This significant event gathered a distinguished assembly of National Philoptochos Board Members, including National President Arlene Siavelis Kehl, National 1st Vice President Anita Kartalopoulos, and dedicated chapter members from the Direct Archdiocesan District and New Jersey Metropolis. Notable guests in attendance included Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, National Philoptochos Spiritual Advisor; Fr. Nekatarios Papazafiropoulos, Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; Fr. Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos, Chief of Staff to the Archbishop; Fr. Elias Villis, Chancellor, Direct Archdiocesan District; Fr. Evagoras Constantinides, Director of Special Events; Elaine Allen, Treasurer and Senior Advisor to the Archbishop; Paulette Poulos, Executive Director of Leadership 100; and National Philoptochos Staff members Amy Kalogeropoulos, Director; Paulette Geanacopoulos, Director of Social Services; Katherine Clark, Marketing & Communications Associate; and Vivian Dehner, Accountant/Bookkeeper.

Adding to the grandeur of the event, Fr. Andreas Vithoulkas, Presvytera Anthoula Vithoulkas, and Demetri Papacostas from the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine graced the occasion, creating a unifying celebration of faith, community, and philanthropy.

Archbishop Elpidophoros’ inspiring presence and blessings uplifted the hearts of all in attendance as they collectively embarked on the new year. The event at PCOP serves as a powerful testament to the enduring spirit of generosity and solidarity within the Philoptochos and the Greek Orthodox community, fostering a sense of unity and purpose that will guide their philanthropic endeavors throughout the year.

The National Philoptochos Society expresses sincere gratitude to Archbishop Elpidophoros and all esteemed guests for making this celebration a truly special and unifying experience. The Society remains steadfast in its commitment to serving others and spreading goodwill within the Greek Orthodox community and beyond.

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society Inc. is the philanthropic arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. With over 90 years of experience, they have helped people in need through fundraising and charitable programs. They have more than 400 active chapters nationwide. Learn more at www.philoptochos.org.

Read His Eminence’s Remarks here: https://www.goarch.org/…/archbishop-elpidophoros-of…

Watch the recap video here: https://vimeo.com/899938938

Photos: Franklin Liranzo
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

On January 18, the pilgrimage will begin from the Holy Monastery of Xenophontos, where the Archbishop will attend the vigil and the hierarchical Divine Liturgy of the Epiphany as well as the sanctification of the waters on January 19.

On January 20, the Archbishop with his entourage will visit the Holy Monastery of Philotheos, which is the mother Monastery of the great monasteries, which late Elder Ephraim the Philotheite founded in America.

On Sunday, January 21, the Archbishop will attend the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Holy Monastery of Philotheos. On the same day, the Archbishop and the pilgrims will visit the Holy Monastery of Pantokrator where they will stay.

On January 22, the pilgrims will return to Thessaloniki, while on January 23, the Archbishop will pay a visit to the new Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Philotheos, at the headquarters of the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki. He will also have meetings with the Deputy Minister of Interior Mr. Stathis Konstantinidis at the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace, the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas at the Region of Central Macedonia, the new Mayor of Thessaloniki Mr. Stelios Angeloudis at the Town Hall, the Consul General of the USA in Thessaloniki Mr. Jerry Ismail at the Consulate of the USA and the Consul General of Turkey in Thessaloniki Mr. Orhan Yalman Okan at the Consulate of Turkey.

Then, the pilgrims will head to the Holy Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Souroti, Thessaloniki, where the gravestone of St. Paisios the New Saint can be found, and to  the Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos in Akritochori, Serres.

On Saturday, January 27, the Archbishop will celebrate the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Konstantinos and Eleni of Ilioupolis, where the ordination of the deacon of the Holy Archdiocese of America, Petros Gomez, as a presbyter will take place.

On the same day, the Archbishop will visit Metropolitan Barnabas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis at the headquarters of the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis and Stavroupolis. He will also pay a visit to the Municipality of Ampelokipi, where a meeting will be held with the Mayor of Ampelokipi, Lazaros Kyrizoglou, and to the “Pharos tou Kosmou” in Dendropotamos.

In the afternoon of the same day, the Archbishop will attend the cutting of the AHEPA University Hospital vasilopita at the Hyatt Hotel.

At the invitation of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America will be the keynote speaker at the events for the National Day of Remembrance of the Greek Jewish Martyrs and Heroes of the Holocaust that will take place in Thessaloniki on Sunday, January 28.

On Sunday morning, the Archbishop will concelebrate the Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki at the Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Gregory Palamas and then he will lay a wreath at the Holocaust Memorial in Eleftheria Square (Liberty Square).

The keynote address at the event of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece will take place in the afternoon of the same day at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

At the end of the service, members of the Afro-American mission led by Archimandrite Chrysostom Onyekakeyah presented Archbishop Elpidophoros with a unique icon representing a collection of some of the most significant Saints of African origin and wished His Eminence a very healthy New Year filled with good strength and joy.

