On the 26th of December 2023, in the chapel of the Holy Pentecost in the hall of the Patriarchate, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem held a monk’s tonsure for novice Andreas Hatzistabulidis, giving him the name Alexander.
The new monk has ministered successfully in Praetorium, Gethsemane, and Bethlehem. At the same time, the Patriarch blessed the monastic cassocks for novices Alexander and Christos who have been serving at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Patriarch Theophilos addressed the new monk and the cassock-clad novices with words of encouragement, underlining the honor and the responsibility of a monk’s membership in the Order of the “Spoudaioi” (Studious) of the Holy Sepulchre.
In the spirit of these words and because of the Christmas Feast, the Patriarch wished the monk and the novices for strength from above for a worthy Holy Sepulchre witness to this thirsty world, inspired by the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem