http://www.annunciationcathedral.org/

Or, you can click on the following link to go directly to the "Donate" PayPal page:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5LRXU8CDMKJW&source=url

Live streaming of the Annunciation Cathedral services begin at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday.  

Please go directly to our website: http://www.annunciationcathedral.org and click the link: Annunciation Cathedral Services.

Please join us downstairs for fellowship immediately following the Divine Liturgy.

Sermon will now take place immediately after the Gospel reading.

Please be aware of this order when Holy Communion is offered:

1.    Altar boys, Presvytera, chanters

2.    Children + Sunday school students

3.    Choir members

4.    Parishioners who need assistance

5.    Ushers will then release everyone else, pew by pew

Welcome, Sunday School Families!
This week, all students are invited to attend a special Back-to-School Blessing as they begin the new school year. Students are encouraged to bring their backpacks, icons, or other school items to be blessed.  Following the blessing, families are invited to enjoy an Ice Cream Social during Coffee Hour!

New and Visiting Students Welcome
New students are always welcome to register, and visiting students are welcome to drop in and participate while visiting our Cathedral.

Registration:
New families are welcome to attend in-person registration on September 20. After September 20, please email Soula Serra at [email protected] to receive a registration form.

Sunday School Updates
Upcoming Regular Class Dates:  Sept. 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18 (immediately after Communion)

October 25 is Pumpkin Decorating!   Save the date. Immediately after communion students will report to their Sunday School rooms to meet their teachers.  Students will decorate pumpkins and create a beautiful Fall decoration. All supplies will be provided.  

HOLY TRINITY MONASTERY TRIP – SMITH CREEK, MICHIGAN – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2026: Similar to last year, we have scheduled a bus trip to visit the Holy Trinity Monastery on September 26^th.  We will have a bus departing from the church parking lot at 9:00am sharp with a projected arrival at the Monastery at 10:00am.  The group will be attending a short prayer service in the chapel, followed by a discussion with Father Joseph and lunch served by the monks.  If time allows, a short tour of the property and grounds will be given.  The plan is to leave the Monastery at 2:30pm and return to the church parking lot at 3:30pm.  Donations to the church to help offset the cost of the bus ($32 per person) should be made out to the Annunciation Cathedral.  Please RSVP by email or phone to Will Lianos – [email protected] or 313-850-6251.  We hope you can join us!

If you like what you hear upstairs in the choir loft – come join us!  All are welcome to sing.  It’s a great way to actively participate in the Liturgy, and you do not have to read Greek to sing.  We practice approximately once per month.  Come sing with us!  Any questions can be directed to your nearest choir member or Kim Lianos at kim.lianos04@gmail.com.   

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O most High:  to show forth Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.”  Psalm 92:1-2

The Cathedral’s annual Cash Raffle is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, 2026. The drawing will be held at 8:00 p.m. in 707 East. Everyone is urged to purchase their raffle ticket and join in the excitement of attending the reverse raffle drawing with a separate purchase of a dinner and drinks ticket. The raffle ticket price remains at $100.00 with a grand prize of $4,000.00. The open bar and buffet dinner ticket also remains at the same price as 2025 of $70.00.

Most Parish Council members have both raffle and dinner tickets for you to purchase. Additionally, you may call the Church office to purchase a ticket or if you have any questions. Remember, this is the Cathedral’s only annual fund-raiser and your support is greatly appreciated.

Please see flyer in our "Bulletin Inserts" section.

Focus Detroit 4th Annual Gala on Saturday, October 17th, 2026 at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, St. Clair Shores.

For more information please visit: focusdetroit.org/gala or see flyer in our "Bulletin Inserts" section.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 18, 2026

We will introduce the icons of St. Cristina that was donated in memory of Christine (Tina) Tapazoglou and St. Nicholas that was donated for the physical and spiritual health of all the parishioners and every Christian. Our ordained Orthodox Lector (Reader), Nicolaos Tapazoglou, will be speaking on our Faith. Prayers will be offered for the repose of Tina's soul. Coffee and light edibles will be offered. Please mark your calendars.

