← News feed Church of Greece

Metropolitan of Mani: "The Virgin Mary is truly the mother of us all"translated

August 10, 2026 · 1 min read

The honor to the Blessed Virgin Mary is the subject of the encyclical of the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Mani Mr. Chrysostomos III, on the occasion of the fifteenth of August, inviting the faithful to turn with faith and reverence to the Virgin Mary, whom he characterizes as "the only hope and refuge with God". In his encyclical, His Holiness underlines the fact that the Virgin Mary deserved to serve the Mystery of the Divine Incarnation and become the Mother of the Lord. As he notes, "she was shown to be the "tent of God and the Word", while "alone of all the women, she was claimed to support "the one who always supports" and to nurse Him".

An important part of the encyclical is dedicated to the Holy Masses in honor of the Virgin Mary. Metropolitan Mr. Chrysostomos III reminds the faithful and the clergy of the importance of the Salutations of both the Little and the Great Canons of Prayer, underlining that "both these wonderful Canons must be said and not only the Little".

At the same time, he draws attention to the accurate rendering of the hymnological texts, characteristically noting the correct pronunciation of the 9th Ode: "The Theotokos and mother of light in hymns honoring magilynomen".

Special…

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (4) 🌐 Show original

Anna Moore

The bit about both the Small and Great Paraklesis canons being important really struck me — our choir only ever does the Small one during the Dormition fast. I’ll suggest we try the Great one this year too. The reminder about singing the 9th Ode exactly right is spot on; it always lifts the service when it’s done properly.

Γιώργος Δημητρίου

It is well reminded by the Venerable concerning the two Rules of Prayer. In Agios Nikolaos here in Patras last year we also tried the Great Canon twice and the atmosphere really changed, I felt a deeper prayer. The same with the 9th Ode, if we don't say it correctly it loses its meaning.

Spiro Kristo

Yes, the two Pre-Clinical Canons are important, as the Metropolitan says. We in Berat during the Fasting of Saint Mary usually do only the Small one, but last year we also tried the Big one once in our church of Saint Spyridon and I felt the difference, it was more profound. He is also right about the 9th Chamber, if we say it wrong we lose something.

Sophia Young

The part about both the Small and Great Paraklesis canons really stood out to me too. Our little group at St. Sophia’s in London always sticks to the Small one during the fast, but after reading this I’m going to ask our priest if we can fit the Great one in at least once before the 15th. The exact wording of the 9th Ode is something I’ve caught myself rushing through before, so the reminder was useful.