On Thursday, June 25, 2026, Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey was joined by 250 faithful including Metropolis Clergy, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and laity to pray the Great Vespers in anticipation of his nameday, the Synaxis of the 12 Apostles, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian in Tenafly New Jersey.
As part of the evening’s nameday celebration, Metropolitan Apostolos, in collaboration with the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate hosted a Symposium following the vespers, honoring the 35th Anniversary of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s patriarchal enthronement.
Metropolitan Apostolos closed the evening with His Hierarchical remarks, thanking the Cathedral, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Philoptochos for their name day wishes and for recognizing the 35 years of His All-Holiness’s exquisite ministry.
The Metropolitan praised the Ecumenical Patairch’s unique and humble personality which lay at the center of His Ministry: “In the person of His All-Holiness, we behold a Patriarch who exemplifies the patristic ideal of sacrificial service, pastoral responsibility, and evangelical love; a worthy successor to the illustrious Patriarchs of Constantinople; a shepherd who has borne the burdens of his office with dignity and courage; and a spiritual father whose voice continues to resonate far beyond the confines of the Phanar. For thirty-five years he has kept alight the lamp of Orthodoxy at the Sacred Center of our faith, offering to the world a compelling witness of truth, reconciliation, and hope.
Photo credits: Douglas John Photography
Read the full speech here:
My beloved Reverend Fathers,
Honorable General Counsel of Greece and Cyprus, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
With hearts overflowing in thanksgiving to the All-Holy Trinity, we have assembled today to commemorate a momentous ecclesiastical milestone: the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Patriarchal ministry of His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who since 1991 has guided the venerable See of Constantinople with apostolic wisdom, spiritual discernment, sacrificial devotion, and steadfast fidelity to the sacred mission of the Church.
This anniversary transcends the celebration of a personal achievement in the life of an eminent churchman. Rather, it invites us to reflect upon the enduring ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate within the life of the Orthodox Church and upon the singular contribution of His All-Holiness to the contemporary history of Orthodoxy.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate: Guardian of Unity and Apostolic Tradition
The ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is not merely a primacy of honor rooted in history; it is a sacred ministry of unity, coordination, reconciliation, and witness within the communion of the Orthodox Church.
The Holy Canons of the Second Ecumenical Council and of the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon entrusted to the Church of Constantinople a unique responsibility for the preservation of ecclesiastical unity and canonical order. The Ecumenical Throne does not govern through domination but serves through love; it does not impose but convenes; it does not diminish the local Churches but gathers them into a common witness of faith and conciliar communion.
Saint Photius the Great extolled the Church of Constantinople as the “common center of the Churches,” while Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite emphasized its unifying vocation as the visible bond of ecclesiastical communion. Likewise, Saint John Chrysostom reminds us that “the very name of the Church signifies not division but concord and assembly,” thereby affirming that conciliarity belongs to the very essence of the Church.
His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew: A Global Spiritual Leader
During the thirty-five years of his Patriarchate, His All-Holiness has emerged as one of the most influential and respected spiritual leaders of the modern era. Through theological insight, pastoral sensitivity, and prophetic vision, he has labored unceasingly for the unity of Orthodoxy, the strengthening of the Church’s witness in contemporary society, and the proclamation of the Gospel’s eternal truths in an increasingly fragmented world.
His ministry has been characterized by a profound commitment to synodality, ecclesiastical communion, environmental stewardship, inter-Christian dialogue, religious freedom, and the pastoral care of the Orthodox faithful throughout the world.
The Patriarch of Synodality and Ecclesial Communion
Among the defining hallmarks of his Patriarchate has been the revitalization of the synodal consciousness of the Orthodox Church. Through the convocation of gatherings of Orthodox Primates and the cultivation of inter-Orthodox cooperation, His All-Holiness has tirelessly fostered the bonds of communion among the Autocephalous Churches.
The crowning achievement of these efforts was the convocation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete in 2016—a historic event prepared through decades of prayer, dialogue, and cooperation. In his opening address, His All-Holiness reminded the assembled hierarchs that the gathering of the Churches constitutes not merely an administrative undertaking but an expression of the Church’s very nature.
For Patriarch Bartholomew, unity is not a matter of convenience or strategy; it is an ecclesiological imperative rooted in the Eucharistic life of the Church and manifested through conciliarity.
As we commemorate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Patriarchal ministry of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, we honor not only his sacred person but also the enduring witness of the Great Church of Christ, which for seventeen centuries has safeguarded Apostolic Tradition, nurtured Orthodox unity, and proclaimed the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
In the person of His All-Holiness, we behold a Patriarch who exemplifies the patristic ideal of sacrificial service, pastoral responsibility, and evangelical love; a worthy successor to the illustrious Patriarchs of Constantinople; a shepherd who has borne the burdens of his office with dignity and courage; and a spiritual father whose voice continues to resonate far beyond the confines of the Phanar.
For thirty-five years he has kept alight the lamp of Orthodoxy at the Sacred Center of our faith, offering to the world a compelling witness of truth, reconciliation, and hope.
May the Lord of Glory continue to grant him abundant health, strength, wisdom, and many blessed years, that he may steadfastly guide the Ecumenical Throne “in truth and in love,” for the glory of God and the edification of His Holy Church.
Εἰς πολλὰ καὶ εὐλογημένα ἔτη, Παναγιώτατε Δέσποτα!Many Years, Master and Father!
Axios! Worthy!
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