The Saint Photios National Shrine successfully hosted its annual observance of the Ecclesiastical New Year Indiction 2025 & Environmental Protection, highlighted this year by a national response to the 2025 Patriarchal Encyclical of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The encyclical, issued September 1, called for “ecological repentance” and a renewed commitment to protecting creation as a sacred gift of God.
National Shrine Director, Archon Carl Hollister, expresses his gratitude toward His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for his blessing and support of the Shrine.
This year’s program included a keynote response offered by Iconographer Elias Damianakis Archon Maestor of the Great Church of Christ, who expressed gratitude for the opportunity:
“I humbly thank His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros for the blessing of offering the only national response to His All-Holiness’ encyclical at this National Shrine. The Ecumenical Patriarch reminds us that ‘the future of life on our planet will either be ecological and peaceful—or nonexistent.’ In light of this, we are called to treat the earth not as property to exploit, but as a gift to cherish, and to live our Orthodox faith through care for creation.”
The event drew clergy, faithful, and community leaders together in prayer and reflection. Organizers praised the encyclical as a prophetic call that links spiritual life with environmental responsibility, and they commended the shrine’s tradition of elevating this message each year.
“The annual gathering at St. Photios National Shrine has become a vital witness to the truth that protecting the environment is not simply a social cause, but an expression of Christian discipleship,” noted one participant.
