The theologian, Bible writer St. John’s Deep Sleep was commemorated with the holy rites held in Orthodox Churches in Hatay last weekend.
Father Yusuf Nicholas Papasoğlu conducted the service at the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Iskenderun, and Fathers Dimitri Doğum and Can Dellüller conducted the service at the Antakya Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church.
In the rituals, besides the distribution of holy bread, sections from the life of the Gospel writer St. John were read and explanations were made about his deep sleep.
Antakya Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church Administration has issued a message for this special day. In the message they said; ”Our Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the main feast of the Gospel writer St. John on September 26. It is also commemorated on May 8 due to the Cross made on his grave. When St. John was over one hundred years old, he took his seven disciples with him to a district outside Ephesus City. There he told them to dig a grave in the shape of a Cross. Then he went inside the tomb and asked them to cover it with earth. When his students opened the tomb after a while, they saw that the saint’s body was not there.”
