Father Panteleimon belongs to the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and for the past 34 years he has been in charge of making the wax seal that seals shut the door leading into the All-Holy Sepulchre of the Lord on Holy Saturday, after it has been thoroughly inspected and prior to the Patriarch of Jerusalem entering. Regarding this, he explains:
"The Holy Seal is made of pure beeswax. Those who used to do it before my time only sealed the doors, but I began to make the pies. We began with 3,000 and now we prepare 10,000. These pies work many miracles, to the point where sterile women have children. Of course they must have faith.
We begin on Great Saturday at 11:00 in the morning when we seal the doors. From this wax we hold on to a piece for when we make pies over the course of the year as a blessing.
I now lit the gas stove and put this wax in, which last year was stuck to the door. We keep a piece which is like yeast and from it we make the pies. It has even healed cancer and now everyone asks for them. This is something I started.
At first, before my time, they would only make an 8 kilo piece, which is stuck on to the door and seals the All-Holy Tomb. Tomorrow I will seal it with Archimandrite Father Matthew. The Armenian from the left will hold a white ribbon and we from the right. The last inspection of the Tomb takes place at 11:00.
Tomorrow morning at 7:00 we will scrape the wax from the Tomb, we will clean it and we will add one and a half liters of perfumes to it. This gives it such grace, so that this myrrh you can have for ten years and it will be fragrant.
The Holy Seal has taken place for many years now. The remains are like yeast from the previous year. It symbolizes what is said in Scripture: 'The stone was sealed by the Jews.'
On Great Friday afternoon, the women enter a specially designed area, make the Holy Seal with pure beeswax after the yeast of the previous year melts, something similar to the Holy Water that is mixed with water and it becomes Holy Water again. That is, sort of like a bain-marie just so you understand, the women put in the yeast which melts and becomes yeast again, which is molded and made into pies. These will be distributed to all the people.
I will also tell you that while the wax is boiling, the women do not feel being burnt by it.
On the morning of Great Saturday we make the ball of beeswax for the Holy Seal, which will seal the entrance into the All-Holy Tomb, after it is first inspected inside, so there are no matches, lighters or whatever, then the Holy Seal is applied, namely the pure beeswax on the door, and the authorities place their seal on the wax.
The inspection begins at 10:00 in the morning on Great Saturday and ends at 11:00, and while this takes place the young Orthodox Arabs are protesting inside the Holy Temple in favor of the rights of the Orthodox.
It should be noted that the meticulous inspection of the All-Holy Tomb is monitored by representatives of the Armenians and those who belong to other denominations.
When the Ceremony of the Touching of the Holy Light takes place, the All-Holy Tomb is unsealed, and the yeast portion is kept for the year. This is the Holy Seal, which has miraculous properties because it comes in contact with the All-Holy Tomb and is believed to have the same blessing as the Honorable Wood of the Cross."
