On the occasion of the great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, His Eminence Metropolitan Paisios of Leros, Kalymnos and Astypalaia addresses a message to the Orthodox faithful.
Writing from Astypalaia on 15 August 2026, His Eminence reflects on the sacred person of the Virgin Mary, Her passage into heavenly life and Her enduring presence as a source of comfort, hope and protection for the faithful and the Greek nation. He makes particular reference to Panagia Portaitissa, whose revered icon holds a special place in the faith and hearts of Astypaleans across the world.
Kalymnos Times publishes the Metropolitan’s message in full and without alteration:
THE DORMITION OF THE THEOTOKOS
“Upon Thy right hand stood the Queen, clothed in a garment of gold, arrayed in varied colours.”
No woman—none in the whole world—has ever been deemed worthy of the supreme honour bestowed upon the Holy Virgin Mary, the blessed Daughter of Nazareth, who, by divine grace and through the Holy Spirit, became the Source of Life and the Mother of God the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, what a wondrous miracle! Today, the Source of Life “is laid in a tomb, and the grave becomes a ladder leading to heaven.” Neither the tomb nor death could hold the immaculate and holy body of the Mother of God. “Neither the tomb nor death could hold the Theotokos, for, as the Mother of Life, she was translated unto Life.”
For the grace-filled Daughter of Nazareth, death was not the physical death that separates the body from the soul—the death which, through disobedience, became the tyrant of humankind, the offspring of the curse and corruption.
For the Virgin Mary, death was a sweet repose, a divine sleep that led Her most pure and undefiled Body, together with Her blessed soul, into heavenly life and the divine embrace of Her Son and God.
The undefiled and incorruptible body of the Mother of the Divine Redeemer, the Most Pure and Ever-Virgin Mary, borne aloft upon a chariot of Cherubim, followed the same path as Her Son. Glorified, She ascended to the heavenly chambers and rested in the embrace of Her Son, in a place worthy of His incarnate divinity, at the right hand of God the King. “Upon Thy right hand stood the Queen.”
To this Queen of Heaven, whom the Triune Godhead embraces—the Holy Spirit as His unwedded Bride, the Son and Word as His Virgin Mother, and God the Father as His beloved Daughter of God—the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, our Orthodox Church throughout the whole world, offers the highest honour after God.
Before this Great Mother, every Orthodox Christian soul bows with heartfelt reverence, praying and pleading with Her and singing together with the hymnographer: “I have you as my intercessor before the loving God; may He not examine my deeds in the presence of the Angels.”
She holds a prominent place in the hearts of the faithful and, most especially, in those of the people of Astypalaia, both those living on the island and those scattered throughout the world, who chant and proclaim from the depths of their hearts:
“Your revered Icon, O Lady Portaitissa, which through Anthimos appeared miraculously in Astypalaia, we honour as a sacred blessing and a dwelling place of Your glory for the faithful. From it, You pour forth Your gifts upon those who cry out to You with longing, O Pure One: Glory to Your providence; glory to Your abundant goodness towards us.”
“The Theotokos Mary, as the Mother of Life, has always been and continues to be the Mother of our Nation,” Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis stated in his message last year. “Throughout the whole course of our history, Her presence has been uninterrupted and decisive. She embodies the ideals of holiness, selfless service and sacrifice. She is a model of faith, a source of consolation and the hope of our people in every trial. The Panagia stands as an everlasting light, a shield of protection and the Champion General.”
May the Champion General, She who is higher than the heavens, the Mother of Light, the delight of the Angels and the joy of those who sorrow, become the intercessor for the well-being of the Christian people.
PAISIOS
Metropolitan of Leros, Kalymnos and Astypalaia
Astypalaia, 15 August 2026
