His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America arrived on Wednesday, June 19, 2019, at New York’s JFK International Airport. The new Archbishop was welcomed by Hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, dignitaries, clergy and faithful of the New York Area parishes.
“I am deeply grateful to all of you who have come to greet me as I step on to noble American soil for the first time as Archbishop of America. Your smiles, your enthusiasm, your love are manifestations of the blessings of God and I embrace them and all the Faithful of the Holy Archdiocese of America as my dearly beloved spiritual children,” said Archbishop Elpidophoros.
“I come to this Archdiocese to be your servant and the true servant of Lord. I come to shoulder the responsibilities of the heavy office and to share them with you, for I know that you are worthy co-workers in Christ. We shall work openly with each other, with transparency, honesty, clarity – speaking the truth in love, that we may rebuild the confidence of the beloved people of our Archdiocese in its institutions.
I arrive on these blessed shores full of hope – all of you are my “Elpidophoroi” – my bearers of hope and of the high expectation that this Holy Archdiocese of America will progress from “glory to glory,” as the Apostle says, and as I say – that we shall do it together,” his Eminence concluded.
Archbishop Elpidophoros will be enthroned as the seventh Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on Saturday June 22, 2019 at 11:00 a.m., at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan (337 East 74th Street, NYC).
Archbishop Elpidophoros was elected unanimously by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, on May 11, 2019.
Metropolitan Augoustinos of Germany, the personal representative for the Enthronement of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will enthrone the new Archbishop.
On Sunday, June 23, the day after the Enthronement, His Eminence will preside for the first time as Archbishop at the Hierarchal concelebration of the Divine Liturgy with all the Metropolitans, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod. The Orthros Service at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity will begin 8:30 a.m. and the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m., followed by an Agape reception at the adjacent Cathedral Center.
*Watch the video here-
*Source: GOARCH
Photo credits: GOA/Dim. Panagos and Airport Voice Newspaper/ Jeff Yapalater