Greek Orthodox in Turkey:Asia Minor Revival Continues

On 19 January 2019,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople celebrated the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy,Blessing of the Waters and Diving for the Cross on Old Calendar Epiphany at Triglia (Tirilye,Turkey) in Proussos (Bursa Province),Asia Minor.It was the first ever Patriarchal service in Triglia and the first Diving for the Cross held there since 1922.The liturgy was held in the restored Church of St.Basil,part of the community centre in Triglia.
Concelebrating the historic day were His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Bursa and His Grace Bishop Adrianos of Alikarnassos,Crete.*
In addition to the hierarchs,several diplomats from Greece,Ukraine and Bulgaria attended the services,as well as archons,clerics and monks from the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople;representatives of the Municipality of Rufina (Attica,Greece);presidents and members of the Triglia heritage associations;plus Orthodox Christians from Istanbul and elsewhere in Bursa.
The Prefecture of Bursa granted a permit for the observances.Mayor Hayri Turkyilmaz of Mudanya and other local officials attended the Diving for the Cross.A local marching band processed to the Triglia town square for the Blessing of the Waters/Diving for the Cross at the Sea of Marmara.Young people from the greater Triglia area and Ukraine dove for the cross.*
Metropolitan Elpidoforos pointed out that:
In this action and in this spirit of the Patriarch,we owe,among other things,the climate of confidence that has been established so that it is possible to revive,step by step,the sacred Metropolises that had been deserted after the population exchanges of 1923.*
The Orthodox Church of Crete is part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Patriarch Bartholomew to Open Restored Church in Turkey

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will preside at a Divine Liturgy for the opening of the Church of St.George in the village of Ozluce,Turkey on 7 May 2016 at 10:30 am.The church was restored by the Nilufer Municipality.*
Also attending the service will be Mr.Petros Aggelidis,Mayor of Serres,Greece,whose grandparents are from Ozluce,accompanied by several Greeks from Serres.Ozluce is located near Bursa,Turkey.*
His Eminence Elpidophoros Lambriniadis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,Metropolitan of Bursa and overseer of the premises of the still closed Halki Theological School,announced the event.