December 4, 2024
To the Reverend Clergy, Monastics & Deacons, Parish Council Members, Philoptochos Members & Archons, our beloved Youth, and all the faithful of the Metropolis of Atlanta:
My dear Children in the Lord,
I greet you with love and joy in the name of our Lord and Savior Christ! Truly, I offer these words in a spirit of gratitude to Almighty God for all He has done for our Holy and God-Protected Metropolis of Atlanta in these recent days.
Allow me first to offer some words of encouragement to you all, especially those who have asked about me since the announcement of my retirement. Indeed, I am well, and happy. After much prayer and contemplation, I can say that I feel at peace and carefree. Of course, this is especially true since the wonderful news we received earlier this week.
Those of you who were together at our annual Archangel Michael Honors and Banquet last month will remember how I expressed my fervent wish that Metropolitan Sevastianos would be chosen to assume the pastoral responsibilities of our Metropolis, upon my retirement. I am pleased and happy that our prayers were heard and answered.
They were heard, and answered: first, by the support of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America; then, through the nomination by my Brothers on the Holy Eparchial Synod; and, finally, through election, thanks to His All-Holiness, our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew & the members of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In electing Metropolitan Sevastianos, our Hierarchy recognized that he is indeed a true son of the Metropolis of Atlanta.
Whether we speak of his legacy as the Priest who tended the flock of Holy Transfiguration in Marietta to the parish it has become today; his service as Dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Tarpon Springs; or his assistance to the Metropolis these past six years, Metropolitan Sevastianos has experienced the life of our Metropolis on all levels. I am proud to have witnessed many years of this growth, and therefore, I wish to once again express my fullest confidence in His Eminence. AXIOS!
On a more personal note, I want to help ease the hearts of those expressing feelings of sadness at my retirement. Though I am no longer serving you as Metropolitan, this does not mean that I am permanently leaving our beloved South. One of my fondest memories is the work we accomplished together in establishing and growing our beloved Diakonia Retreat Center. Since it is a special place for me, I look forward to spending more time in my home there, in addition to visiting with my family in Greece. Therefore, I wish to put your mind at rest, that it is certainly not my intention to permanently depart the Metropolis.
My beloved ones, over the past several years, I have offered a weekly spiritual reflection as part of our Metropolis Messenger. In preparing to conclude this final message, I pray that your journey to Bethlehem is blessed with the same lightness of heart I feel, just as I pray that you experience an illumined Nativity season, as well as a happy and healthy New Year. Finally, as I remember you and your families in my prayers, I humbly ask that you pray for me as well. Therefore, I remain,
Yours with paternal blessings and love in the Lord,
+ ALEXIOS
Former Metropolitan of Atlanta