Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, the Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, the Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and the entirety of the Christ-named Plenitude of the Holy Archdiocese of America:
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This Fourth of July — which we celebrate tomorrow — is a most extraordinary day for the Greek Orthodox Church of America. We are saluting the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, as well as the extraordinary milestones in the history of our National Church. We shall celebrate the consecration of the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center, even as we mark the centennial of the establishment of our Sacred Archdiocese — the first and preeminent Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Diaspora.
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This Father’s Day, I ask for our entire Archdiocese to remember the “fathers” of our communities across the nation — that is, our very own clergy, who serve everyone so selflessly. This is our second year of recognizing the parish clergy of the Church on this special occasion. And the fact that it coincides with the feast of All Saints gives it even greater force, as we ourselves are all “called to be saints” as well (Romans 1:7).
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My Beloved Sisters and Brothers in Christ, These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers and sisters. (Acts 1:14)
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My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Christ descended alone to the Gates of Hades, He returned taking many spoils of His victory.
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My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Today, as we chant our hymn of “victory and thanksgiving,” we remember our sisters and brothers struggling in Ukraine at this very hour, who are under a brutal and inhuman attack by their neighbor, even their fellow Orthodox Christians.
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We find ourselves in deep pain and sorrow of soul over the horror that has ensued from the invasion of Ukraine. I do not say, “Russia,” because many thousands of the Russian People are protesting this unprovoked and unreasonable attack at risk to their own lives and freedom. This attack must be squarely set upon the shoulders of Vladimir Putin, who is risking global peace for his own selfish political agenda.
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This year — the Centennial year of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America — we pause to remember those who came before us, and honor the legacy of the pioneers of our Church in America. It seems only fitting, that on this Feast of the great and holy Patriarch Photios, we make special mention of the brave and stalwart πρωτοπόροι, whose voices brought the Faith of the Orthodox Christian Church to these shores.
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The Feast of the Saintly Three Hierarchs — Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom — is an occasion of the greatest joy in the Church. Together, as the hymn says, they stand as “pillars of the Faith,” much like those established in the Book of Revelation when the Lord says: “I will make the victor a pillar in the Temple of My God…. (3:12). Indeed, each of these great Hierarchs was victorious, triumphing over heresy and sophistry. They were the finest examples of the Wisdom of God, who establishes Her own pillars (cf. Proverbs 9:1) to edify the House of God.
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Let us greet the New Year of 2022, the centennial year of our Sacred Archdiocese of America, with the hope and faith that our renewal in Christ is at hand. We came through the past year with many accomplishments, despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. The highlight of last year was surely the Apostolic Visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, but there were many other significant events as well.
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As we gather across our Nation to celebrate Christmas — the quintessential and most sentimental religious holiday of the American People — we Orthodox Christians are called to an experiential participation with the Nativity of our Savior in Bethlehem of Judea.
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My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we prepare to celebrate the National Day of Thanksgiving, our American holiday that calls us to the mindset of gratitude for all of God’s blessings in our lives and in our Country, I note with great satisfaction and thankfulness the recent Apostolic Visit of His All-Holiness our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
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From ancient Christianity to modern times, doctors, nurses, and specialist healers, as well as other simple and conscientious faithful Christians have served “those in illness and suffering” by tangibly expressing God’s love for mankind, after the example and in the image of Christ.
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On this National Philoptochos Sunday, we rejoice with gratitude and appreciation for the many labors and ministries of our Philoptochos Societies Nationwide. Their constant and consistent philanthropy answers the question of that lawyer who prodded our Lord Jesus Christ about who was deserving of the recognition of their humanity and the love that fulfills the Second and Great Commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). For decades, the Philoptochos has answered the question “And who is my neighbor?” with a resounding: “Everyone!”
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The presence of the Angels is ubiquitous, and as we are reminded by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews. They appear when least expected. And they especially appear when they are welcomed.
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Today, as we commemorate the patrons of our National Philoptochos, the Holy Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian — whose feast we celebrate tomorrow, on the first of November — we have the blessing of the paternal presence in our land of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. All around the country, our Philoptochos Societies are dedicating their collections today for the needs and the support of the benevolent and philanthropic ministries of our Mother Church of Constantinople.
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There are still some alive in our communities who remember this time. They are fading with the years, so we must do all that we can to honor them, their heroism, and their sacrifice. That is why we commemorate OXI Day throughout our sacred Archdiocese, and we ask for our communities to celebrate the Doxology for the Day.
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Archiepiscopal Encyclical for National Leadership 100 Sunday
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The Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross is a milestone in every liturgical year of the Church, a marker where we can measure our journey of faith. The Ὕψωσις is a moment when we recall that our Lord Jesus Christ was raised up high upon a cross of death and shame, so that He could transform our sinfulness that leads to death, into the perfection of love and sacrifice that leads to eternal life.
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The Feast of the Indiction, the solemn day of prayers for the natural environment, finds once again humanity confronted with intense weather conditions due to mounting climate change, with devastating floods and fires across the globe, as well as with the Coronavirus pandemic and its socioeconomic consequences.
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