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Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2024-03-24
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Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (561) 833-6387
  • Fax:
  • (561) 833-6391
  • Street Address:

  • 110 Southern Blvd.

  • West Palm Beach, FL 33405


Contact Information




Services Schedule

Sunday Services:

  8:30 am     Orthros

  9:45 am     Divine Liturgy

 

Sunday School Classes: 

11:15 am     After Holy Communion


Past Bulletins


This Week and Upcoming Events

 Christ is in our midst!  He is and ever shall be!

 Our services are streamed live on the internet.
at our Saint Catherine website - www.stcatherine-wpb.org
 

Join us for Orthodox Divine Liturgy every Sunday at 9:45 a.m.

Light a candle and offer a prayer at Saint Catherine (click above).  

The online form sends the names of your family and friends direct to Father Gustavo at the altar;prayers are offered during the Proskomidi in preparation for the Divine Liturgy!

 

March 24, 2024
Forefeast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos
Our Holy Father Theonas, Archbishop of Thessolonica

 

 COVID-19 protocol:  Parishioners and guests may wear a mask if they desire in our Church and Hellenic Cultural Center.  All are advised not to enter if exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.  Everyone should also follow the CDC guidelines on quarantining if they have recently been with someone who is COVID positive or experiencing symptoms.

Links to the service text:  Links to the service texts are through the Digital Chant Stand of our Archdiocese.  For optimal viewing select the "GR-EN Text/Music" link for Matins (Orthros) and Divine Liturgy. Apps may be downloaded for your phone or tablet. Link to the Digital Chant Stand 

Holy Communion:  When the faithful approach the Holy Chalice, they should stand with respect before the priest and say their baptismal/chrismation name.  After the name is uttered, the faithful should open their mouth to receive Holy Communion.  When the spoon goes into the mouth, the faithful should close their mouth and make sure that they swallow the consecrated Bread and Wine.  Every person who stands before the Holy Chalice, should not have any contact with the red communion cloth, before, during, or after receiving Holy Communion.  The red communion cloth is to be placed under each person’s chin by those who are assisting the clergy.  Under no circumstances should the red communion cloth be used as a table napkin to wipe the mouth, nor should one who has received Holy Communion touch it at all. 

Coffee and Fellowship:  We invite you to join us today for the Philoptochos Lenten Buffet to benefit Hellenic College / Holy Cross Seminary and the Greek School 25th of March Program in the Hellenic Cultural Center after the Divine Liturgy.

____________  

This Week

Sunday, March 24  Sunday of Orthodoxy
     8:30 am  Orthros
     9:45 am  Divine Liturgy
Philoptochos Lenten Buffet
Greek School 25th of March Program
     5:00 pm  Pan-Orthodox Annunciation Vespers @ Annunciation Church, North Miami
 
Monday, March 25  Annunciation of the Theotokos
     9:00 am  Orthros / 10:00 am  Divine Liturgy

Wednesday, March 27
     6:30 pm  Presanctified Liturgy 

Friday, March 29
     6:30 pm  Second Salutations


Next Week and Highlights of Upcoming Services and Events

Sunday, March 31  Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
     8:30 am  Orthros
     9:45 am  Divine Liturgy
Parish Assembly

Wednesday, April 3
     6:30 pm  Presanctified Liturgy 

Friday, April 5
     6:30 pm  Third Salutations

 

Stewardship: As of March 12th, Stewardship gifts for 2024 have been received from 99 individuals/families totaling $43,555.  Some of the donations represent fulfillment of their total pledge while many others have begun their weekly, monthly or other scheduled donation. We are so thankful to these stewards.

The 2024 Stewardship materials were mailed to our parishioners and are also available on the website. Click here for the 2024 Stewardship Program and Commitment Form. New feature for 2024 - You may complete the commitment form online and email it back to the office. 

The Donate buttons here and on our website lead to our online giving site.  Again, thank you for your support!

 

Youth Safety Resources:  We’re committed to connecting young people with Jesus Christ. To do that, we need to create ministry environments that are safe and health. For more on how you can help, please visit our Youth Safety website: goarch.org/safety.

 

Church Services Streamed:  Many of our Divine Liturgies have been recorded and can be viewed at www.youtube.com.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel; you will be notified when we begin a live stream.

Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church (Services from 2020 until now)

Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church (Selected services from 2015-2019)

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Event Flyers

    Philoptochos Lenten Buffet

    Philoptochos Lenten Buffet

    Please join us for the Philoptochos Lenten Buffet to benefit Hellenic College / Holy Cross Seminary on March 24, 2024. We ask that you kindly make a $10 donation per adult. Thank you for your support.


    25th Martiou Celebration

    25th Martiou Celebration

    Saint Catherine Greek School Students will present a short program to commemorate Greek Independence Day. Come watch our children shine on Sunday, March 24th following church services.


    Saint Catherine Book Sale

    Saint Catherine Book Sale

    Stop by and see Nick at the bookstore on Sundays between 11:30am-1:00pm.


    Mommy & Me

    Mommy & Me

    All caregivers welcome! Join us for Mommy & Me on the dates listed.


    St. John Chrysostom Metropolis Oratorical Festival

    St. John Chrysostom Metropolis Oratorical Festival

    We are proud to be hosting this year's Metropolis Oratorical Festival at Saint Catherine in May. Donations to support this event are welcome and very much appreciated.


    CrossRoads - An amazing summer program

    CrossRoads - An amazing summer program

    An amazing summer program for high school juniors and graduating seniors. This can be the best ten days possible this summer! We have a scholarship available. Contact Father Andrew.


    The 2024 Archdiocese Directory is available for Download

    The 2024 Archdiocese Directory is available for Download

    https://goa-yearbook.s3.amazonaws.com/2024+Directory.pdf


    St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival

    St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival

    Introduced in 1983, the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival provides Greek Orthodox teenagers the opportunity to write and talk about their faith. The Oratorical Festival Program begins at the parish level and is divided into two divisions: Junior Division for students in grades 7–9 Senior Division for student in grades 10–12 The top speakers in the Junior and Senior Divisions advance to the district level. Two finalists in each district division represent the district at the Metropolis Oratorical Festival. The top speaker in each metropolis division is then selected to participate in the Archdiocese Finals, which is hosted by a different metropolis each year. We are hosting the 2024 Metropolis Oratorical Festival May 10-12, 2024 at Saint Catherine.


    What's New on Engage Orthodoxy

    What's New on Engage Orthodoxy

    Engage Orthodoxy is a beautiful website created by Family Life Ministry to provide resources and inspiration for our Orthodox family. Engage Orthodoxy hosts several blogs written by Orthodox authors on timely topics. In addition to blogs, Engage Orthodoxy has launched a podcast aimed at Orthodox homeschool families of teens. Check out our newest posts and listen to our podcast at www.engageorthodoxy.net


    Policies for the Safety of Children and Youth

    Policies for the Safety of Children and Youth

    Creating healthy, Christ-centered ministry environments. ------------ As an Archdiocese, we're ready to take the next step in youth safety. ------------ The new Policies for the Safety of Children and Youth is how we'll do it. ------------ Ministry heads check this out! We must prepare and follow all the steps for the safety of our children. Our Archdiocese requires this in order to participate in any youth events !!!


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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Ninth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:19-31

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe." Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and My God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name.


Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Tone. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40.

Brethren, by faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets -- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign enemies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated -- of whom the world was not worthy -- wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.


Gospel Reading

Sunday of Orthodoxy
The Reading is from John 1:43-51

At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."


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Memorials and Trisagions

Memorial
40 Days ~ Iordan-Sorin Stoica
Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother in Law
Rest in peace.

Trisagions
3 Months ~ Demitrios Panagiotakos
Husband of Vivian

The fallen Heroes of the Greek War of Independence

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Wisdom of the Fathers

Peter, when after so many miracles and such high doctrine he confessed that, "Thou art the Son of God" (Matt. xvi. 16), is called "blessed," as having received the revelation from the Father;
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 21 on John 1, 1. B#58, pp. 72, 73, 4th Century

... while Nathanael, though he said the very same thing before seeing or hearing either miracles or doctrine, had no such word addressed to him, but as though he had not said so much as he ought to have said, is brought to things greater still.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 21 on John 1, 1. B#58, pp. 72, 73, 4th Century

