New York - The One -Year Memorial Service commemorating the passing on April 10, 2005 of Archbishop Iakovos, Former Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, will be held in all parishes of the Archdiocese on April 9, 2006. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America will preside at the Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, 337 East 74th Street, NYC.

The enthronement of Archbishop Iakovos on April 1, 1959 at Holy Trinity Cathedral, ushered in a new era for Greek Orthodoxy in America. Respected by all religious leaders in the United States when he retired at the age of 85 on July 29, 1996, Archbishop Iakovos 37 years of service were distinguished by his leadership in furthering religious unity, revitalizing Christian worship and championing human and civil rights.

In his encyclical to the faithful of the Greek Orthodox Family in America Archbishop Demetrios said:

"On behalf of our Holy Eparchial Synod, I write to you on the first anniversary of the blessed passing away of Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America. One year ago, we grieved deeply upon offering our last respects to a great ecclesiastical leader who led the Church and Omogenia for decades"..

In honor of the life and offering to the Church and the Nation of our Archbishop of blessed memory, all parishes of our Holy Archdiocese are hereby directed to conduct a one-year memorial service at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy on April 9, 2006. Let this memorial service be an inspiration for all of us to comprehend the power of the Gospel and our ultimate duty to promote it, as we pray for the repose of the soul of our deeply respected and beloved Archbishop Iakovos.

The Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service will be broadcast live from the Cathedral from 10:00am to 12:00 pm. (ET) on Time Warner Digital 509:NGTV and ANTENNA SATELLITE NORTH AMERICA, and on the Internet at: http://www.thecathedral.goarch.org.

For further information of the life and ministry of Archbishop Iakovos, please visit.

CONTACT: Nikki Stephanopoulos