The Sunday of All Saints
Honouring the friends of God with much reverence, the Prophet-King David says, "But to me, exceedingly honourable are Thy friends, O Lord" (Ps. 138:16). And the divine Apostle, recounting the achievements of the Saints, and setting forth their memorial as an example that we might turn away from earthly things and from sin, and emulate their patience and courage in the struggles for virtue, says, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every burden, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1).
This commemoration began as the Sunday (Synaxis) of All Martyrs; to them were added all the ranks of Saints who bore witness (the meaning of "Martyr" in Greek) to Christ in manifold ways, even if occasion did not require the shedding of their blood.
Therefore, guided by the teaching of the Divine Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition, we the pious honour all the Saints, the friends of God, for they are keepers of God's commandments, shining examples of virtue, and benefactors of mankind. Of course, we honour the known Saints especially on their own day of the year, as is evident in the Menologion. But since many Saints are unknown, and their number has increased with time, and will continue to increase until the end of time, the Church has appointed that once a year a common commemoration be made of all the Saints. This is the feast that we celebrate today. It is the harvest of the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world; it is the "much fruit" brought forth by that "Grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died" (John 12:24); it is the glorification of the Saints as "the foundation of the Church, the perfection of the Gospel, they who fulfilled in deed the sayings of the Saviour" (Sunday of All Saints, Doxasticon of Vespers).
In this celebration, then, we reverently honour and call blessed all the Righteous, the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Shepherds, Teachers, and Holy Monastics, both men and women alike, known and unknown, who have been added to the choirs of the Saints and shall be added, from the time of Adam until the end of the world, who have been perfected in piety and have glorified God by their holy lives. All these, as well as the orders of the Angels, and especially our most holy Lady and Queen, the Ever-virgin Theotokos Mary, do we honour today, setting their life before us as an example of virtue, and entreating them to intercede in our behalf with God, Whose grace and boundless mercy be with us all. Amen.
Over 700 clergy and laity gathered at the Metropolis of Boston 36th Annual Ministry Awards Celebration on Sunday, June 12th, 2022 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA. The Master of Ceremony for the evening was Peter Eliopoulos, an Emmy Award winning reporter for WCVB- NewsCenter5.
Today, June 15, 2022, upon the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America convened via videoconference in order to review current matters concerning the life of the Church.
Smiths Creek, Michigan — The feast day of the Holy Trinity was celebrated at the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity. Representing Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos presided over Divine Liturgy for Holy Pentecost and an All-Night Vigil for Holy Trinity, and celebrated with the Abbott, Elder Joseph, and the pious brotherhood.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, under the leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, has instituted a revised policy on sexual misconduct by clergy. This revised policy updates the current one in place since 2000.
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Today, my friends, we address the Holy Spirit most directly in our hymns and spiritual songs:
Σῶσον ἡμᾶς, Παράκλητε ἀγαθέ, ψάλλοντάς σοι· Ἀλληλούϊα.
Save us, O Good Paraclete, who chant to You, Alleluia!
When we call the Holy Spirit, “Paraclete,” we call the Spirit by the same name that our Lord Jesus Christ used, when He told His disciples that we would ask His Father to send “another Παράκλητος” to be with them forever.[1]
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).