So I set my alarm clock for 6:45 AM. I shouldn't have bothered.
At around 5:30 or so in the morning I hear faint chanting. Or what I thought was chanting. It went on for a full 15 minutes all over the city and across the Halic- the Golden Horn. It wasn’t 15 minutes from one minaret but collectively. Each muezzin had his own time schedule on which shout out his call to prayer. There is a call to prayer in the middle of the night. Thankfully they let everyone sleep peacefully through the night This is the reality since 1453 in this city (and in the outlying area earlier than that.)
What was I saying about an alarm clock? Clearly not needed.
Orthros is at 8:00 AM at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint George. Seems Saint George figures very prominently in my priestly life- Saint George as my first parish; Saint George as my present parish; Saint George as the Patriarchal Cathedral. But I digress.
I headed down to the Patriarchal cathedral. Not as ancient as you would believe. This particular church dates from the 1700's but rebuilt in the 1800's. I’ve seen it many times on ERT when they showed the Patriarchal liturgies on TV. It was different seeing it for the first time in real life. I slowly went down the side aisles and venerated the relics of Saints they had there. Suddenly I was in front of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Gregory the Theologian who were Patriarchs of Constantinople and whose relics were plundered by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and were restored to the Patriarchate by Pope John Paul II. I remembered seeing it live on ERT when it happened several years ago and now I am in front of the relics of these two Fathers of the Church. In America we may have beautiful and grand churches but we are poor in the sense that we have no connection to our Orthodox heritage. Where are the relics of holy men and women that the Church has declared Saints? Where are our centers of pilgrimage to be rejuvenated? We do have the relics of Saint Nektarios in Covina and Saint Herman of Alaska in Long Beach. Those are the exceptions rather than the rule.
Beginning in 1204 with the Fourth Crusade which plundered the treasures of Orthodoxy including the relics of Saints and shipped them to the West, then the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 devastated whatever little remained of the glory that was once a vibrant empire. We should be grateful that relics of two universal luminaries find their way back to the Orthodox Church. Relics of holy men and women are vital to the continuity of our life as a Church. But more important is the faithful witness that they proclaim to us of a life of goodness and humility. We need them to bolster our faith at times. Their lesson is "we have fought the good fight" you will do as well.
Going back to Orthros. I was expecting at least 45minutes to an hour length. Seminary had a 30 minute Orthros. The Orthros here was no more than 20 minutes. They chanted fast!During Orthros I see a gentleman taking video with a small handheld camera and taking notes. He looks familiar but I don't know anyone here. I shrug it off.
After Orthros I was invited to one of the sitting rooms where I began meeting the staff of the Patriarchate. All these names are overwhelming at first but I will get them all by the time I leave. There is the Grand Chancellor Stephanos, the Archdeacon Maximos, and the Grand Archimandrite Athenagoras. All of them were warm and welcoming. I tell them about myself and about St George in Downey. When I mention that the parish serves about 200-250 families they seem somewhat surprised, especially when they ask if I have an assistant.
It’s a nice small breakfast of olives, bread and Tea. This is a nation of tea drinkers. Forget coffee for the next few weeks. There is coffee if you so desire but by and large there will always be hot water for tea.
About 9:05 and 9:10 there is the unmistakable sound of car and truck horns. This is the moment when all of Turkey stops. At this moment in 1938 Kemala Mustafa Pasa, also known as Ataturk, died. All traffic stops and people get out of their cars and trucks, people stop walking and everyone stands at attention. Whatever you may think of Ataturk, the fact is that he bears a great deal of responsibility of what Turkey is today and he is fresh in the minds of some people. Look at America and our holiday, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day. President’s Day is the merger of two holidays in February that used to be separate in which we honored two pivotal presidents in US History- George Washington (Feb 22) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12). Before anyone castigates the Turks for honoring “the father of the country,” let us remember we do (or did) the same. (Now days, its time off from work and shopping!)
Grand Chancellor Stephanos is surprised that this is my first visit to Constantinople and the Patriarchate. This will not do. He calls Pangioti who is the Tour guide for the Patriarchate. I am to go sightseeing. Then after I get back, I go to work in the English Office of the Patriarchate.
I go upstairs and get ready.
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