The parish of Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts warmly welcomed Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for Forgiveness (Cheesefare) Sunday on March 2, 2025.
Fr. Vasilios Bebis and members of the community were overjoyed for the visit coinciding with the the beginning of Great Lent. Noting the occasion, Archbishop Elpidophoros read the Encyclical of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for Holy and Great Lent 2025:
“In the early Church, Holy and Great Lent was a period of preparation of catechumens, whose baptism took place during the Divine Liturgy of the Paschal Feast. This connection with baptism is also preserved by the comprehension and experience of Great Lent as the period par excellence of repentance that is described as ‘a renewal of baptism,’ ‘a second baptism,’ ‘a contract with God for a second life,’ in other words a regeneration of the gifts of baptism and promise to God for the beginning of a new way of life. The services and hymns of this season associate the spiritual struggle of the faithful with the expectation of the Lord’s Pascha, whereby the forty-day fast radiates the fragrance of the paschal joy.
Holy and Great Lent is an opportunity to become conscious of the depth and wealth of our faith as ‘a personal encounter with Christ.’ It is rightly emphasized that Christianity is ‘extremely personal,’ without this implying that it is ‘individualistic.’ The faithful ‘encounter, recognize, and love one and the same Christ,’ who, ‘alone and only, revealed the true and perfect human person’ (Nicholas Cabasilas). He invites all people—and each person individually—to salvation, so that the response of each may always be ‘grounded in the common faith’ and ‘at the same time be unique.’” Full text here.
The community is led by Rev. Fr. Vasilios Bebis, who was elevated to the rank of Protopresbyter of the Holy Archdiocese after the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Responding to this honor, Fr. Vasilios said, “The phone call from His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, informing me of the visit by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to our community, filled my heart with immense joy – just as it did for our parishioners who were blessed to welcome him today as we experienced a profoundly uplifting Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. What moved me even more was the Archbishop’s gracious and heartfelt blessing in elevating me to the rank of Protopresbyter of our Sacred Archdiocese in honor of the 30th anniversary of my ordination to the Holy Priesthood. As I shared in my remarks, my heart if filled with profound gratitude to His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios, who ordained me as a deacon and priest and entrusted me with the sacred office Oikonomos. Presvytera Chrysoula and I are also deeply grateful to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, whose friendship has been a cherished blessing for over two decades and who honored me today with this deeply meaningful elevation. And of course, Presvytera Chrysoula and I are thankful for the beloved community of Sts. Constantine and Helen in Cambridge; their generosity of love and unwavering support continue to humble us!”
Photos: Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
