ALEXANDRIA – The name day of His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and All Africa was celebrated with splendor and in a festive atmosphere in the great City of Alexandria.

Patriarch Theodoros officiated at Patriarchal Divine Liturgy, assisted by the Metropolitans Ignatios of Demitrias and Makarios of Sidirokastro, both belonging to the Church of Greece, Kyrillos Krini from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Georgios of Ermoupoleos, Narkissos of Pelousion, Meletios of Kartageni, Daniel of Axomi Nikodimos of Nitria, Germanos of Tamiatheos, and Narkissos of Nikopoli.

During the Divine Liturgy Patriarch Theodoros ordained to the bishopric rank Bishop Nikodimos (Totkas) of Neiloupolis, who was the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria since 2019.

Bishop Nikodimos of Neiloupolis thanked all those who helped him throughout his priestly course. With a special feeling of gratitude, however, he referred to Patriarch Theodoros, because in his person he found a loving father, the man with the open arms.

Bishop Nikodimos said that “from the bottom of my heart, I feel the urgent need to express my gratitude to You first, Your Beatitude, because from the first moment you called me to serve in our Patriarchate, in South Africa first and then in Alexandria, you stood next to me as a real father. Next to you I was taught lessons of higher education, theoretical, and practical Theology. I have learned from you, not in words but in practice, that the deacon of the Mysteries of God must always be happy, always tireless, always praying, always envisioning, always optimistic.”

Patriarch Theodoros praised the ethos of the new bishop his hard work, his self-sacrifice, but above all his love for the Patriarchate and especially for the person of his Patriarch. For this reason, he chose that day, on which he celebrates his name day, to be the ordination of Bishop Nikodimos.

Patriarch said, “Dear Nicodemos, I consider you to be a gift of God for me, your Spiritual Father, and for our suffering Church and with this reasoning I chose to ordain you on the day of St. Theodore of Tyrone, that is on my name day’s celebration, so that the life of father and son can be connected even more but also to show you more clearly the most important parameter of the episcopal ministry.”

The Patriarch advised the new Bishop with the following words: “Never neglect this supreme duty, that is, do not neglect the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Communion, the highest of worship of the One and True God of our Fathers.”