Archbishop Elpidophoros of America issued an Archepiscopal Encyclical on the Feast of Saint Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople, highlighting his unwavering defense of the Orthodox Faith and missionary work.
In the encyclical, the Archbishop described Saint Photios as a passionate champion of Apostolic Faith, who played a key role in evangelizing the Slavic peoples. He empowered Saints Cyril and Methodios to spread Christianity, leading to the creation of the Glagolitic alphabet, the precursor to the Cyrillic script, which remains in use today. Archbishop Elpidophoros emphasized that true doctrine is passed on personally, not through modern digital algorithms, but through the Holy Spirit in the lives of faithful men and women.
The Archbishop also linked Saint Photios’ missionary spirit to the first Greek Orthodox immigrants to America, honored at the Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine. He described these immigrants as unintentional missionaries, who established Orthodox communities across America, bringing their faith to new shores.
In closing, Archbishop Elpidophoros called upon the faithful to honor these pioneers and support the Saint Photios Shrine, ensuring that their legacy continues for future generations of Orthodox Christians.
Read the Archepiscopal Encyclical:
Beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,
It is very hard to overestimate the importance of Saint Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople, a true defender of the Orthodox Faith. To describe him as “fire-breathing” makes him sound a bit like a dragon. But what we should take away from such poetic embellishment is the passionate, profound and unwavering faith of the Ninth Century Ecumenical Patriarch, who not only championed the Faith of the Apostles in the face of innumerable challenges, but was deeply devoted to sharing that Faith with the world.
He was a believer in bringing the Gospel to the world that knew not the Lord Jesus Christ, and he actively worked to spread the Good News among the Slavic Peoples. To this end, he empowered two brothers from Thessaloniki, Saints Cyril and Methodios, to evangelize them. Saint Cyril (a student of Saint Photios when he presided at the University of Constantinople) devised an alphabet for the languages they found called the Glagolitic Script, which is the origin of the alphabet we call Cyrillic and is still in use throughout the Slavic world today. To think of the genius of these apostolic pioneers, who achieved such greatness without any of the technological advantages we have today, is to glimpse a truly miraculous stewardship of the Teachings of Christ. If you compare the accomplishments of these brothers with the noise we experience today on the Internet and Social Media platforms, you will begin to understand that true Doctrine is passed on from one person to another, face to face. Not accelerated by algorithms, but advanced by the Spirit of God working in the lives of holy men and women.
Our Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, an Institution of our Sacred Archdiocese of America, commemorates a different kind of evangelist, but one just as human as those wonderworking Saints. The Shrine commemorates the lives of the first Greek Orthodox immigrants to America, who brought the Orthodox Faith to these blessed shores along with their dreams for a better tomorrow. Intentionally, or unintentionally, these ancestors of our Church served as missionaries and apostolic delegates to America, as they founded community after community. Their preaching may not have been “fire-breathing,” but they lit the fire of Orthodoxy on this continent.
Therefore, on this Feast of Saint Photios, let us remember these pioneers, whose sacrifices made possible the incredible opportunities we have today to live our Orthodox Faith in the public square. They are worthy of the same quest for which Saint Photios commissioned Saints Cyril and Methodios. In thanksgiving for them, let us support the Saint Photios Shrine in every way we can, honoring the memory of those who came before us, and building a better future for the next generation of Faithful.
With paternal blessings in Christ,
† ELPIDOPHOROS
Archbishop of America
