Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos

These are the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from around the world.

We are here for the Holy Synaxis of the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, which begins today on the first day of the Ecclesiastical New Year. Χρόνια Πολλά!

Let us each set a resolution to pray more—not with more words, but with more in our hearts!

📸 → Can you spot me?!

• hint: The order of the hierarchs is organized by rank and date of ordination.

photographer: Nikos Papachristou

A moment of indescribable joy with our Panagia.

What is sweeter than the Mother of my God?
— Saint John of Damascus

Βοήθειά μας η Παναγία!

Christmas in July!

What a weekend at the YAL National Conference in sunny San Diego, California!

📸 with His Eminence Metropolitan Savas Zembillas of Pittsburg.

YAL is the Young Adult League of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

«Βασιλεῦ οὐράνιε, Παράκλητε, τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁ πανταχοῦ παρών, καὶ τὰ πάντα πληρῶν, ὁ θησαυρὸς τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ ζωῆς χορηγός, ἐλθέ, καὶ σκήνωσον ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ καθάρισον ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης κηλῖδος, καὶ σῷσον Ἀγαθὲ τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν».

“Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of truth, present in all places and filling all things, treasury of good things and giver of life: come; take Your abode in us; cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, O good one.”

from Pentecostarion

Δυο μέρες δυο γιορτές. Χθες η μάνα μας και σήμερα ο αδελφός μου.

Χρόνια Πολλά σε όλους και ιδιαίτερα στον αγαπημένο μου αδελφό Γιάννη.

Two days. Two Namedays. Yesterday our mom and today my brother.

Happy Nameday to everyone and especially to my beloved brother, Jiannis.

Χρόνια Πολλά σε όλους και ιδιαίτερα στην αγαπημένη μου μητέρα κ. Φωτεινή.

Happy Nameday to everyone and especially to my beloved mother, Fotini.

Καλά Φώτα! Blessed Epiphany!

📸

And so this is New Year's…

🎶 Πάει ο παλιός ο χρόνος ας γιορτάσουμε παιδιά και του χωρισμού ο πόνος ας κοιμάται στην καρδιά.

Καλή χρονιά, χρόνια πολλά, χαρούμενη χρυσή Πρωτοχρονιά! 🎶

📸 with my beloved mother and niece

Happy New Year! Καλή Χρονιά! Frohes Neues Jahr!

And so this is Christmas…

📸: with my beloved mother and niece

Christ is born! Glorify Him! • Χριστός γεννάται! Δοξάσατε! • Christus ist geboren! Lobet Ihn!

When your Team knows you have a love for plants and Christmas. Many thanks to my DRE Team from across North America for this joyful gift! My family and I are loving it.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

A day of abundant love. A day of abundant grace. A day of abundant faithful.

On December 7th, we remembered in our prayers our holy Geronda Ephraim of Philotheou & Arizona of blessed memory. Who departed in the Lord four years ago at his Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Anthony’s in Florence, Arizona. May we have his prayers. Να έχουμε την ευχή του!

I was enormously blessed to humbly pray the memorial service in the monastery’s main church and at Elder Ephraim’s grave with the Abbott of St. Anthony’s Monastery, Geronda Paisios, and the brothers and sisters from so many monasteries. And to preside over the Divine Liturgy, where I could witness not only the church but the entire monastery full of pious faithful from across America, Canada, Greece, and elsewhere.

I am forever grateful and humbled that when I arrived in North America over six years ago, Geronda Ephraim took me under his wing and welcomed me into his spiritual family with open arms and Christlike love. The impact he had and continues to have on my spiritual life is immeasurable.

May Geronda Ephraim intercede for us all.

📸: St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, Florence, Arizona

Behind the Scenes:
Meet Stephen. He is an Altar Server at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in West Babylon, New York. Stephen didn’t hesitate and was eager to show me his interesting book and provide his fascinating narration of it.

Let us remember that our children are the future of the Church. That Christ calls us to become more like children. We can learn a lot from children — if we take the time. And the sound of children in our churches is a blessing — not a disturbance.

📸: Fr. Demetrios Kazakis

Two days. Two monasteries. Infinite blessings.

First with the sisters at the Holy Monastery of the Annunciation of the Theotokos [📸 #3-4] and second with the brothers at the Holy Monastery of Panagia Vlahernon [📸 #1-2, 5-7] in Florida.

It was an enormous blessing to preside over the feast of Saint Savvas of Kalymnos, the second patron Saint of Panagia Vlacherna Monastery. It's definitely worth reading about his life.

