The Archdiocesan District Council met on March 19, 2024 at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America headquarters in New York. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America welcomed the group of clergy and lay members, wishing them a blessed, Great Lenten Season, and reminding all of our faithful that we have a calling to service and commitment to our Archdiocese, each of our parishes, and most especially to Christ. 

“I welcome all of you with gratitude and appreciation to your Archdiocese today for this meeting of the Archdiocesan District Council. Each of you brings different talents to this Council, and our goal is to bring together all these gifts to work in unison for the good of our District. In Greek we call this συνεργεία – synergy, which means we all funnel our efforts into a unified and united effort on behalf of our parishes and our people. Your responsibility as members of this Council is as much to them, as it is to the Institutional Church. Your voices – those of laity (women and men), clergy and youth representatives – are necessary to chart the way forward for our Church. We must hear from every segment of our Γένος, in order to be more and more responsive to their needs,” remarked His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros. Read His Eminence's full remarks here.

Items discussed and addressed during the meeting included the 2025 Operating Budget, Youth Safety, Religious Education, and other upcoming events and gatherings. The Council members congratulated His Eminence on the anniversary of his elevation as a Hierarch and also unanimously expressed their love and support for the newly appointed President of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Dr. Demetrios Katos, who grew up in St. Demetrios Cathedral, Astoria, NY. The District Council made preparations in anticipation of the Archdiocesan District Clergy Laity Asembly taking place on April 6th, at the Church of the Resurrection in Brookville, NY. 

Photo: GOARCH