On the Sundays that the Lions are playing a 1:00 PM home game, parishioners are kindly asked to leave the parking lot immediately after church. There will be no coffee hour.  If you leave your car in the lot for any reason, you will be required to pay for parking at the posted rates.   The church leases the parking lot to Park-Rite.  This is our single largest source of income.  On non-game days, you can stay parked in the lot until 2:00 pm.  Lions Game Schedule: September 13, 27.  November 1, 22. December 13.

Do you shop at Kroger?  If so, chances are you have a frequent shopper card or the Kroger app on your phone.  Did you know that Kroger will donate a percentage of your purchases (every time you shop) to our beloved Cathedral?

Go to your Kroger rewards account online from the Kroger.com website.  Click and follow the online instructions as follows:  

Go to kroger.com or krogercommunityrewards.com.

Find the “Community Rewards" section on the left side of your account landing page. Select “Annunciation Cathedral," and your done.  It literally takes one minute. 

Please share this simple and easy way to contribute to our church with family and friends.  The more people that participate the greater the percentage Kroger will donate.

As stewards of God’s gifts, we build up the body of Christ not with bricks and mortar but with the faithful sharing of our time, talents and treasures. Stewardship is an expression of faith that strengthens the foundation of our church and enables its ministries to grow and flourish.

We are grateful to each of you listed below for your generosity and your continued support of the Annunciation Cathedral.

If you have not yet made your Stewardship commitment, we invite you to submit your Stewardship offering by mail or in person using the 2026 stewardship form which are available on the church website as well as in the church Narthex. 

Nicholas & Megan Ahee
Shofique & Maria Ali
Tony & Jean Atsalakis
Gregory & Marilyn Balog
Chris & Vicky Boloven
Jim & Angie Boloven 
Evangeline Bournias
Dr. James G. Contos
John & Susan Cook
Pauline Cook
Elpis C. Cotzias
Michael Fafalios
George & Anna Gaggos
Harry & Irene Gaggos
Mary Gaggos
Mary K. Gaggos
Olivia & Ian Gappy
Nicholas & Angela Gogonis
Nicholas & Eleni Goutis
Harry & Christine Harris
James & Beverly Karagon
Bill & Becky Lianos 
Ethel Lianos
Will & Kim Lianos
Mary A. Markus
Irene Naida
Tony & Julie Panson
Carey Papalekas
Pano & Helen Papalekas
Nia & Dimitris Paskaris
Marika Pehlivanidis
Dean Politis
Elias Politis
Roseanne & Christopher Pontisakos
Peter Rageas
Soula & Paul Serra
Nick Siringas
Jamie Spriet
Thomas Stathopoulos
Catherine Szuba
Nicolaos Tapazoglou
George & Dimitra Theodorou
Anastassios Tsantis
Panagiotis Tsantis 
Michael & Deborah Tyler
Gregory & Christina (Monolidis) Viscomi
Kasiani Zikos

"Sharing food with the less fortunate" is our newest philanthropic initiative. We have undertaken this as an on-going parish-wide activity.  Our objective is to maintain 2 bags of groceries in our pantry at all times for distribution to those who need a bit of help.  

Some requested items include:  peanut butter, pasta sauce, pasta, canned meats, canned fruits and vegetables, soups, macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, canned or dry milk, crackers, cooking oil, sugar, flour, toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper, kleenex, paper toweling body soap, moisturizer, dish soap, etc.

You will find a container in the Narthex for your donations.  Please ensure items are not expired, packaging is intact and no glass containers.   "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed" (Proverbs 19:17).  

Memorial Coffee Hour Fees: Parishioners of the Annunciation $150.00, Non-parishioners $200.00. This includes 2 tables of 8 completely set with 8 plates of food, utensils, and beverages (coffee and water). Additional tables of 8 are $25.00 each.

The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are sponsoring a Greening the Parish Initiative.  The goals are to create greater awareness of the leadership of His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholemew on issues of the environment and creation.  We are looking to inspire engagement and working-together within our parish communities.  Together, we can create an attitude and culture of caring for creation within the entire Greek Orthodox community. 

Today's message is: 

Unplug chargers when not in use. Phone and laptop chargers continue to draw a small amount of power even when nothing is plugged into them. Unplugging them when not in use is a simple habit that adds up.

