‘faith’ inherited ‘the everlasting glory’ of Christ her bridegroom, is an example for all of us to follow. For our own life, too, is and must be a testimony of our faith in Christ, of our faith in the glory bequeathed to us by our fathers, so that we may preserve it as it was handed down to us and as it has been kept to this day by the generations before us,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew noted, among other things, in his address during the Divine Liturgy which he presided over today, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, for the feast of the Holy Great Martyr Kyriaki, at the namesake parish church of the Community of Kontoskali, which was celebrating its feast day.

“The Holy Martyrs and Confessors of our faith, like our fathers, received and handed down to us the faith and our sacred and holy things. It is our duty and responsibility to safeguard them, often setting aside our own interest. And not only this, but it is also our duty to further advance their work, so that we may daily prove ourselves worthy descendants of glorious ancestors. For us, our ‘faith’ must be, and is, our unshakeable faith in Christ, our devotion to…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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Людмила Бондаренко

Thanks for the text. I especially remembered how the Patriarch said that one should "put aside one's own interest" in order to preserve what the parents handed down. In our parish in Troeshchyna, this is exactly what we are feeling right now, when we are trying to restore the choir after six months of no one being able to go to the singing.

Piotr Wiśniewski

I agree with this part about putting off self-interest. In Białystok, swimming had to be canceled a few times to help clean the church before the holiday. As for Saint Kyriaca, her perseverance always reminds me that sometimes it is enough to just not let go, even when everything hurts.

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ქეთევან ლომიძე

Thanks for the text. I especially liked the part where the patriarch says that in order to keep the faith, you often have to put your self-interest aside. It is exactly the same in our Tbilisi parish - in the spring, when the garden comes to us, I still leave the reading and help to take care of the church so that we do not lose what we received from our ancestors.

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ნანა ბერიძე

Thank you, Ketevan, for sharing the Tbilisi example. I think exactly the same way - last year, when the tomatoes were ripening in the Kontoskal garden, I still left and went to the liturgy, because the faith of the ancestors is more important than the garden. What song do you sing most often at this time?

Никола Ангеловски

Yes, that's right. And last year, when the tomatoes were ripening in the garden behind the house, I left them and went to the liturgy for St. Kirikia, because the faith handed down to us by the ancients does not measure up to the beriket of a garden. Say, Nana, do you also sing "Holy God" most of the time these days?