Sunday of the Synaxis of all the Holy Doctors

Sunday of the Synaxis of all the Holy Doctors

A life-threatening illness brings to the forefront of our minds several often ignored realities about ourselves and our world. It reveals our hypostasis, which is made up of both body and soul and the sensitive and vulnerable dimension of human nature. Beyond our personal being, it brings to light the prevailing imbalance in the natural environment as a result of our greed. It accentuates the existing division and conflicts within our wider society, as well as the tensions within our close circle of relationships. These revelations compel us to reflect on the way we live out our faith before the tragic threat of death and the losses that result from it, together with the loneliness created by illness and mourning. Moreover, they prompt us to seek the healing grace of our philanthropic God and the advocacy, help and intercession of the Saints. Finally, every illness brings forth the authentic meaning of philanthropy, the need for collaboration and coordination of all social actors, as well as the necessary cooperation between Church and medical science.  

Bearing a sense of deep awareness of all the above, in July of 2021 the Network of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Pastoral Health Care proposed to His-All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to establish the Sunday between the 18^th and the 23^rd of October (i.e., the Sunday following the Sunday of the Holy Fathers) of each year as the Sunday of the Synaxis of all the Holy Doctors. This Sunday was chosen because it falls close to the Day of the Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenary (October 17^th) and that of the following Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, who was a doctor (October 18^th). The Patriarchal Network also proposed that on this day, the Church honor medical doctors and all those that offer their services in the area of Health for their essential contribution and ministry to mankind.  His All-Holiness received this proposal with great joy. Thus, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate approved the proposal.

The establishment of this Feast fully conveys the empathetic compassion that the Mother Church has for every person that suffers, together with his and her family. With the Feast Day of the Holy Doctors, the Mother Church wants to stress that it contributes to everyone’s healing through Its prayers and supplications to the Great Doctor, our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Theotokos and to all the Saints.

The celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Doctors also honors and acknowledges the wealthy contribution of the medical workers and health care providers. The establishment of this Feast underlines that the Ecumenical Patriarchate desires to strengthen the necessary collaboration between medical science and the Church; to evangelize the joyful message of divine philanthropy and the therapy and healing through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit.

The Service of the Feast was eloquently and beautifully written by His Eminence, Kyrillos Metropolitan of Rhodes, who is also the President of the Network of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Pastoral Health Care. Throughout the years, His Eminence has guided and contributed to the Patriarchal Network in significant ways with paternal love. This Service is an addition to his valuable contribution to the Church as a hymn writer. It expresses his deep faith in God’s grace and his pastoral discretion in healthcare.

In order to allow for a better understanding of the service, thus making it useful to many who cannot understand the original text, we decided to include a Modern Greek and English translation in this publication. The English translation was done by His Grace, Spyridon (Kezios), Bishop of Amastris, and the Modern Greek translation was done by the very capable philologist and professor, the Honorable Andreas Moratos. We thank both of them for the way they fully embraced the text with love, taking every effort to articulate the true meaning and understanding expressed in the Service. We hope that these translations will be a catalyst and assist others to translate this Service in other languages towards the glorification of the Holy Doctors.

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