The parish council has decided it is important to establish a cathedral security and safety committee, especially with the recent tragedy that occurred at a church in Grand Blanc in September. Anyone who is interested (especially those who have any security or police experience or medical training) please contact Jim Boloven at 734-777-5541.

All articles to be included in the Sunday Bulletin must be submitted by 12pm on Thursdays.
Please call the Church office at 313-965-2988 or email: [email protected].

Holy Relics of St. Theoktisti and St. Kirykos, Patron Saints of Ikaria -The Holy Relics of St. Theoktisti and St. Kirykos, along with the Holy Relics of St. Gregory the Gravanos and St. Sisoes the spiritual father(ο πνευματικός) have arrived at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Detroit. 

The inauguration of the Holy Relics will take place on November 8, 2026 with a procession during the Divine Liturgy and the presence of all the members of the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood and all the faithful.  For more information, please contact Mr. Nick Tsalis at 734-776-1027, president of The Pan-Icarian Brotherhood, Chapter 9 “Spanos/Areti” of Detroit.

Icon and Icon Stand of the Patron Saints of Thessalia – The Pan-Thessalian Union of Metro Detroit  -  The  Kostandinos  Ropotos family, owners of “WaterMark Bar and Grille” and “The Whiskey Six”, will be donating on behalf of the Pan-Thessalian Union of Metro Detroit, an Icon and Icon Stand of the Patron Saints of Thessalia: St. Seraphim, Patron Saint of Karditsa, St. Vissarion, Patron Saint of Trikala, St. Achillios, Patron Saint of Larissa, St. Riginos, Patron Saint of Skopelos, St. Nicholas, Patron Saint of Volos.

We will be receiving the Icon and Icon Stand in 2026 and will celebrate the Patron Saints of Thessalia, every year on December 4, starting in the Ecclesiastical year 2026, the Feastday of St. Seraphim, Patron Saint of Karditsa, in order to honor the donors, the Ropotos family, who are from Karditsa.

Icon and Icon Stand of St. Paisios and St. Porphyrios - Francesco Adamopoulos family, owner of the “The Jagged Fork”, will be donating an Icon and Icon Stand of St. Paisios and St. Porphyrios, which will be placed under the iconography of St. Paisios and St. Porphyrios on the right-hand side of the Solea. We will be celebrating the Feastday of St. Paisos and St. Porphyrios every year on December 2^nd,  starting in the Ecclesiastical year 2026.  

Icon and Icon Stand of St. Christina

Icon and Icon Stand of St. Nicholas

Gold plated Candlestick of St. Panteleimon

Gold plated Candlestick of Panagia Tsambika

Gold plated Candlestick of St. Demetrios

Icon and Icon Stand of the Patron Saints of Thessalia

Icon Stand of Panagia Soumela Patron Saint of Pontus

Icon and Icon Stand of St. Paisios and St. Porphyrios

Reliquary Vessel for the Holy Relics of the Patron Saints of Ikaria

Our parking lot management company, Park Rite, has installed gates at the three entrances to our parking lot (Monroe Street, I-375 service drive, and Lafayette Street). The gates will be open for Sunday services. For any church visits during the week, please use the Monroe Street entrance. When the parking lot attendant comes to the gate, please let him know you are there for a church visit, and he will raise the gate for you. You will NOT be charged any fee for parking in the lot for any church related visit. Also, the Lafayette gate will be open for any church sacrament event (weddings, funerals, etc.). Please note in the unlikely scenario that you pay for parking during a personal church visit, please advise the church office and your credit card charge will be reversed.

The 12 Holy Relics are on display in the reliquary of the Annunciation Cathedral of Detroit for embracement and veneration for whomever wishes to do so.  The Holy relics have been safe guarded in the sanctuary of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral for over one hundred years, and it is now the time for them to be venerated and presented to all the faithful Christians.

Any individual wishing to schedule an appointment for Confession with Fr. Georgios Manias may do so by contacting Father at 313-588-0829.

Please call Fr. Georgios Manias or the Church Office to schedule and confirm in advance, Sacraments and special Liturgical services, such as Memorials and Trisagion in order to honor your beloved ones. 

