On the morning of September 10, 2026, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America was greeted by students outside of the St. Demetrios and Greek American School of Astoria. Within the historic St. Demetrios Cathedral, as well as at Saints Catherine and George Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Elpidophoros gave the Agiasmos for the new school year, blessing the community’s students and families, alongside school faculty and staff.
Archbishop Elpidophoros offered the blessing as St. Demetrios School opens its doors to hundreds of students this year, with the mission of preserving the Greek language and Hellenic identity. The St. Demetrios School is the only institution in the United States offering a Greek Orthodox K–12 education, inspiring the next generation of Greek American families to live as faithful Orthodox Christians.
Parents and community members filled in the standing room of St. Demetrios Cathedral to witness the blessing, many of whom are themselves alumni of the school which is so central to the Astoria Greek American community. The event served as the spiritual inauguration to the start of the academic year.
Also present for the blessing were prominent school leaders, as well as the Consul General of Greece in New York, Iphigenia Kanara, and Consul General of Cyprus in New York, Kyriakos Pogiatzis.
Photos: Orthodox Observer/Dimitrios Panagos
