Archbishop Elpidophoros Celebrates at St. Barbara Chuch 

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the 3rd Salutations at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in New York City yesterday, April 5, 2024. His Eminence was welcomed by parish priest Rev. Protopresbyter Peter Daratsos and parish council members. The beautiful St. Barbara Church was founded in 1926 by struggling Greek immigrants and has provided and continues to provide the greatest comfort of St. Barbara. Located by the Manhattan Bridge, during World War II the Church was a thriving community and welcomed newly arriving families who were seeking religious solace. With the large number of parishioners having moved to the suburbs, membership is now much smaller. However, there are dedicated and loyal faithful who support the Church and come to pray and worship.

In his Homily to the faithful gathered, Archbishop Elpidophoros remarked, “My friends, the Holy Theotokos was both Virgin and Mother, and by a strange miracle, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was a virgin in his humanity, is also a kind of Mother to us, inasmuch as the Church is His Body, and we call it, ‘Mother Church’. It should come as no surprise that the mystery of the Virgin Mary’s maternity should be mirrored in our Lord’s humanity, for He assumed our human nature entirely from her. Indeed, we call the Holy Ecumenical Patriarchate our ‘Mother Church,’ because she nourishes and sustains us through her canonical Mantle, which is spread across our great land by the sacred Archdiocese of America.”

Photos: GOARCH/Dimitrios Panagos