Meetings with Father Georgios Manias are by appointment only. Please schedule meetings through the church office or by contacting Father at 313-588-0829.  Thank you! 

For all your catering needs, call Ernie's direct at 586-286-8435.

Please tell your neighbors and friends of our beautiful event venue.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on September 1, 2026 celebrated the beginning of the Indiction, the ecclesiastical New Year, as well as the Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Natural Environment, as Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios of blessed memory designated it in 1989. On the same day, he issued a Patriarchal Message for the Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year and the Solemn Day of Prayers for Natural Environment, reiterating his pioneering commitment to the preservation of the natural environment as a core Christian duty, and articulating “new paths and prospects for addressing” this immense challenge.

In that message, His All-Holiness emphasized that the environmental crisis affects all areas of human endeavor: “The multidimensional contemporary ecological crisis is a crisis of human freedom, of our religion and philosophy, of our ethos and our culture.” He explained that “what comes first is the ‘harmful alteration’ of our freedom — our severance and alienation from the Source of Life; what follows is conduct destructive of the natural environment.”

In response to this crisis, the Ecumenical Patriarch said that there was an “imperative need for a ‘Copernican Turn’ in our understanding of the idea of progress and in humanity’s attitude towards nature, as well as in the actions of those engaged in political, economic, and social life, of the Churches and religions, of science and technology, and of those responsible for the education of the younger generation.”

In pursuit of this transformation in the general understanding of the environment and its relationship to human activity, he pledged to “continue, in word and deed, to promote the ecological vision of the Holy Great Church of Christ and the eco-friendly dynamism of the eucharistic, ascetic, and doxological relationship with creation, always underscoring that careful theological work is needed for the elucidation of the authentic ecological message of our Orthodox faith and tradition, for the benefit of creation, which is ‘very good.’”

While the environmental crisis is usually understood solely in utilitarian terms, His All-Holiness stated that “we are convinced that highlighting the religious and ethical dimensions of the ecological threat will lead to an awareness of the pivotal importance of ‘ecological responsibility.’” He declared that “humanity must at last cease acting as though it does not know and definitively cast aside the illusion that planet Earth can in perpetuity withstand the burdens and destruction caused by human activity, or that nature has the power to renew itself of its own accord.”

Once that illusion has been definitively seen for what it is and rejected, His All-Holiness continued, “the ethos of responsibility for the protection of the natural environment must find expression at the global, national, local, and personal levels.” This multifaceted response is an urgent necessity: “We reiterate once again that the cultivation of ecological responsibility is a ‘categorical imperative’ for humanity as it confronts the greatest threat it has ever been called to face throughout the entire course of its history.”

His All-Holiness enunciated a prophetic condemnation of the heedless culture of abundance, saying: “It is abundantly clear that, so long as the dominant anthropological model is represented by the ‘foolish rich man’ of the Gospel (Luke 12:17–21), with his declaration, ‘I will pull down my barns and build greater; and there I will store all my crops and my goods,’ and his words, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry,’ humanity will continue to undermine its future and annihilate its own ‘home.’”

Continuing his critique of contemporary attitudes toward the environment, the Ecumenical Patriarch stated: “The ‘sins of modernity’ have created — and continue to create — new divisions and ruptures between humanity and nature. The contemporary ‘man-god’ persists in geocide, disregarding every measure and limit in the name of geopolitical designs and economic interests, of consumerism and of the satisfaction of essentially insatiable needs, but also, on a deeper level, because of an overturning of inner lived experience and values.”

A restoration of rightly ordered inner values will therefore lead to a proper understanding of the need to care for the natural environment. Otherwise, said His All-Holiness, “the consequences of the global dominance of the desire to manipulate, instrumentalize, and exploit nature will prove to be tragic for life on our planet.”

