Saint Theodore, Bishop of Edessa
Our Father among the Saints Theodore was born in Edessa of Mesopotamia. At the age of about nineteen, he became a monk at the Monastery of Mar Sabbas in Palestine. After he had spent some twenty-four years there, he was chosen to become Bishop of Edessa, about the year 836. The city of Edessa at that time was beleaguered with many heresies, among them the Arian, Nestorian, Eutychian, and Manichean. Wishing to free the Orthodox of Edessa from the injustices of the many heretics, he undertook a journey to Babylon in Persia - that is, Baghdad - to ask the Persian King, who then ruled over all Syria, to use his power to protect the Orthodox of Edessa. When he arrived he learned that the King was gravely sick; but gaining admission to him, the holy Bishop Theodore restored him to health through prayer, and, after speaking to him many days in secret about the dispensation of God, converted him to Christ, baptizing him with the name of John. Returning to Edessa having accomplished his purpose, Theodore later learned by revelation that King John, with his three Arab body-guards who had been baptized with him, had professed their faith openly and received martyrs' crowns at the hands of the Persian Moslems. This was in the days when the blessed Theodora and her son Michael reigned in Constantinople. Not long thereafter, Theodore retired to the Monastery of Mar Sabbas, and ended his days.
Again and most fervently, the Members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, write to you with urgency, determination, and great faith; for we have heard your cries of anguish and pain over the seizure of the Great Church of Holy Wisdom, our Ἁγία Σοφία.
As Brothers in Christ, and the leaders of our respective communities here in New York, we lament and decry the decision of the Turkish government to change the status quo of the world renown Hagia Sophia, and re-convert this monument of human and divine achievement into a mosque.
For 50 years Ionian Village has served the youth and young adults of the Archdiocese. Since 1970, over 18,000 participants (Campers, Staff, Medical Staff, and Clergy) have passed through the gates of Ionian Village, leaving forever transformed. The Office of Ionian Village is working to cultivate enthusiastic support from the thousands of alumni from across the country and worldwide in the form of a robust IV Alumni Network.
In the wake of COVID-19 social distancing measures, The Saint Nicholas Family Camp offered at the Ukrainian Orthodox All Saints Camp in Emlenton, PA provided an online option this year. The program seeks to create a church camp experience for families who have children with all varieties of special needs.
This weekend, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was interviewed by the BBC’s Julian Marshall concerning the conversation of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Below is a transcript of the interview.
The Muslim President Erdogan struck a terrible blow to our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate, to World Orthodoxy and Christianity in general by converting Agia Sophia into a functioning mosque. I am personally deeply saddened by the Turkish government’s decision.