To mark its 38th anniversary, the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin in Amsterdam witnessed a celebration which started with Holy Mass over which Anba Arseny, Bishop of The Netherlands and Belgium, presided. The Mass was widely attended by clergy, deacons and the congregation of Amsterdam.
During Mass, Anba Arseny promoted 20 altar boys to Psaltos “cantor”; 23 Psaltos to the rank of Gnostos “reader”; and 22 Gnostos to Epdiacon, “deacon’s assistant”.
Anba Arseny and the congregation then headed to the Cultural Centre building adjacent to the church, where the bishop opened a charity fair. The church offered for the day an entertainment and educational programme for youth and children, in addition to various programmes for children with special needs.
At the end of the day, everyone celebrated the Cathedral’s birthday around a cake prepared especially for the occasion.
The Cathedral of the Holy Virgin in Amsterdam is the first Coptic Orthodox church that was purchased and established in the Netherlands in 1985, after Father Arsenios al-Baramousi (today His Eminence Bishop Arseny) arrived in the Netherlands to serve there in May that same year.
Watani International
9 October 2023
