On Friday, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, paid his first visit to the Crescent City, bringing a message of unity and shared values between the “Eastern” and “Roman” churches, which split nearly 1,000 years ago.
His tour of the city included a visit with clergy candidates at the Notre Dame seminary, lunch with civic leaders at the Rex Room at Antoine’s, and a meeting with Archbishop Gregory Aymond at the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ headquarters.
Later Friday, he was scheduled to preside over a worship service at Holy Trinity, which holds a special place in the Greek Orthodox church, not only for its long history in the city but because of its resilience. The cathedral and adjacent Hellenic Cultural Center were devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina’s flood waters but reopened to worshipers just 90 days later, after the community and local business leaders rallied to rebuild.
“We very quickly re-established, rebuilt and restored our community and our cathedral,” Elpidophoros said in an interview Friday. “Maybe we can inspire everyone to know that disasters may come but we have to be strong, united and build our future again and again.”
Source: Goarch
