On Tuesday, November 12, 2025, The Clergy Syndesmos of the Metropolis of New Jersey held its Annual Fall Synaxis at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Wilmington, Delaware. In the morning. Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey presided over the Divine Liturgy, concelebrating with Metropolitan Chancellor Fr. Gregory Gilbert, Clergy Syndesmos President Fr. Anastasios Kousoulas, Fr. Nicholas Bacalis, Vicar of Southern Virginia and most senior priest of the Metropolis and Fr. Konstantinos Loukas, the newest priest of the Metropolis.
Following the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Apostolos presented Fr. Nicholas Bacalis, who will be retiring as proistamneos of Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Richmond, Virginia, with an Icon of Panagia “Eleoussa” or “The Merciful” to recognize his many years of service to his community and the Metropolis of New Jersey.
The Following is Metropolitan Apostolos’s Homily to the Clergy:
Beloved Rev. brothers in Christ,
With reverence and gratitude, we gather today in the house of the Lord as brothers in the sacred ministry of the priesthood. Each of us has been called—not by human will, but by divine grace—to stand before the Holy Altar, to intercede for the people, and to manifest the presence of Christ among His flock. Our theme today, “The Priest According to the Scripture,” reminds us not only of our vocation, but also of our sacred responsibility before God.
In the Old Testament, the priest was one who stood “between the living and the dead” (Numbers 16:48), offering sacrifice and prayer that life might be preserved. The priest was not self-appointed, but chosen, anointed, and sanctified for holy service. Likewise, we, my brothers, were chosen by Christ, who said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit” (John 15:16).
Every time we vest for the Divine Liturgy, we are reminded that our calling is not a profession, but a consecration. Our hands are not our own—they are the hands through which Christ blesses, forgives, and feeds His people.
The Lord says, “I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Here lies the heart of our ministry. The priest according to the Scripture is not a ruler but a servant, not one who demands to be honored, but one who humbly bears the burdens of others.
Saint Paul writes, “We are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). To be a steward means to care for what is not ours—the souls entrusted to us belong to Christ. Our authority flows only from our obedience to Him. When we speak, we must speak His words. When we forgive, it must be His mercy that acts through us.
The words of St. Gregory the Theologian resound through the centuries: “It is necessary to be purified before purifying others; to be instructed before instructing; to become light before enlightening.” The priesthood, he teaches, is not a human appointment, but a divine mystery—a ministry that touches heaven and transforms the earth. It is the art of healing souls, the most delicate and demanding of all callings.
Saint Paul exhorts us: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). The priesthood is a continual offering—of time, strength, prayer, and even tears. Our greatest sermon is not preached from the ambo but lived at the altar of daily life: in patience with the struggling, in compassion for the broken, and in faithfulness when we ourselves are weary.
The true priest, according to Scripture, mirrors the image of Christ, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
No priest can stand before the people unless he has first knelt before God. The Scriptures teach: “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). In our busy pastoral lives, we are tempted to do much and pray little—but our strength and wisdom come only from communion with Christ. Without prayer, our words are empty; with prayer, even our silence becomes a blessing.
Finally, brothers, the priest according to Scripture is a messenger of hope. Saint Paul writes: “We do not lose heart… for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:16–17). In a world burdened by fear, loneliness, and confusion, the faithful look to us not for human answers, but for divine assurance—that Christ is risen, that love conquers death, that grace is stronger than sin.
Beloved Fathers, let us renew today our priestly spirit. Let us remember the words spoken to us at our ordination: “Receive this pledge, and guard it until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” May we guard it with purity, serve with humility, and offer ourselves in love, so that when the Chief Shepherd appears, we may hear His blessed words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Through the prayers of the Holy Apostles, the first priests of the Church, may our ministry always be pleasing to God and life-giving to His people.
