Last night, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and the Metropolis of New Jersey hosted a farewell banquet honoring the ministry of the newly elected Archbishop Apostolos of Canada and former Metropolitan of New Jersey.
The event was held at the Venetian in Garfield, New Jersey.
Archbishop-elect Apostolos offered a farewell address, expressing gratitude to God for giving him the strength and energy to serve the Metropolis of New Jersey. He closed his remarks with a message to the faithful:
“I will never forget my ministry in the New Jersey Metropolis,” Archbishop-elect Apostolos said. “You’re amazing people … Don’t lose your faith. Keep your faith strong and your ministry visible to everyone in this beautiful Metropolis. I love you, and I pray for you.”
Archbishop Elpidophoros also offered remarks, thanking Archbishop-elect Apostolos for his service to the Archdiocese of America and wishing him prayers for his ministry in the Archdiocese of Canada.
“We all send with Your Eminence our fervent and heartfelt prayers for your every success–both spiritual and material–in your coming Archpastoral Ministry in Canada,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “But in sending with you our prayers and best wishes, we also ask that you not forget us, for your six-year ministry in this Metropolis was fruitful, and the seeds that you planted will continue, by God’s mercy and grace, to grow and to thrive.”
The event featured a special video presentation, and Archbishop Elpidophoros also presented him with gifts of a hierarchical staff and an engolpion.
Additional speakers included the Honorable Iphigenia Kanara, Consul General of Greece in New York; the Honorable Kyriakos Pogiatzis, Consul General of Cyprus in New York; Fr. Peter Delvizis, Representative of the Metropolis Clergy Syndesmos; John Vasilioiu, President of the Federation of Hellenic-American Societies of Philadelphia and the Greater Delaware Valley; Dr. Panos Stavrianidis, President of the Hellenic Federation of New Jersey; Eleni Constantinides, President of the Metropolis of New Jersey Philoptochos; and the Honorable H. James Polos, who served as Master of Ceremonies.
Archbishop-elect Apostolos’s enthronement will take place on Saturday, 19 September 2026, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Toronto, Ontario. Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain will preside at the enthronement.
Photo by Orthodox Observer/Dimitrios Panagos