Many thanks to Geronda (Abbott) Polycarpos, the brothers, sisters, and all the faithful for their Christlike philoxenia (hospitality). And to His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta for His blessing to serve. Χρόνια Πολλά to His Eminence Metropolitan Savas Zembillas of Pittsburgh.

Photo Credit #1:

There is so much to be thankful for today and always. When we put Christ at the center of our lives, His abundance of love, grace, and blessings for us grows.

I have had the profound honor and blessing to serve at most of the holy monasteries across America—especially over the past few months. I am thankful to our Archbishop and Metropolitans, who kindly give me their blessings to do so.

What I continue to joyfully experience regardless of the day of the week, the time of day, the season, or the weather is that the monasteries are always full of pious faithful from across America, Canada, Greece, and other parts of the world. Always.

To me, our holy monasteries are heaven on earth—and I am truly thankful.

This is one of those indescribable moments in my life etched in my heart. As a child, I absolutely loved going to St. Demetrios Church in Thessaloniki, Greece. Never would I have imagined that one day I would be presiding over Divine Liturgy in the very Church built above the crypt where Saint Demetrios was imprisoned and eventually martyred. [📸 #5]

His unwavering love for Christ made his ultimate sacrifice of worldly possessions for eternal glory in heaven endurable. And Saint Demetrios leaves us with something paramount and powerful to contemplate while living out our days on earth.

His holy relics continue to exude fragrant and healing myrrh, earning him the title the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrios the Myroblyte (Myrrh-streamer). [📸 #2]

Χρόνια Πολλά! Ο Άγιος Δημήτριος πάντοτε να μας προστατεύει!

Words worth reading ↓

And if you’d like, you can send me names for commemoration directly.

With love to our brothers & sisters near and far,

During this heartbreaking time in the world where peace seems almost impossible, where the loss of innocent babies, children, youth, families, and elders is increasing and unimaginable suffering seems almost unavoidable, and where the darkness of evil spreads like wildfire making it at times almost too difficult to see the light, let us put our hope in the Resurrection.

Let us remember that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

May we all try to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need. May we all try to keep them in our daily prayers or light a candle. May we all try to choose kindness over evil. All God asks of us is that we try.

→ If you would like to have names for the deceased and/or for the living commemorated during Divine Liturgy by our Department of Religious Education (DRE) Director, Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, kindly share them with us in 1 of 3 ways:

1. Direct Message (DM) us names of your loved ones OR
2. Include the names below in the comments section OR
3. Email the names to us at: [email protected]

Being at a Holy Monastery with my brothers & sisters during a heartbreaking time in a world where peace seems almost impossible, where the loss of innocent babies, children, youth, families, and elders is increasing and unimaginable suffering seems almost unavoidable, where the darkness of evil spreads like wildfire making it at times almost too difficult to see the Light, really puts life on earth in perspective.

May we all try to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need. May we all try to keep them in our daily prayers. May we all try to choose kindness over evil. All God asks of us is that we try.

Together with the Abbots and Abbesses from all of the Greek Orthodox monasteries across America, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy. And we prayed for the life of the world, as we put our hope in the Resurrection.

I was humbled to prayerfully organize once again the yearly Monastic Synaxis on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, along with Gerondissa (Abbess) Markella, who graciously hosted all of us at the Holy Monastery of the Theotokos, the Life-Giving Spring (Zoodochos Pigi) in Fresno, California. Thank you kindly to His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, Gerondissa Markella, and the sisters for their Christlike philoxenia (hospitality) over the past several days.

A reminder that the holy spiritual guides we encountered on earth are with us in the spiritual realm.

Saint Paisios the Athonite appears when I least expect him — like in this photo. I am beyond humbled and grateful for his Christlike love, counsel, and prayers while we both lived on Mount Athos. He showed me the importance of obedience (in Greek, υπακοή) when encountering holy spiritual guides.

Obedience leads to true freedom and salvation.

May Saint Paisios intercede for us all.

What an absolute blessing to celebrate the feast day of Saint Athenagoras the Athenian at my late father's village in Greece, surrounded by over 100 beloved family, relatives, friends, and clergy.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to His Eminence Metropolitan Damaskinos of Didymóteicho, Orestiás, and Souflion for gracing us with his presence and blessing me to preside over today's Divine Liturgy.

His Eminence received me with paternal love and Christ-like philoxenia (hospitality), and I am profoundly humbled and grateful. And a special thanks to His Eminence for graciously gifting my beloved mother with beautiful flowers for having me, raising me, and supporting me to serve Christ and His people. [📸 #4]

Many thanks to the parish priest Rev. Fr. Andreas, the V. Rev. Archim. Seraphim and Deacon Eleftherios, for serving with me on this memorable day.

