The “Saint Polycarp Day”, which is commemorated in the Latin Catholic Churches in Izmir, was celebrated at the Santa Maria Church this year, on February 23, as every year. A 9-day prayer was held in honor of the Archbishop of Izmir and the Guardian of the Church, St. Polycarp, as of February 14; Every evening, the sermon of the Archbishop of İzmir Monsignor Martin at the Church of Saint Polycarp could only be followed on live broadcast.
While a great Holy Mass on the Day of St. Polycarp, officiated by Monsignor Martin Kmetec, the Mass was accompanied by the Rector of St. John’s Cathedral, where the mass is celebrated, and Göztepe Notre-Dame de Lourdes Church, Alsancak Rosario Church, Bornova Church of the Holy Name of the Virgin Mary The priests of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Buca, the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus and the Church of St. Helena in Karşıyaka. In addition, the priest of the Izmir Anglican Church, James Buxton, also attended the Mass.
The sacred relic containing a fragment of St. Polycarp’s skull and preserved in the church that bears his name was presented at the Church of Santa Maria during the ceremony.
Choir of St. John’s Cathedral; added color to the mass by singing the hymns in Greek, Latin, Turkish and French.
After reading Words from the Book of Wisdom and Words from the Book of Apocalypse, Deacon Nikola read the Words from the Bible of St. John. In the Holy Mass, Monsignor Martin asked for a prayer for Father Franz Kangler, the Lazarist priest who passed away in Istanbul the night before.
Then, in his sermon in Italian and Turkish, the Archbishop said, “Today we celebrate the Day of St. Polycarp, because St. Polycarp went to the end with his love for Christ; He overcame death thanks to the grace of God. God’s victory shows up over evil in every martyrdom; Victory of minors, the poor and the innocent. Our faith in the dead and the resurrected Christ and ‘joyfulness.’ It is the victory of joy …
… We are happy to celebrate the Day of St. Polycarp and celebrate his devotion to Jesus. He endured suffering and death for the sake of Christ, because he was deeply attached to Him” he said.
One of the first disciples of the Apostle and Bible writer St. John, in Persia, Saint Polikarp approximately Born in 70 A.D, was blindly brought to Smyrna – today’s Izmir – when he was young. He became deacon and transferred from the priesthood between 113 and 117 years, to the title of Episcopate, and fulfilled his duty for about fifty years. Polycarp was martyred on 23 February 155 at the Rome Stadium, on the İzmir Acropolis. (Nathalie Ritzmann / Sat-7 Turk, Izmir)
