Istanbul, September 1, 2025
The Patriarchate of Constantinople formally added a new saint to its liturgical calendar on Saturday, August 30, as Patriarch Bartholomew signed the official act glorifying Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis, the late parish priest of St. Nicholas Church in Platanos, Trikala.
The ceremony took place at the Patriarchal Church in Constantinople, with Pat. Bartholomew presiding over the service alongside members of the Holy Synod. Archimandrite Vosporios, Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, read the Patriarchal and Synodical Act of Glorification before the hierarchs affixed their signatures to the official register, reports Romfea.
The glorification follows the Holy Synod of Constantinople’s resolution at its July 8-9 session to canonize Papa-Demetrios, responding to a proposal submitted by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece in March.
Papa-Demetrios is especially known to English-speaking Orthodox audiences through the book, Papa-Dimitri: The Man of God, published by Orthodox Kypseli publications in 1997.
A delegation from Trikala attended the historic ceremony, including Metropolitan Chrysostomos, local clergy, Deputy Regional Governor of Trikala Chrysa Dinti, Trikala municipal official George Ziogas, and numerous pilgrims. Notably present were Abbess Isidora and her sister, the saint’s daughters, along with other family members.
In his address, Pat. Bartholomew emphasized that the newly glorified saint “was distinguished for his simplicity and humility,” describing him as a man who considered himself “among the least.” The Patriarch highlighted Fr. Demetrios’s life of vigils and prayers, his virtuous and ascetic character, and his role as a confessor of Orthodoxy with the gift of foresight, noting that he continues to sanctify and heal the faithful even after his repose.
“Even before being officially inscribed in the rolls of the saints, his name had been engraved in golden letters in the souls of the faithful,” the Patriarch said, adding that the blessed priest of Trikala represents “an invaluable gift from heaven to the Christ-loving people of Trikala, to the Orthodox world and to the whole world.”
Pat. Bartholomew reflected on the significance of adding a new saint to the Church’s calendar, noting that holiness in the Orthodox tradition encompasses “a great variety of charisms” and is understood not as human achievement but as a gift of divine grace.
The official celebration of the glorification and the reading of the Synodical Act will take place at the Holy Metropolitan Cathedral of Trikala on January 29, the feast day of St. Demetrios Gagastathis.
St. Demetrios will also be commemorated on August 30, the date of his official glorification, with special observances in his native village of Platanos, Trikala.
Read more about St. Demetrios' life here.
Watch the signing ceremony:
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