On Sunday, October 20, 2024, following the Divine Liturgy at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America will preside at the Investiture of twenty-eight new Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from throughout the United States. The Investiture will be the capstone event of the annual Archon Weekend in New York City. The new Archons, like their brethren, make a solemn commitment to dedicate themselves to the protection and defense of the Holy Mother Church of Constantinople.
During this solemn Archon Investiture service, HArchbishop Elpidophoros of America will present each Archon with the Cross of St. Andrew and the official Patriarchal Certificate specifying the Offikion that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has designated for each Archon. His All-Holiness has explained that these Offikia “represent significant public and ecclesiastical ministries and offices in the history of the Eastern Roman Empire and our Orthodox Church. They presuppose education, legal knowledge, diplomacy, linguistic skills, high intelligence and, above all else, devotion to the sacred mission of the Church and our People’s sacred traditions.”
The National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, Archon Megas Aktouarios, said: “The Archons have one of the longest and most illustrious histories of any organization in human history, dating back to the Archons of Ancient Greece in the 11th century BC, where Medon of Athens was the first to bear the title of Archon. They represent the nobility of the Church, both in the days of the Byzantine Empire and in modern times. Archons are charged with the sacred responsibility of being indefatigable defenders of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, protecting the future of faith, and acting as goodwill ambassadors of the Phanar in their daily lives.”
Dr. Limberakis added: “These dedicated and devoted new Archons have been chosen for their exemplary Christian Stewardship, which they will now take to a new level of service to the Sacred Center of our Holy Orthodox Faith. To the Archon Class of 2024, our heartfelt congratulations. Axios! And much gratitude is due to the Committee to Recommend New Archons. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, chaired the proceedings of each meeting when all candidates were carefully vetted, analyzed and recommended for investiture. The Committee, coordinated by Archon Constantine G. Caras, Esq., administered the selection process in a thorough, efficient, and highly effective manner.”
Archons to be invested on October 20, 2024 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New York City:
Paul L. Bitsos, Omaha, Nebraska
Gregory M. Cokinos, Houston, Texas
Thomas A. Copulos, D.D.S., Boca Raton, Florida
Christopher P. Daifotis, Westfield, New Jersey
Anthony W. Djinis, Potomac, Maryland
William P. Galatis, Saugus, Massachusetts
Peter Gerazounis, P.E., Searingtown, New York
Peter F. Giorgi, Esq., Reading, Pennsylvania
Jani Gjoni, Addison, Illinois
Nicholas D. Kambitsis, Highland Park, New Jersey
Vassilios Kassimatis, Garden City, New York
John Constantinos Vasilios Katsanos, Astoria, New York
Lazarus M. Kifirides, D.O., Wilmington, Delaware
Markos Kounalakis, Ph.D., San Francisco, California
Hon. Anthony C. Kyriakopoulos, Chicago, Illinois
Dean T. Maragos, Winnetka, Illinois
William B. Martin, Little Rock, Arkansas
George B. Naftis, Colleyville, Texas
Alexander A. Nikas, Esq., Malvern, Pennsylvania
Peter A. Palivos, Esq., Henderson, Nevada
Demetri Papacostas, Bedford, New York
Harry N. Pateroulakis, Bayside, New York
Nicholas N. Patricios, Ph.D., Pinecrest, Florida
General Andrew Poppas, Fort Liberty, North Carolina
George L. Staphos, Old Tappan, New Jersey
George Tsetsekos, Ph.D., Devon, Pennsylvania
John Vasilantonakis, Brooklyn, New York
Andreas Zigouras, Saddle Brook, New Jersey
Photo: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
