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sepulcher

Revered Jerusalem church comes alive at night

After the last tourists leave the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City at nightfall, a little-known but centuries-old tradition unfolds at one of Christianity's holiest sites.

Clerics from the three largest denominations represented in the church – Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic – gather each night for special prayers reserved for the men who take care of the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

Starting at midnight, clerics and monks sing and pray for hours, their chants echoing through the cavernous chambers of the Holy Sepulcher's darkest rooms.

"The door of the church is closed, no pilgrims, no tourists, it's very quiet," said Father Isidoros Fakitsas, the superior of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate at the church. "It's amazing to feel the liturgy with no people, only the monks."

Isidoros said he has attended the services for 21 years.

Continue reading at seattletimes.nwsource.com
 
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  • guest

    Would love to experience that

  • Robert De Leon

    What a big difference!
    A couple of years ago I entered for the first time into a Protestant church.
    What a darkness, what a coldness, what an emptiness I experienced.
    There are several reasons to this. The Protestant “deformers” tried to divest the Catholic Church from everything, not only his facilities but – worst of all – the only that nurtures and give his magnificent splendor to the only one Religion founded by my Dear and Sweet Lord Jesus Christ: Eucharist, where Jesus is present in Body, Soul and Divinity.
    The lack of His Body and His Blood in that Protestant church was precisely the reason why I felt so bad.
    Poor of you, “deformers”.
    Robert.

    • daves

      Are you related to Ponce?

    • agbjr

      I must ask, exactly what denomination was that church you were inside of? "Protestant" is a broad label that covers every Christian denomination outside the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The Episcopal Church is protestant however most every Episcopal church building can easily be taken for a Catholic church.

  • Laur

    Robert, the Catholic Church was the first false church I Timothy 4:1-4 Chirst died for His body, the Church. Colossians 1:18 Romans 16:16 Christ is the One who died for the Church and it needs to be called after His name.

    • Gabriel

      Oh Brother! Can't you detractors of Holy mother Church find anything better and more entertaining to claim other than the same old tired lame dry misconceptions? Really now! if you're going to spread untruths then be more entertaining about it! Sheesh!