On August 25, 2024, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union, New Jersey, on the occasion of the Ninth Sunday of Matthew.
Welcomed warmly by parish faithful and priest Reverend Hieromonk Evgenios Tsaramanidis, Archbishop Elpidophoros remarked in his homily that “This parish…is truly an icon of the life and course – the βιος και πολιτεια – of the Greek American and Greek Orthodox experience in America,” comparing the challenges and opportunities faced by the parish to the Lord’s invitation to the Apostle Peter and all the faithful to “walk over the turbulent waters of life, to experience the miracle of the Resurrection in our hearts long before we shall know it at His Second and Glorious Coming Again.”
After the liturgy, the St. Demetrios community hosted a luncheon where Archbishop Elpidophoros was greeted with a traditional Karpathian welcome poem, offered by President of the Ladies Philoptochos Society of St. Demetrios Irene Papakosta.
Additionally, St. Demetrios Parish Council President Vasiliki Spyropoulos offered him words of welcome, remarking “It is with great joy and deep reverence that I welcome you to our beloved St. Demetrios Church…May this visit deepen our faith and further strengthen the bonds of our parish family.” Spyropoulos also thanked Fr. Evgenios and the Kontos family for hosting the luncheon, emphasizing that “though [the St. Demetrios parish] community may be small, [they] are bound together by a strong and loving unity, creating a tight-knit family in Christ.”
Photo: John W. G. Douglas.