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Saints and Feasts

01_firstlent1cp
March 24

Sunday of Orthodoxy

For more than one hundred years the Church of Christ was troubled by the persecution of the Iconoclasts of evil belief, beginning in the reign of Leo the Isaurian (717-741) and ending in the reign of Theophilus (829-842). After Theophilus's death, his widow the Empress Theodora (celebrated Feb. 11), together with the Patriarch Methodius (June 14), established Orthodoxy anew. This ever-memorable Queen venerated the icon of the Mother of God in the presence of the Patriarch Methodius and the other confessors and righteous men, and openly cried out these holy words: "If anyone does not offer relative worship to the holy icons, not adoring them as though they were gods, but venerating them out of love as images of the archetype, let him be anathema." Then with common prayer and fasting during the whole first week of the Forty-day Fast, she asked God's forgiveness for her husband. After this, on the first Sunday of the Fast, she and her son, Michael the Emperor, made a procession with all the clergy and people and restored the holy icons, and again adorned the Church of Christ with them. This is the holy deed that all we the Orthodox commemorate today, and we call this radiant and venerable day the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, the triumph of true doctrine over heresy.


Annunciation
March 24

Forefeast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos


Theonas
March 24

Our Holy Father Theonas, Archbishop of Thessolonica


Annuncia
March 25

Annunciation of the Theotokos

Six months after John the Forerunner's conception, the Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a town of Galilee, unto Mary the Virgin, who had come forth from the Temple a mature maiden (see Nov. 21). According to the tradition handed down by the Fathers, she had been betrothed to Joseph four months. On coming to Joseph's house, the Archangel declared: "Rejoice, thou Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." After some consideration, and turmoil of soul, and fear because of this greeting, the Virgin, when she had finally obtained full assurance concerning God's unsearchable condescension and the ineffable dispensation that was to take place through her, and believing that all things are possible to the Most High, answered in humility: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." And at this, the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her all-blameless womb, and the Son and Word of God, Who existed before the ages, was conceived past speech and understanding, and became flesh in her immaculate body (Luke 1:26-38).

Bearing in her womb the Uncontainable One, the blessed Virgin went with haste from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea, where Zacharias had his dwelling; for she desired to find Elizabeth her kinswoman and rejoice together with her, because, as she had learned from the Archangel, Elizabeth had conceived in her old age. Furthermore, she wished to tell her of the great things that the Mighty One had been well-pleased to bring to pass in her, and she greeted Elizabeth and drew nigh to her. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, she felt her six-month-old babe, Saint John the Baptist, prophesied of the dawning of the spiritual Sun. Immediately, the aged Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and recognized her as the Mother of her Lord, and with a great voice blessed her and the Fruit that she held within herself. The Virgin also, moved by a supernatural rejoicing in the spirit, glorified her God and Savior, saying: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour," and the rest, as the divine Luke hath recorded (1:39-55)


Gabriel1
March 26

Synaxis in honor of the Archangel Gabriel

This festive Synaxis is celebrated to the glory of the Archangel Gabriel, since he ministered to the marvelous mystery of God's incarnate dispensation.


Matrona
March 27

Martyr Matrona of Thessaloniki

This martyr was the servant of a certain Jewish woman named Pantilla, the wife of the Governor of Thessalonica. When Matrona refused to follow her mistress into the synagogue Pantilla beat her so severly that she died in a few days, and thus received the crown of her confession.


Allsaint
March 28

Hilarion the New

Saint Hilarion took up the monastic life from his youth and lived in seclusion. Later, as Abbot of the Monastery of Pelecete in Asia Minor (believed to be in Bithynia, not far from Triglia), he suffered much from the Iconoclasts, and reposed in the year 754.


Allsaint
March 29

Mark, Bishop of Arethusa

Saint Mark was Bishop of Arethusa in Syria. In the days of Saint Constantine the Great, Saint Mark, moved with divine zeal, destroyed a temple of the idols and raised up a church in its stead. When Julian the Apostate reigned, in 361, as the pagans were now able to avenge the destruction of their temple, Saint Mark, giving way to wrath, hid himself; but when he saw that others were being taken on his account, he gave himself up. Having no regard to his old age, they stripped him and beat his whole body, cast him into filthy sewers, and pulling him out, had children prick him with their iron writing-pens. Then they put him into a basket, smeared him with honey and a kind of relish of pickled fish, and hung him up under the burning sun to be devoured by bees and wasps. But because he bore this so nobly, his enemies repented, and unloosed him.


