On Sunday, January 23rd, the Archdiocese of America successfully teamed together with the US Department of Health and Human Services and NYC Health and Hospitals to help bolster vaccine access not only within the congregations of the Archdiocese but within the broader communities in which we live.
Archbishop Elpidophoros said characteristically “The parishes are spaces for the public good, where we can gather, without judgment, to help one another care for the health of the whole person, soul, and body. In this pandemic, vaccination is the surest way to keep ourselves and each other safe, especially our loved ones and neighbors most vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus”.
At St. John the Baptist, one of five Greek Orthodox churches across New York City that volunteered to serve as a mobile vaccination site this weekend, Archbishop Elpidophoros had the opportunity to meet with the health care professionals administering vaccines and tests, and to spend some time with Que English and Dara Kass from HHS, whose expertise was an enormous help, as the Archdiocese launched its vaccination initiative. They discussed how different faith communities can work together and best use the spaces and tools at their disposal to support and care for one another during times of uncertainty.