The “Festival of All Saints”, which is held every year on November 1st at the Latin Catholic Church of Iskenderun, was celebrated with a simple ceremony and limited participation of the community this year.
Church Father Darisuz Dogondke led the ceremony. In the ritual where parts from the Bible were read, Father Dogondke gave a short sermon, emphasizing that the reward of the believers in heaven is great. He pointed out that all our saints were sanctified by the presence of the Lord Jesus within them, and stated that the Saints entered Heavenly Jerusalem, and that everyone who still walks on earth and carries his cross after Christ is a Saint candidate.
On the other hand, Father Paolo Bizzeti, Deputy and Bishop of Anatolia, organized a special ritual in the chapel at Nevşehir/ Cappadocia for the “All Saints’ Day”. Speaking at the ceremony, Bishop Bizzeti pointed out that the Saints have a great place in the Christian life and wished the lives of all saints to be an example for us. Bizzeti said: “As in many parts of the world, our important saints also lived in the Kapadokya Region where we are now. We offer our gratitude to them from these holy places.”
Quite A Simple Celebration For Bishop Bizzeti’s 5th Anniversary
Anatolian Deputy Apostle and Bishop, Monsignor Paolo Bizzeti, celebrated the 5th anniversary of his episcopacy and his appointment in Iskenderun Cathedral in Cappadocia, with his congregation family. Anatolian Deputy and Archbishop Paolo Bizzeti, who started his duty as “Episcopal” in Iskenderun Cathedral with a magnificent ceremony held on 1 November 2015, celebrated the 5th anniversary of his episcopacy overshadowed by the Covid-19 Pandemic, which is effective all over the world. Monsignor Bizzeti, who had a simple anniversary celebration with the members of the congregation in Cappadocia, explained that while he was living happily together with his mother, father and two siblings, he left his family in 1966 and decided to follow the path of Jesus Christ.
Noting that he learned to see things more broadly while walking in the family of Christ , Monsignor Bizzeti said: “When Jesus invites us, he does not want us to leave our family. As we walk in the path of Christ, we can love and serve our own family more. Therefore, I invite you to pray. Let’s pray for the Anatolian Church, for the young people to respond positively to serving the family of Christ. More people are needed to devote their lives to Jesus! We are currently in Cappadocia. Many monks lived in this area and they devoted their lives to Jesus. Their life tells and teaches us a lot. A good and honest Christian family can benefit anyone. We also see in the history of the country that different people from different beliefs lived together much better. One belief limits life more.” Monsignor Bizzeti cut the cake, which was made as a surprise for him at the end of the ceremony, together with his congregation family
The sacred rites performed for the All Saints’ Day ended with the distribution of blessed bread and wine. While a limited number of congregation members participated in the rituals due to the epidemic, social distance-mask-hygiene rules were also observed.(SAT-7 Türk/İlyas Edip TERBİYELİ-İskenderun)