Allsaint
March 29

Martyr Cyril the Deacon and Those with him

Saint Cyril was a deacon from Heliopolis in Phoenicia. During the reign of the Emperor Constantius, son of Saint Constantine, he had also broken the idols in pieces. When Julian came to power, Saint Cyril was seized by the idolaters and his belly was ripped open. The other holy Martyrs celebrated today, martyred in Gaza and Ascalon during the reign of Julian, were men of priestly rank and consecrated virgins; they were disemboweled, filled with barley, and set before swine to be eaten. The account of all the above Saints is given in Book III, ch. 3, of Theodoret of Cyrrhus' "Ecclesiastical History."


Allsaint
March 29

Jonah & Mark the Martyrs

As for the holy Martyrs Jonas and Barachesius, they were monks from Persia who lived in the reign of Sapor II, King of Persia from 325 to 379. These Saints found nine Christians in prison suffering for their faith, and comforted them, encouraging them to stand fast till the end, which they did, and received the crown of martyrdom. Because of this, Saints Jonas and Barachesius also were seized, and commanded to worship the fire, the sun, and the water. When they refused, Jonas, among other tortures, had his hands and feet cut off, was crushed in a device that broke his bones, and was sawn asunder. Barachesius was dragged naked over thorns, his whole body was pierced with sharp reeds and then broken in the same device employed upon Jonas, and when boiling pitch was poured down his throat, he gave up his soul into the hands of God.


Lastjudgement1
March 30

Second Saturday of Lent


Iconclimacus
March 30

John Climacus the Righteous, author of The Divine Ladder of Ascent

This Saint gave himself over to the ascetical life from his early youth. Experienced both in the solitary life of the hermit and in the communal life of cenobitic monasticism, he was appointed Abbot of the Monastery at Mount Sinai and wrote a book containing thirty homilies on virtue. Each homily deals with one virtue, and progressing from those that deal with holy and righteous activity (praxis) unto those that deal with divine vision (theoria), they raise a man up as though by means of steps unto the height of Heaven. For this cause his work is called "The Ladder of Divine Ascent." The day he was made Abbot of Sinai, the Prophet Moses was seen giving commands to those who served at table. Saint John reposed in 603, at eighty years of age. See also the Fourth Sunday of the Fast.


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Messages from our Metropolis of Atlanta

Metropolitan Alexios' Message

 

 

My Beloved Ones,

I greet you with love and joy as we approach the end of the first week of Great Lent! In the coming days, we will observe two important celebrations: the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and on Monday March 25th, the Annunciation to the Theotokos.

From the beginning of creation God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Therefore, it is understandable that fallen Man would want the ways and means to see the divine, after we had to leave Paradise. Though the Second Commandment (“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” [Exodus 20:4]) is what gives many Christians the mistaken belief that icons are idols, this year’s closeness of the Sunday of Orthodoxy & the Annunciation shows something important about icons and the Incarnation of Christ. When our Ever-Virgin Mary consented to become the Mother of God, she played an important part in fulfilling this spiritual desire. When she said yes to God through the Archangel Gabriel, this meant that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity would walk & talk, would live & breathe among His people as the greatest of all living icons.

In this week’s Gospel, St. John writes of a meeting between Christ, His Disciple Philip, & Philip’s friend, Nathanael, from Cana in Galilee. Nathanael knew the Scriptures, and so when Philip told him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). Nathanael knew that the Messiah was to come from David’s city, Bethlehem. Disbelieving, he asked Philip, “‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see’” (John 1:46). When Philip brought Nathanael, Jesus greeted Him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47) Nathanael was curious: how could Jesus know Him, and what he was like?

Our Lord revealed Himself as the Son of God, when He told Nathanael, “‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (John 1:48). Nathanael was astonished that Christ saw him. and it is for this reason that he proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel” (John 1:49). Jesus then explained that ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51).

I pray that each of you shall join in this Sunday of Orthodoxy by bringing an icon of your patron, and proclaiming that icons are tools to teach the Faith, way to venerate our patron saints, and most of all, a means to witness our Lord and Savior in this earthly life. Offering proper veneration to God, as when our beloved Theotokos met Gabriel, we too may one day be blessed enough to see “…the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man’.”

