On Great and Holy Friday evening, April 18, 2025, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America joined Fr. Andreas Vithoulkas, Fr. Samuel Davis, and the faithful of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero for the Orthros of Holy Saturday.
On this evening the faithful join in chanting the Lamentations, the moving hymns of praise to the Lord which describe His ultimate triumph over death.
At St. Nicholas Shrine, the procession of the Epitaphios around the Church is particularly emotional; the Shrine was the only house of worship destroyed on September 11, 2001 and has been resurrected with the consecration of the new Church in July 2022.
Parishioners solemnly processed around the Ground Zero memorials. Archbishop Elpidophoros stopped and read the names of those who departed, leading the faithful in singing “Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη”/Memory Eternal.
The evening concluded with a profound sense of reverence and reflection. In commemorating Christ’s triumph over death, the faithful at St. Nicholas Shrine also honored the memory of those lost at Ground Zero, uniting the message of resurrection with the enduring power of remembrance and faith.
Photos: Orthodox Observer/Brittainy Newman