May Saint Athenagoras intercede for us all! Χρόνια Πολλά!

I am truly blessed to have been gifted with the name of this exceptional former Archbishop of North and South America, Ecumenical Patriarch, and giant of the Christian world, +Athenagoras. I am honored that I can witness his legacy in America. Former Ecumenical Patriarch +Athenagoras humbly and freely dedicated his entire life to Christ and the Church. May his memory be eternal!

Αισθάνομαι ευλογημένος που αξιώθηκα να φέρω το όνομα αυτού του μεγάλου Πατριάρχη του γένους των χριστιανών. Αισθάνομαι υπερήφανος που αξιώνομαι να ψηλαφώ τους κόπους του. Ο Πατριάρχης Αθηναγόρας τα έδωσε όλα για τον Χριστό και για την Εκκλησία. Αιωνία του η μνήμη!

📸 #1: At the sculpture of America's former Archbishop and later Ecumenical Patriarch +Athenagoras. He was the founder of Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston and consecrated the Archdiocesan Cathedral of Holy Trinity in New York, where this statue resides. He fell asleep in the Lord on July 7, 1972.

📸 #2: Witness His unbounded grace (χάρισμα) captured in this photo.

Two years of unimaginable blessings.

Two years since being ordained to the High Priesthood, as Auxiliary Bishop to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to the high and humbling title of Nazianzos.

Two years since I confessed that I would give everything for Christ! Everything for the Church! And everything for Love!

The very same words I expressed two years ago at my ordination still stand true today:

“Words can not express the immense gratitude, the magnitude of thanks, the depth of respect, and the​​ love for our Ecumenical Patriarch, who honored me 21 years ago with the Order of the Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, and now honors me again with this divine gift of the High Priesthood. It is a great honor to be elected Auxiliary Bishop to His All-Holiness. Historical and significant is the Throne of the Diocese of Nazianzos.”

I remain forever indebted to those who have supported me throughout the past two remarkable years with prayers, kindness, and unwavering help, from Germany, Greece, Constantinople, America, and especially Canada. Know that each of you remains in my prayers and heart every single day. Evermore thanks.

📸
#2: When I presented His All-Holiness with my ordination bonbonniere (gift) along with my beloved mother, Fotini.
#3: Both of my nephews were Altar Servers that day.
#4: God’s light and grace filled the Chapel that day while we chanted Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is risen! A moment etched in my heart.

Today marks 25 years since my ordination to the Holy Priesthood: a sacred journey guided by God's unwavering love, boundless grace, and profound wisdom.

Reflecting upon this milestone, I am humbled and grateful for this profound privilege of serving as a vessel of God's love, guiding souls on their spiritual odyssey.

May my every step be guided by wisdom, my every word filled with solace, and my every prayer an offering of hope. And may the light of Christ continue to illuminate my path. Christ is risen!

I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you who have walked with me over the past 25 years of divine blessings. Evermore thanks.

📸 Pascha then. Pascha now.

Mothers are the earthly vessels of love. And the Mother of God shines as a guiding light on this special day. She teaches us that in the embrace of a mother's love, we find solace, strength, and an eternal bond that nurtures our souls.

Happy Mother’s Day to my beloved mother Fotini.

Χριστός Ανέστη! The day I look forward to the most in the ecclesiastical calendar is Pascha (Easter). There is no other day like it.

It was humbling to wear this engolpion (medallion) of the Resurrected Christ tha His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gifted me with. It's been an honor and a blessing to serve as His Auxiliary Bishop.

It was a joy to carry this beautiful lambatha (candle) the sisters at St. Kosmas Aitolos Greek Orthodox Monastery in Canada made for me. You're never too old to be gifted with a lambatha!

Many thanks to the clergy, parish councils, Philoptochos, sisters & brothers, and the faithful who filled the Church with their love for Christ this past week.

With love in the Resurrected Christ.

📸:
#2-5 Greek Orthodox Church of Our Savior
#1 St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine

When the clock strikes midnight…. Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is Risen! Christus ist auferstanden!

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι ζωὴν χαρισάμενος.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life.

Christus ist auferstanden von den Toten, er hat den Tod durch den Tod zertreten und denen in den Gräbern das Leben geschenkt.

The First Resurrection.
Η Πρώτη Ανάσταση.

Celebrating the joy of Christ.

📸 St. John the Baptist, Blue Point, New York

What an unbelievable blessing to witness so many children and youth show up for Christ.

Glory be to God!