Com
panions of the Sacred Flame,
This night we gather in vigil, to commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ, recalling with it, the history of our spiritual path, seeing in it, our own journeys from life to death, and experiencing through it, the initiation from death to life.
Divine Beloved, out of the tomb of separation you have called us, to rise into the Kingdom of God. The ancient mysteries of sacrifice speak to our journey.
Incarnate in each one of us, the Sacred Flame is transfixed upon the cross of space and time, May we never fear to descend into our lowest reaches, like the Logos and the harrowing of hell, to reconcile the lower with the higher- that we may rise transformed in this very life, and in the fullness of time ascend into perfect union.
– Easter Vigil of the Apostolic Johannite Church
These are the opening words of the Easter Vigil ritual that our communities undertake each year at this most solemn time. This year, our physical vigil is one that can only be conducted individually but its spirit is still carried in the hearts and minds of each Johannite, and in that spirit and trust, I offer my Easter blessing to each one of you.
My blessings, good wishes and prayers for all the Johannite Parishes, Narthexes, Missions, Oratories and Chapels, our solitary sisters and brothers who keep the flame burning in distant places, and all those who call the Apostolic Johannite Church home, deepening and sharing their journey here.
My thanks and gratitude on behalf of the Apostolic Johannite Church to the Johannite Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Seminarians, the Grand Master and Initiates of the Friary, the Prior, Oblates and Knights of the Order of the Temple and Saint John, and the Gnostic Wisdom Network team, for all their hard work and dedication- not only to the people we work on behalf of, but also in their own spiritual paths and in their service to each other. At all times, but especially in this most difficult of times.
Blessings and good wishes also from the Apostolic Johannite Church to the many Churches and spiritual communities of good will, especially the Ecclesia Gnostica Mysteriorum, Ecclesia Gnostica, Ekklesia Neoplatonismos Theourgia, and l’Eglise Gnostique Apostolique (New York), as well as the many Martinist Orders and Lodges, Ordre Martiniste, Ordre Martiniste of North America, Ordre Martiniste Souverains, and our Masonic sisters and brothers, and also the many individual friends, family, laity and clergy of good will.
May the coming year find your work and paths rich and rewarding with fruitful challenge and blessing, and balanced with rest and reflection. May your work be noble, your spirits be humble, and your hearts always full. Most of all, may you each come through this time of trial with happiness and health.
+ IOHANNES IV
Sovereign Pontiff and Patriarch
The Apostolic Johannite Church