+ALEXIOS

Metropolitan of Atlanta

 Important News and Events

Χρόνια Πολλά to our Metropolis Family!

On Wednesday, November 8th, His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios prayed for all those celebrating the Synaxis of Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless Powers or Angels. He presided at the Hierarchical Liturgy in Archangel Michael Chapel with His Grace Bishop Sevastianos of Zelon, Fr. George Tsahakis, Chancellor of the Metropolis, Fr. Paul Kaplanis, Dean, and Fr. Christos Mars, Ephemerios, of Annunciation Cathedral. The Blessing of the Five Loaves (Artoklasia) was offered for the health and welfare of all those celebrating their Name Day and for Fr. George & Presbytera Theodosia Tsahakis who made them. A Trisagion Service was offered for the previous Hierarchs of the Metropolis of Atlanta and for Fr. Peter Leventis whose funeral is Friday. The Metropolis Staff, including Ethel Gjerde, JoAnne Mertzanis, Nick Kostopoulos, and Monica Gjerde hosted a reception for all the faithful and His Eminence blessed and cut the festive cake. 

On behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios, I convey our great excitement to welcome the five Metropolitan’s Choices Honorees and the two Honorees from each of our 74 parishes this weekend for our Archangel Michael Feast & Honors Banquet Saturday night and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at our Annunciation Cathedral on Sunday. We pray for safe travels and God's continued blessings on the faithful stewards being recognized. Χρόνια Πολλά to all celebrating their Name Day on November 8th, and the Patronal Feast of our Holy and God-Protected Metropolis of Atlanta..

Click Here for a full list of our 2023 Honorees!

  

 

 

 

Journey of Marriage (Pre-Marital Seminar)

All couples marrying in the Metropolis must attend a Metropolis-sponsored Journey of Marriage seminar prior to their wedding. The couple will present their certificate of completion to their parish priest after the seminar.

To see the full list of seminars in our Metropolis for 2024 and to register, please visit:
https://atlmetropolis.org/pre-marital-seminars-journey-of-marriage

Registration is online.  Materials costs are included in the registration.  Most seminars are currently being conducted by Zoom meeting.

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Archepiscopal Message

Archbishop Elpidophoros Archpastoral Address 33rd Annual Leadership 100 Conference

03/01/2024

I look around this ballroom today, and beholding your shining faces, I think of this verse from the Holy Apostle Paul:

Truly, we are His accomplishment, founded in Christ Jesus for good deeds, which God has prepared that we should walk in them. *


Archbishop Elpidophoros Invocation, Closing Remarks, and Benediction 33rd Annual Leadership 100 Conference Grand Banquet

03/03/2024

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, You have gathered the Leaders of this superb organization together for the sake of ministry and fellowship. We ask your holy blessings on us we bow our heads before you.


Archbishop Elpidophoros Exhortation to the Metropolis of San Francisco Clergy Laity Assembly Contemplate, Reconcile, and Unify

03/05/2024

I rejoice to be with you in person for this important Metropolis Clergy Laity Assembly, an opportunity to share in the vision for our Church and to participate in the life-giving teachings of our Faith.


Archbishop Elpidophoros Closing Remarks to the Metropolis of San Francisco Clergy Laity Assembly Contemplate, Reconcile, and Unify

03/06/2024

We have come to the close of these Clergy Laity Assembly deliberations, and I want to congratulate all of you for your dedication to the health and well-being of this God-saved Metropolis of San Francisco.


Archbishop Elpidophoros Archpastoral Address Annual Metropolis of San Francisco Clergy Retreat Contemplate, Reconcile, and Unify

03/06/2024

These past few days being with the Ecclesia of the West have been not only gratifying, but truly edifying. The synergy of Clergy and Laity in this Metropolis, manifest in your Clergy Laity Assembly, is a model of Church ministry and governance.


Remarks by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America For the Visit of His Beatitude Archbishop Sviatoslav Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

03/08/2024

It is with profound joy and honor that I extend to you, Your Beatitude, and to the members of your Holy Synod here present with you, a warm welcome to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, as we gather in a spirit of ecumenical solidarity and understanding.


