GREETINGS

By His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America

At the 31st Hermes Expo International Awards Dinner

The Grand Marquis

Old Bridge, New Jersey

November 16, 2022

 

Your Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia,

Archimandrite Christoforos Oikonomidis, Chancellor,

Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers,

President of Hermes Expo, Paul Kotrosios,

Our Master of Ceremonies H. James Polos,

 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings to all the honorees this evening! And may I express how delighted I am to be with all of you for this 31st Hermes Expo International Awards Dinner. It is especially meaningful for me, because I am accepting the Leadership Award on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. And of particular note is the fact that we are receiving this award in the year of the centennial celebration of our Sacred Archdiocese as the premier Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Diaspora.

All of the honorees here tonight – in the other categories of the Philotimo Award, the Hippocratic Award, the Healthcare Hero Award, the Public Service Awards, and the Paideia Awards – reflect the very best of the Omogeneia and the very best of Hellenism.

 I am particularly proud of our dear friend, Paul Kotrosios, his family, and his organization for their offering to the Community. Hermes Expo has consistently supported Greek causes and businesses. It is a true Agora of entrepreneurial genius where the exchanges that take place strengthen our common bonds of solidarity and mutuality.

Therefore, I am grateful to receive this acknowledgment tonight – the Leadership Award that recognizes the central role of the Sacred Archdiocese of America in connecting the Omogeneia from coast to coast, and across the ocean to Greece, Cyprus, and to our Most Holy Ecumenical Patriarchate.

I pray that God’s blessings will remain in abundance in the lives of all of tonight’s Awardees, and that the philosophy that undergirds the Hermes Expo will enliven the communities from which it springs.

May the blessings of fellowship, fraternity and common interests continue to strengthen the Omogeneia – both in the lives of all those present this evening, and to all those whose lives are touched by the ministries and services that we celebrate tonight.

Thank you for this honor to your Archdiocese in our Hundredth Year.

Thank you for your commitments to Greece and Cyprus.

Thank you for your undying support of our Mother Church of Constantinople.

May your families and friends enjoy the good health, as well as the spiritual and material prosperity that comes from living in accordance with the commandments and will of God.

Thank you for this very special evening. I receive your honor with gratitude, and with a deep awareness of our unity in Christ and our unity as a community.

May the Lord bless us all!

 

Photos: GOARCH/Dimitrios Panagos