His All-Holiness concluded by stating that “respect for the core pillars of ecological civilization can restrain environmentally destructive tendencies and open the ‘sole ecological path,’ that of sustainable development.” He also once again situated the problem of the environment in a larger context: “More broadly, humanity needs to reach agreement upon a body of common fundamental values which, in a world marked by conflict and polarization, will serve as a compass for the journey towards the future.” He stated: “We regard the principle of solidarity as the central axis of this body of values: solidarity as a source of shared responsibility, dialogue, and sincere reciprocity, together with collective responsibility for the protection of the natural environment. Respect in practice for the sacredness of the human person and care for the integrity of creation are, from a Christian perspective, vital manifestations of the eucharistic realization of the Church and of human being’s call to become the ‘priest’ of creation.”

May we all strive to cultivate that principle of solidarity within ourselves and in our relationships with others.

The post Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasizes religious, ethical dimensions of the ecological threat appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

Yesterday, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, where he will preside over the consecration of Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church on Saturday, September 19.

Traveling alongside the Archbishop are His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco; His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos; His Grace Bishop Ioannis of Phocaea; and Dimitri Katsiklis, Master Chanter at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine.

The group was greeted by members of the parish, including Fr. Vasili Hillhouse, Holy Transfiguration Church’s parish priest. In the evening, the church’s parish council shared a welcome dinner with the guests.

Ahead of Saturday’s consecration, the Archbishop will also attend a Founding Families dinner and spend time in the Alaskan landscape, visiting the nearby Portage Glacier.

The post Archbishop Elpidophoros arrives in Alaska for consecration appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

With an appointment from His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to become the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity’s Dean, effective September 1, 2026, Fr. Gregory Gilbert is set to begin a new chapter of ministry in the heart of New York City.

In his first interview since the appointment, Fr. Gregory told the Orthodox Observer he views the new role as “a tremendous honor and great opportunity to do a different kind of ministry,” one that combines the daily life of a parish with the broader responsibilities of an Archdiocesan institution.

His arrival at the Cathedral marks both a transition for the historic parish and the latest chapter in a path that has brought Fr. Gregory through academia, parish ministry, and leadership within the Metropolis of New Jersey. Last Friday, Fr. Gregory met with the Orthodox Observer to reflect on the path that brought him to the Cathedral, the experiences that have shaped him as a priest, and his hopes for the community he will now serve.

> Previously: Fr. Gregory Gilbert appointed Dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral

Fr. Gregory was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He attended Davidson College in North Carolina, where he studied Classics, with a focus on Ancient Greek and Latin, and met his future wife, Presvytera Catherine. The couple now has five children. 

After college, Fr. Gregory taught Latin at a private high school in Nashville for three years. It was during this time that he first encountered and embraced the Greek Orthodox faith. As his interest in the Church Fathers and early Christian writings deepened, Fr. Gregory began to question how the Christianity with which he had grown up related to the faith he was now encountering through his study of the early Church. 

As he confronted his dissatisfaction with the church tradition in which he had been raised, Fr. Gregory began attending Orthodox services and felt, “This is it. This is what I need.” He subsequently began his theological studies at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York, where he received his M.A. in Theology in 2004. 

Unlike most catechumens, Fr. Gregory’s knowledge of Greek allowed him to quickly learn to follow the liturgy and speak freely with parishioners. He soon began attending catechism classes, bringing with him what he describes as an academically-minded stream of questions. This experience helped bridge the chasm between early Christian writings and his Sunday services.

Following seminary, Fr. Gregory and Presvytera Catherine moved to the Washington, D.C., area, where he pursued graduate studies at the Catholic University of America. He earned a second M.A. in Classics in 2008 and a Ph.D. in Greek and Latin in 2014, specializing in the writings of the Church Fathers. During his graduate studies, he also served as Head Chanter at Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Frederick, Maryland.

Fr. Gregory’s academic work and ministry have taken him both across the United States and abroad. From 2011 to 2012, Fr. Gregory spent a year in Greece with his wife and their children while conducting doctoral research as a Fulbright Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens at the Gennadius Library. While there, he also completed the coursework and examination for the Diploma of Byzantine Chant, issued by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Upon returning to the U.S., he spent two years as an adjunct lecturer in the Ancient Studies Department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Scholarship, teaching, Byzantine music, and pastoral ministry have intersected throughout much of Fr. Gregory’s life. His academic background, particularly his study of the Church Fathers and the ancient world, offers another dimension to the experiences he now brings to the Cathedral.

