In a wide-ranging interview to Dimitris Filios for COSMOS FM and Cosmos Hellenic Media, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America offered a candid and hopeful vision for the future of St. Demetrios Cathedral and School in Astoria—a parish now at the heart of the most public crisis the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has faced in decades.
“The case of Astoria is unique in America, unique for many reasons,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “It is the most traditional Greek hub of immigrants and the diaspora in America—rich in history, with two churches and a singular school.” But, he continued, “as the world changes, Astoria changes too. The Archdiocese changes.” And with that, the Church, he said, must help one of its most emblematic parishes change with the times.
A Legacy Without Its Benefactor
The Archbishop traced the community’s difficulties to the void left by the late benefactor Nikos Andriotis, who for decades covered deficits out of personal devotion. “The Andriotis era could not be replaced,” he said. “As a result, the facts had changed.” Without a “great benefactor,” St. Demetrios continued operating as if nothing had changed.
For two years, Archbishop Elpidophoros said, the Archdiocese sought to help stabilize the parish. But, he added, it must do so responsibly: “The fund of the Archdiocese does not belong to the Archbishop, nor is it local. It is money that belongs to all the Metropolises, to all the communities in America.” When the Archdiocese asked its Executive Committee to approve a line of credit, “it had to show guarantees that the funds…would not be managed by the same people who had failed to manage the finances up to now,” he explained. “There had to be oversight by Archdiocesan officials, which would serve as a guarantee…that these funds are monitored in how they are used and where they go.”
Resistance from within the parish council, he said, made reform impossible. “Those who were removed were not removed because they are anti-Hellenic, or bad Christians, or bad people—God forbid! They are people who have benefited the community and worked for it. They love St. Demetrios. It should not be taken personally.” The decision, he said, was necessary to move forward with a plan for recovery. “The Church and the community are entering a new era of management and governance,” he said. “Now we must move forward and save the community.”
Reform Over Short-Term Relief
Archbishop Elpidophoros rejected proposals to sell the parish’s newly built property on 31st Street as a quick fix. “For me this is not a solution,” he said. “I want to solve the real problem. I want to cleanse from the ground up the administration and management of this community so that in two or three years we are not facing the same problem again.”
Rumors that the school might close—or that part of its property could be turned into a fast food restaurant—he dismissed as “fake news.” “All this comes from the same sources that have been spreading fake news all these years,” he said.
“The School Will Certainly Continue to Operate”
On the core question—the fate of St. Demetrios School—he was emphatic. “The school will certainly continue to operate,” he said. “During my tenure—not only will no school close, but we will open new ones.”
He described another successful turn-around story when the Archdiocese intervened during the pandemic to save the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity parish school, spending $650,000 to preserve a single academic year. “When a team is not successful, you change it,” he said. “That is how a school is saved.” In the case of St. Demetrios, once properly structured, he insisted, the Astoria school can be financially sound—“not to make profits, but to reinvest in better facilities, better education, better services for our children.”
The Archbishop’s educational vision extends beyond Queens. “We must create another full-day school with a high school in Long Island…and another in North Jersey,” he said. “There are real needs; the Diaspora is asking for it.”
Demographics and Partnership
The Archbishop acknowledged demographic change but framed it as renewal rather than decline. “The Hellenism of Astoria will never die; it will always be renewed,” he said. “It will not be the same as before—it will be different—but it will live.”
He also confirmed that he has reopened discussions with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), whose earlier proposal to support the school was rejected by a past parish council. “That proposal finds me in agreement,” he said. “I believe it fits perfectly with the needs of the school in Astoria. I have already appealed to SNF to make the same proposal again. I do not look back; I look forward.”
Whether or not the partnership is revived, he said, the Church will continue to invest in Greek education. “With or without the SNF we will move forward,” he said. “Without it, it will be more difficult, but we will not be discouraged.”
People Who Care
Asked about the protest, Archbishop Elpidophoros said, it stirred both sadness and encouragement. “It saddened me, but it also made me happy,” he said. “Why happy? Because in this way people were awakened and understood that there is a problem in Astoria.” “Raising awareness? That is a gain.”
Those who demonstrated, he said, did so out of love. “They are people who care, faithful people,” he said. “Even if they shouted—in our Greek way—it showed that they care.”
He now urges the community to turn emotion into cooperation. “Since you care, my brothers and sisters, roll up your sleeves and let us all, united, work,” he said. “To develop the school—not to close it. Not to sell, but to build, and to create new things.”
“A Vision of Unity”
Before concluding, the Archbishop reflected on the broader challenge of change itself. “Change is difficult,” he said. “Especially in church environments, some of us think that because we entered a board forty years ago, we must stay forever.” Changing a board member Archbishop Elpidophoros said “is not an insult. It is not a loss of honor. It is simply time to hand the baton to someone else.”
Archbishop Elpidophoros closed the conversation on the theme that runs through all his remarks. “My message is a vision of unity,” he said. “There is no reason to divide. Even if we disagree—and it is healthy to disagree—it means we care. Now that everyone has said what is in their heart, it is time: since we agree on one thing—the progress of our community, our Church, our Archdiocese—let us all work together for our common goal.”
