New York, NY - His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of over 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, will make his fifth visit to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America from March 13-19. He will make his first official pastoral visit to the Metropolis of New Jersey and will attend the much anticipated exhibition on "Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557)" at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. His All Holiness will offer a lecture entitled "Byzantine Icons: A Legacy for Humanism," on Thursday, March 18 at the Museum.
His All Holiness will arrive in New Jersey on March 13 and will be welcomed by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey, government officials, clergy and Greek Orthodox faithful. His All Holiness will go immediately to Sights & Sounds at Holy Trinity Church, Westfield, NJ, an annual event that showcases the talents of Greek Orthodox young people in New Jersey.
On Sunday morning, March 14, beginning at 9:30 a.m., His All Holiness will celebrate a Patriarchal Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. John the Theologian in Tenafly, NJ. A reception will follow the Divine Liturgy and, that evening, Metropolitan Evangelos and the Metropolis of New Jersey will host a dinner in honor of the Patriarch.
During his stay, His All Holiness will meet in New York with the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCH), ecumenical leaders, and leaders of major religions.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will meet with His All Holiness as well as members of the Diplomatic Corp and of the political and governmental world. The Archons of the Order of St. Andrew and Archdiocesan leaders will also meet with His All Holiness.
On Wednesday March 17, there will be a Doxology Service with young people of the Archdiocesan District of New York Parochial Schools at St. Nicholas Shrine Church, Flushing, NY, followed by a visit, by His All Holiness, to the classrooms of The William Spyropoulos Greek American Day School.
The visit of His All Holiness will conclude with the Patriarchal Lecture at the Metropolitan Museum, followed by a reception that evening for the Library Conservation Project at St. Catherine?s Monastery (Mt. Sinai), viewing of the "Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557)" exhibition and a dinner in the Temple of Dendur in the Museum.