On Saturday evening, June 12, 2010, His All Holiness, Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch presided over the celebration of the Great Vespers which was served by His Eminence, Metropolitan AMBROSIOS of Helsinki and clergy of the Finnish Orthodox Church. Archimandrite Zacchaeus, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate, was invited to concelebrate the vespers by His Eminence, Archbishop LEO of Karelia and All Finland.
During the course of the Great Vespers, His Eminence, Metropolitan AMBROSIOS and the concelebrating clergy served a festal litiya with the blessing of loaves, wine and oil which were then distributed to the numerous faithful in attendance at the service, which ended the day for those participating in the Finnish Church-wide Gathering and Conference “Church – The Hope of Creation” in Joensuu, Finland from June 11-13, 2010.