Teaching remains an important part of how Fr. Gregory understands his ministry. Between his time teaching high school, university, and graduate students, academia occupied nearly a decade of his life. Fr. Gregory said he still sees himself as a teacher, even if the classroom now takes different forms. His years studying the Church Fathers and early Christian writings likewise continue to shape the questions he asks and the way he explains the faith as a proistamenos.

In 2015, His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of Sardis (then of Metropolitan New Jersey) ordained Fr. Gregory to the diaconate on October 4 and to the priesthood on October 25. Fr. Gregory subsequently served as presiding priest of Sts. Mary Magdalene & Markella Greek Orthodox Church in Darlington, Maryland, from 2015 to 2017, followed by St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, from 2017 to 2023.

From 2023 to 2025, Fr. Gregory served as Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. John the Theologian in Tenafly, New Jersey. He most recently served as Chancellor of the Metropolis of New Jersey under His Eminence Archbishop-elect Apostolos of Canada (then Metropolitan of New Jersey), who bestowed upon Fr. Gregory the ecclesiastical titles of Economos and Protopresbyter.

As Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. John the Theologian, Fr. Gregory oversaw a community with two schools and numerous ministries for different age groups while also helping the Cathedral serve as a focal point of the Metropolis for hierarchical liturgies and special events. He compared the role of a presiding priest to that of a conductor, responsible for keeping many moving parts working together. He sees that experience as valuable preparation for his new role as Dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

Although Fr. Gregory had visited Holy Trinity Cathedral many times for major events, weddings, and other occasions, he says he knew far less about the day-to-day life of the parish before his appointment. One of the pleasant surprises of his first days as Dean has been getting to know the Cathedral’s parishioners, Board of Trustees, and staff, as well as the community behind the institution.

After more than a decade of priestly ministry and leadership, Fr. Gregory now begins his ministry at Holy Trinity with a greater understanding of both dimensions of the Cathedral: its prominent place in the life of the Archdiocese and the parish community that sustains its daily life.

That process of getting to know the Cathedral extends to its history as well. On one of his first days as Dean, Fr. Gregory hosted a group of roughly 50 high school students on an educational trip for high school students from Thessaloniki with Fr. Gregory Telemachos Stamkopoulos, Director of Greek Education. As the students asked questions about the parish, Fr. Gregory Gilbert was able to offer a brief history of the Cathedral, an experience that highlighted both its broader significance and how much he still hopes to learn about its history and place within the Archdiocese.

Taking on leadership of an established parish also means balancing continuity with the possibility of positive change and growth. As Fr. Gregory begins his tenure, one of the central questions will be how he hopes to build upon the Cathedral’s existing life while identifying areas for growth. Fr. Gregory said his first priority is not to remake an already-established parish, but to strengthen what is already in place. Two ministries stand out to him in particular: the Cathedral School and Cathedral Connect.

Fr. Gregory described the Cathedral School as an opportunity few Orthodox parishes have: a full-time Orthodox school serving families from across New York City.

 “It’s something to treasure and take care of and be good stewards of,” Fr. Gregory says.

Cathedral Connect, meanwhile, gives Holy Trinity a strong foundation for ministry to college students, graduate students, and young professionals. Fr. Gregory said he is excited by the opportunity to serve young adults at a stage when many are beginning to ask deeper questions about faith, identity, and their life’s direction.

Young adults are one group Fr. Gregory is especially eager to serve. With two older children of his own–one in college and one in graduate school–he is familiar with the questions and transitions that can accompany this stage of life. His connection to young adults also reaches back to his years in academia. Before entering the priesthood, he had imagined his own path would center on working closely with students. 

“What I thought my life was going to be was in academia, working with college and graduate students on a daily basis,” Fr. Gregory says. In many parishes, he said, young adulthood can become a “missing link” after youth ministry, as students leave for college and begin their professional lives. 

At Holy Trinity, he sees an opportunity to remain present during what he described as a formative and sometimes uncertain stage of life. He hopes to create space for young adults to ask their own questions about faith, including how they begin to embrace it as their own, apart from their parents or upbringing.

