GREETING

By His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America

At the Archdiocesan District Clergy Syndesmos Meeting

Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

New York, New York

May 24, 2022

 

My beloved Fathers and Brothers in Christ,

Χριστὸς Ἀνέστη!

As we all meet together, after having shared in the brotherhood of the Divine Liturgy, I note that we have a very full agenda this morning. Therefore, I will be brief in my remarks.

The Clergy-Laity Congress that is quickly approaching will constitute a considerable responsibility for this Syndesmos. For together with your Chancellor, Father Elias, you are the host clergy for this centennial celebration of our Sacred Archdiocese. In fact, we are going to hold the traditional Sunday Liturgy of the Congress right here in our very own Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. However, as many of you already know, the preeminent liturgical event of the Congress will be the consecration of our Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center.

I know that many of you already are making significant contributions to the preparations for the Clergy-Laity Congress, for the Sunday Liturgy of July 3rd, and, indeed, for the consecration of Saint Nicholas. Therefore, I am asking all of you to commit to a prayerful and mindful attitude for the duration of the Congress, because this is a unique moment for our National Church.

At this Congress, as we reflect on the legacy of the past, and the energy of the present, which we pledge to renew, we are called to come together in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.[1] The example of the clergy of the Archdiocesan District will set the tone and pave the way for the numerous delegates coming from all across the country.

For this Clergy-Laity will not only be an occasion of remembrance and jubilee. It will also be a time of collective imagining and visioning of the future, as we set our course for the next one hundred years. While ancient mariners used the stars to navigate across the vast expanse of the oceans, our lights are the traditions of our Church, the lives of the Saints and their peerless examples – the great luminaries of the past two thousand years.

And so, as we are the hosts for our brothers and sisters from around the Archdiocese, let us shine our light before them all, so that they may see our good work, and glorify our Father, Who is in Heaven. [2]

 

Beloved fathers,

With this encouragement and fatherly exhortation, I conclude my remarks. Please pay close attention to all the reports and information that is being shared with you today. And may our Gracious and Loving Lord bless and protect you, your families and all of your loved ones.

Χριστὸς Ἀνέστη!