Archbishop Elpidophoros also celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral on Christmas Eve. At the conclusion of the liturgy, Stella Pantelidis received the icon of the Nativity from the Archbishop to honor her fifth year as President of the Archdiocesan Cathedral Board of Trustees. Axia!

Archbishop Elpidophoros concluded his Homily by stating, “may we also accept the miracle of the Lord’s Holy Nativity with faith, and receive the Lord Born in Bethlehem of Judea. And may He grant unto us a blessed Feast of Christmas, and a safe, prosperous and healthy New Year of 2024. Amen.”

Source: Goarch

Bishop Mesrop, consecrated to the episcopacy on October 8, 2023, by Catholicos Karekin II in Etchmiadzin, Armenia, made his first visit to the Archdiocese, extending heartfelt Christmas wishes to Archbishop Elpidophoros.

During their meeting, the two hierarchs delved into the rich spiritual ties and historical proximity shared between the Greek and Armenian communities. They also discussed the imperative of ministering to the youth and the challenges associated with preserving faith, culture, and language. In closing, Archbishop Elpidophoros extended his warmest wishes for a Merry and Blessed Christmas to Bishop Mesrop, who would be celebrating the occasion on January 6, following the Armenian tradition.

Photos: GOARCH

The sister communities of the St. Elijah Serbian Orthodox Church and the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church in Aliquippa, PA, came together to celebrate the Nativity period, tonight, in Orthodox Christian agape and fellowship through the voices of the St. Elijah Serbian Choir and the Byzantine Choir of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh. The choirs sang sacred a capella choral music from the Byzantine and Slavic traditions.

Proistamenos of St. Elijah Rev. Fr. Branislav Golic, Prositamenos of the Dormition of the Theotokos Rev. Fr. Theodosios Pallis, the executive council and philanthropic organizations of St. Elijah Serbian Orthodox Chruch, the St. Elijah Serbian Choir and their Director Mr. Georgie Milosh, and the Director of the Byzantine Choir of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh Dr. Nick Giannoukakis, thoughtfully realized this first of its kind fellowship event.

The Byzantine Choir of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsbrugh plan to come together with the St. Elijah Serbian Choir for another unity event in the early spring of 2024 at the Dormition of the Theotokos Church. The choirs propose to hold two musical events every year, alternating between the two communities, sharing and promoting the rich history of Byzantine Chant and Music and its evolution among the Orthodox people of the Balkans.

Source: Goarch

After the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence bestowed the title of Archon Hymnodos to Mr. Gerasimos Athanasatos, President of the Community. Mr. Athanasatos couldn’t receive this honor on Archon Sunday 2023 due to his pivotal role in His Eminence’s visit to Kefalonia in October. Additionally, Archbishop Elpidophoros also awarded parish priest of St. Gerasimos, Rev. Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Fr. Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos, with a Centennial Cross of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Read the Archbishop’s full Homily for the Sunday before Theophany:

I am so very pleased to spend this last day of 2023, and this last Sunday – New Year’s Eve – worshipping with you, the faithful members of Saint Gerasimos.

I think of the marvelous and spiritually rewarding days that many of us spent together in Kefalonia back in October, and I am overcome with gratitude for this wonderful community. I want to thank especially Gerasimos Athanasatos, the president of the Parish Council, for his leadership and all the work he accomplished with so many of you to make that pilgrimage to Kefalonia the fruitful and beneficial trip that it was.

Today – the 31st – is the Apodosis of the Feast of Christmas, and therefore this Sunday looks ahead to the Baptism in the Jordan, and is called the Sunday before the Theophany – Κυριακή πρὸ τῶν Φώτων – rather than the Sunday after Christmas. It always amazes me, that in these few days we know as the Δωδεκαήμερον – the Twelve Days that lead from Christmas to Theophany – we behold the Infant of Bethlehem come to His complete humanity.

We are already seeing the Lord in His Thirtieth Year, with only a brief stop for His Twelfth Year tomorrow on the Feast of the Circumcision on January First.

This accelerated timeline leaves many questions unanswered about how the Lord was raised; what his experience was as a child, and indeed how he was formed by His parents and His culture as a person. Yes, the Lord Jesus is God, and as such, He is immutable. But He is also a human being, with all the factors and exigencies of life that every human being endures and engages.

To see Him, then, in the fullness of His humanity, is a message for all of us. But what does it convey?

That we, His followers and disciples, are called to be in the fullness of our humanity, whatever age we are. For just as a child can be kind or cruel once they learn to speak and to act, so this duality persists throughout life, even to the white hairs of old age. Our vocation is to choose kindness, to choose truthfulness, to choose goodness. At whatever age we find ourselves.

We see in today’s Gospel reading, which begins: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,”* that all the following verses are about John the Baptist, and the preparation for the coming of this extraordinary Son of God, Who arrives at the peak of His own human history. What then, are we to understand about ourselves from this Gospel reading today?