Homily By Archbishop Elpidophoros of America At the Divine Liturgy Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Williamsburg, Virginia

03/09/2024

Perhaps there is no greater way to pay tribute to the anniversary of this wonderful parish, dedicated to the Holy Great-Martyr and Myrrh-Streamer Demetrios, than to be gathered to commemorate the souls of those who have gone before us. For the foundation of our parishes is truly the sacrifices of the generations who have come before us. And even for this youthful anniversary of ten years, there were oblations made, in the distant past, that have brought this church into being.


Remarks By Archbishop Elpidophoros of America At the Community Gala of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church

03/10/2024

The tenth anniversary of your parish fills this Metropolis of New Jersey and our Sacred Archdiocese with much joy and spiritual gladness. You have accomplished so much in a really short period of time. Tonight’s Community Gala is a worthy celebration of your many successes and progress to date, and it gives pause to reflect on what opportunities the decades to come will offer.


Homily By Archbishop Elpidophoros of America On the Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meatfare) Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

03/10/2024

Today, in this magnificent Cathedral, adorned with the glories of Byzantium and the beauty of our Orthodox Faith, we gather as a community, which, as all of you know, is a form of communion. The Holy Communion that we receive – the Body and Blood of the Lord – is what binds us together. It is the substance of God, the Divine DNA, that makes us a family in God. All of us are members of the Body of Christ, and our communion with each other is truly a sign of the sincerity of our communion with God.


Archbishop Elpidophoros of America At the Archdiocesan District Clergy Syndesmos Pre-Lenten Retreat Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church

03/12/2024

Before I commence my remarks, I would like to thank Father Alex and Father Constantine for the gracious welcome of the Hamptons Community here at Κοίμησις Θεοτόκου. I also thank our local Chancellor, Father Elias, as well as the leadership of the Archdiocesan District Clergy Syndesmos, for the organization of this retreat. I am grateful as well for the presence and contribution of Ann Mitsakos Bezzerides, the Executive Director of the CrossRoad Institute at our Theological School in Brookline.


WELCOMING REMARKS By His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America At the Meeting with GOA Girl Delegates during CSW68

03/13/2024

Dear sisters in the Lord,

I am so happy to welcome all of you here at our National Headquarters today so that I can personally tell you how very pleased I am to meet you – our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese National Girl Delegates to the UN, for the first time as an official program.

This program was started as a pilot program by Niki Devaris with the support and guidance of Rev. Nicolas Kazarian at the Ecumenical Department, two years ago with six self-funded participants from the Archdiocesan District, during the 66th Annual Commission on the Status of Women. This year, thanks to generous funding from a Leadership 100 Grant, we have been able to launch the National Program which has grown to twenty-four delegates from all over the United States, including California, Texas, Utah, Michigan, Florida, and Colorado, to name a few.


Archpastoral Greeting Archbishop Elpidophoros of America At the Meeting of the Archdiocesan District Council

03/20/2024

I welcome all of you with gratitude and appreciation to your Archdiocese today for this meeting of the Archdiocesan District Council. Each of you brings different talents to this Council, and our goal is to bring together all these gifts to work in unison for the good of our District.


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Greek Orthodox Archdiocese News

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Announces Launch of New Website on the Charter Revision

06/16/2023

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) announces the launch of a dedicated website (charter.goarch.org) aimed at providing comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate information concerning the proposed revision of the Archdiocese’s Charter.


Communiqué of the Holy Eparchial Synod

06/15/2023

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over a special meeting of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America which was convened through videoconference for the purpose of considering current matters affecting the life of the Church in America.


School of Byzantine Music of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America launches new podcast

04/24/2023

With much enthusiasm, beginning on the evening of St. Thomas Sunday, the School of Byzantine Music (SBM) is launching its new podcast called, “Foundations of Hymnology.” New episodes will premiere on the evening of the last Sunday of each month. The SBM Podcast will be available on the school’s YouTube channel:.


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Ecumenical Patriarchate News

Catechetical Homily at the Opening of Holy and Great Lent (2024) His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

03/18/2024

Most honorable brother Hierarchs and blessed children in the Lord,

The grace of our God of love has once again vouchsafed for us to enter the soul-benefiting period of the Lenten Triodion and arrive at Holy and Great Lent, namely to the arena of ascetic struggle replete with gifts from above and the joy of the Cross and Resurrection. During this blessed period, the spiritual treasure and dynamism of the ecclesiastical life as well as the soteriological reference of all its expressions are revealed with clarity.


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