The Cathedral’s Philoptochos chapter also plays an important role in parish life, carrying out charitable and philanthropic work that extends the Cathedral’s ministry beyond its walls. Its active presence at Holy Trinity has made it a model chapter for Philoptochos throughout the Archdiocese, reflecting the broader commitment to service that Fr. Gregory hopes to continue building upon.

Beyond strengthening ministries within the parish, Fr. Gregory also sees Holy Trinity as having a responsibility that extends beyond its immediate community.

 “This is the Archdiocesan Cathedral, so it has to be a church that Orthodox Christians from across America can come to,” Fr. Gregory says. “It has to be a home for Greek Orthodox Christians coming to New York.”

At the same time, he sees the Cathedral’s location as an opportunity to reach those outside the existing parish community. 

“We have to be a visible church,” he said, noting that people may initially walk through the doors simply out of curiosity. “We have to be ready to welcome them in, whether they come to worship or are beginning to figure out their own journey toward Orthodoxy.” 

He also sees charitable and philanthropic outreach as an important responsibility of a city parish, seeking to continue the Cathedral’s established homeless outreach ministry, which serves those in need throughout Manhattan and elsewhere in New York City. Meeting on the second Friday of each month, members of the parish and greater community prepare hygiene kits and distribute them at designated locations throughout Manhattan.

Alongside those broader efforts, Fr. Gregory is focused on the relationships he hopes to build within the Cathedral community. As he begins his first weeks at Holy Trinity, Fr. Gregory says he wants parishioners to know that he sees the Cathedral as their community, and hopes they will find him approachable as they get to know their new Dean. 

“I think I’m easy to work with,” Fr. Gregory says with a laugh.

More importantly, Fr. Gregory sees his role as one of guiding and supporting a community that ultimately belongs to its faithful. 

“I’m concerned about this being their community and about them having that sense of ownership of it,” Fr. Gregory says. “My role is to be their shepherd and to guide them.” As he looks ahead, Fr. Gregory hopes to see the Cathedral community continue to grow while keeping its parishioners at the center of its life and ministry.

The post Meet the Archdiocesan Cathedral’s new Dean appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America offered his blessing in a video message marking the September 14 reopening of Greece’s consular presence in New Orleans, with John D. Georges serving as Honorary Consul of Greece. His Eminence recalled the very deep roots of the Greek American community in the city and the historic role New Orleans played in the establishment of Greek Orthodoxy in America. The reopening restores an official Greek presence in New Orleans after the previous consulate closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The history to which Archbishop Elpidophoros referred reaches back much further than the major waves of Greek immigration of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral records a Greek presence in New Orleans from the mid-1700s, including the arrival in 1766 of Greek seaman Miguel Dragon.

> Watch the full video here.

By the early 1860s, Greek merchants including Nicholas Benachi and John Botassi were working to establish an Orthodox church. In 1864, Benachi opened his home on Bayou Road for worship, marking the beginning of the organized Holy Trinity community; in 1866, the community constructed its first church building at 1222 N. Dorgenois Street in Tremé. Holy Trinity is recognized by both the Cathedral and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as the first Greek Orthodox church in North and South America. Archbishop Elpidophoros himself underscored that distinction during his 2025 Archpastoral visit to New Orleans, when he referred to Holy Trinity as the “Mother Church of Greek Orthodoxy in the Americas.”

John Georges, a New Orleans businessman, publisher, philanthropist and longtime leader of the Greek American community, is CEO of Georges Enterprises, whose interests include distribution, real estate and hospitality; he and his wife, Dathel, are also the owners of The Advocate and The Times-Picayune. Georges was invested as an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2006 with the offikion of Kastrinsios, is a member of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100, and has served Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in leadership positions, including as Parish Council president and led the parish’s rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

Messages marking the reopening were sent by House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece. The ceremony was attended by Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou; Antonis Alexandridis, Greece’s ambassador to the United States; New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno; and representatives of the Greek American community. Also in attendance was the Reverend Protopresbyter George Wilson, dean of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

The post Archbishop Elpidophoros blesses the reopening of honorary Greek consulate in New Orleans appeared first on Orthodox Observer.