I believe that the message is that we must engage and prepare for life and the fullness our own human existence. That our lives are to be readied to enter into the wholeness of our human nature, one that is healed and even deified by the Lord Jesus Christ. That we are to travel with Him to the Jordan River, and there receive not only instruction in how to live, but also, by Holy Baptism and all the Mysteries of the Church, be granted the grace to do so.

The Ministry, which has been approved by the Holy Eparchial Synod, is titled FREEDOM (Faith-based Resolve to Eradicate Enslavement: Didactic Outreach Ministry). Also in the meeting was the Chancellor of the Archdiocese V. Rev. Fr. Nektarios Papazafiropoulos.

FREEDOM will serve to educate and bring national awareness to Greek Orthodox faithful on the issue of Human Trafficking which is defined as the force, fraud, or coercion of an individual for sexual or labor exploitation, functioning as modern-day slavery. It is estimated that over 50 million people worldwide are currently being trafficked. This important ministry will provide resources and in-person training specifically tailored for ministries and organizations of the Archdiocese including Clergy, youth groups and lay leaders. By educating, bringing awareness, and offering resources to our faithful, we can prevent, protect, and provide for those in our communities that are vulnerable and/or affected.

Fr. Spiro, a member of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Patriarchal Task Force on Modern Slavery, is currently the Chief Chaplain of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and Director of the TBI PROTECT Program and will remain in that position. Father is also the Director of the ARISTEVI Foundation that offers educational and vocational support to Human Trafficking survivors.

The Holy Eparchial Synod has also designated Fr. Spiro’s chapel space where he services TBI personnel, and trafficked survivors as the “Shrine for Human Freedom”. The chapel, located in Tennessee, will be the national center for the ministry and a hub for Human Trafficking Awareness resources and survivor support.

“I greatly appreciate and admire Fr. Spiro’s dedication to dismantling human trafficking. I look forward to the work of the FREEDOM ministry in educating and raising awareness of this issue amongst our faithful to foster a world where every individual is free from exploitation” said Archbishop Elpidophoros of the ministry.

Photo: GOARCH

“On this first day of the New Year of 2024, let us embrace the newness in Christ, which He has appointed for our renewal and salvation,” Archbishop Elpidophoros of America said in the Archepiscopal Encyclical.

“We press forward in Christ, Who is an ever-flowing fountain of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. This is how we are called to live — in the dynamic flow of God’s grace through the Holy Spirit,” he stressed.

The Archbishop urged the faithful to “embrace 2024 with the optimism that is grounded in the truth of God.”

Finally, he wished: “May the New Year of God’s grace bestow upon you and all those you love the blessings of good health of body and soul, and the newness of life that propels you to reach for even greater spiritual heights.”

Read the full Archepiscopal Encyclical on the New Year 2024 below:

Ὥστε εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις· τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, ἰδοὺ γέγονε καινὰ τὰ πάντα.

(Πρὸς Κορινθίους Β´ 5:17)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation! What’s past has passed.

Behold! Everything is new!

(II Cor 5:17)

Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, the Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, the Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and the entirety of the Christ-named Plenitude of the Holy Archdiocese of America:

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

On this first day of the New Year of 2024, let us embrace the newness in Christ, which He has appointed for our renewal and salvation. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are, in fact, new creations! And that whatever has transpired is beyond us, forgiven and even forgotten. For every new year — whether this civil one, or the Ecclesiastical New Year on September 1 — is a call and opportunity to begin again. Why? Because in Christ, “everything is new.”

This is the truest and the best optimism. Neither a false hope for the future, nor a denial of mistakes in the past. We press forward in Christ, Who is an ever-flowing fountain of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. This is how we are called to live — in the dynamic flow of God’s grace through the Holy Spirit. Whether it is by our participation in the Sacred Mysteries of the Church, or by applying the teachings of our Savior in our everyday lives. When we pray, “give us this day our daily bread,” it is much more than an invocation of the Eucharist, as precious and profound as it is. We are affirming that the gift of life itself is a constant source of God’s nourishing love and care.

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, let us embrace 2024 with the optimism that is grounded in the truth of God. And as we base our hopes in the promises of His Grace, let us remember the Saint of this Day, and the sacred institution of our Archdiocese that bears his righteous name. Saint Basil Academy is a literal incarnation of new beginnings. It is a place of God’s love and His promise where newness of life flourishes. Let us always generously remember the Academy and its mission. And may the New Year of God’s grace bestow upon you and all those you love the blessings of good health of body and soul, and the newness of life that propels you to reach for even greater spiritual heights.

With much paternal love in Christ,

† ELPIDOPHOROS

Archbishop of America

Dr. Zimmar has been serving faithfully on the parish council of the Church of Our Savior for over 50 consecutive years and as president for two terms. He served as Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council and was a member of the council for several years. Dr. Zimmar is currently an Advisory Board member of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University.

Dr. Zimmar holds a doctorate from the University of Buffalo and a post doctoral fellowship at MIT. He has chaired the psychology departments at Grinnell and Briarcliff Colleges. Presently, he is senior adjunct Professor of Psychology at Pace University.

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America / Photos: Archdiocesan District