In the presence and with the participation of His Excellency Bishop Bruno Varriano, Patriarchal Vicar for the Latins in Cyprus, the priests gathered this morning, Wednesday, December 14, 2025, for a spiritual and fraternal meeting in preparation for the Glorious Feast of Christmas.
The gathering opened with prayer, followed by a spiritual reflection offered by Fr. Bernard Thilagarajah, parish priest of Saint Catherine’s Church in Limassol. His meditation presented several insights connected to the reality of priests’ lives and their pastoral ministry.
- He reflected on how the priest, when celebrating the Divine Sacrifice, manifests the mystery of the Nativity through the real and substantial presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, insofar as he truly experiences this faith and lives according to it.
- When the priest offers the Holy Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful, he also reflects the role of the Father, who offered His Son to the world for the sake of salvation.
- In this light, the mystery of Christmas is deeply linked to the words of Saint John at the beginning of his Gospel: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Thus, the mystery of the Nativity is made present in every Eucharistic sacrifice celebrated by the priest.
The meeting also included several preparatory points, spiritual commitments, and pastoral guidelines presented by His Excellency Bishop Varriano, offered for consultation and to hear the priests’ reflections and opinions. At the conclusion, the priests exchanged Christmas greetings with His Excellency, wishing everyone a blessed Christmas season and a grace-filled and glorious New Year.
