On Sunday, 24 November 2024, His Eminence Metropolitan Job of Pisidia presided the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Holy Anargyroi in Nea Ionia, Athens, Greece at the invitation the local bishop, His Eminence Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia, Philadelphia, Heraklion and Chalcedon, who concelebrated with him, together with Archimandrite Bartholomew from the Holy Royal, Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Theologian of Patmos and clergy of the Holy Metropolis. The Divine Liturgy was attended by the Mayor of Nea Ionia, Mr. Panagiotis Manouris, deputy mayors, members of the Board of Directors of the Municipality, the president of the Managing Committee of the Asia Minor Culture Center of the Municipality, Mr. Loukas Christodoulou, the President of the Association of Alagiotes Mr. Georgios Nouveloglou, representatives of refugee associations and a multitude of believers.
The municipality Nea Ionia was founded in 1923 by the refugees from the Metropolis of Pisidia, from Sparta in Asia Minor, Alanya and Antalya, lead by Bishop Meletios of Patara and Father Joachim Pesmatzoglou.
In his homily, Metropolitan Job described the pastoral work which is done today in Asia Minor, in the Metropolis of Pisidia, following the revival initiated by Metropolitan Sotirios Trambas of blessed memory, and thanked the descendants of the refugees from Asia Minor for their constant financial support.
After the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Job, accompanied by Metropolitan Gabriel, went to the tomb of the late Metropolitan Meletios of Patara, which is located behind the Holy Altar of the Metropolitan Church, and celebrated a memorial service for the late metropolitan and the priests Joachim, Eustathios and Chrysantos of blessed memory.
Metropolitan Job also visited on that day the headquarters of the Union of Sparta of Asia Minor and the Association of the Alagiotes of Nea Ionia, who afterwards offered a luncheon in his honour.
