On Saturday, 30 August 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the service and official signing ceremony for the inclusion of Papa-Dimitrios Gagastathis into the liturgical calendar of the Orthodox Church.
The ceremony took place in the Patriarchal Church at the Phanar, with His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia among the hierarchs present.
The Patriarch, joined by members of the Holy Synod and hierarchs from around the world – including Archbishop Makarios – signed the Patriarchal and Synodal Act of Canonisation in the official Codex of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Abbess Isidora, the biological daughter of the newly canonised Saint, attended with family members and pilgrims from Trikala, alongside civic representatives.
In his address, Patriarch Bartholomew emphasised that the recognition of saints reveals the enduring presence of God in the life of the Church. He described holiness not as human achievement but as divine grace, embodied in the humble and ascetic life of Saint Dimitrios, who became a spiritual guide and miracle-worker for the faithful.
