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.

Elpiniki (Niki) Nikou, 1 year

Robert Lazaris, 1 year

May their memory be eternal

Coffee hour offered today by the family of Niki Nikou.

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

Thank you to John Cook and his friend Steve Sanderson who came and cleaned and painted the 707 entrance stairway. 

Thanks as well to Mike Tyler for applying sealer to the exterior wooden Narthex doors to prevent any further damage due to exposure.

Our classes are in full swing and it has been a joy to see the enthusiasm of our students.  

Upcoming Regular Class Dates:  Oct. 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.  

Visiting students are welcome to drop-in while visiting our Cathedral.

New students always welcome to register.  New families please email Soula Serra [email protected] to receive a registration form.  

Annual Veterans’ Day Salad Bar - Save the date and plan to come hungry on Sunday, November 15.  Additional information will be provided closer to the event date.

Keep an eye out for the Annual Christmas Giving Tree in the Exo-narthex starting on November 1st.  We will once again be collecting winter coats, boots, hats and gloves for a Detroit public pre-school class.  Sizes and gender will be provided on the tree tags.  

"Sharing food with the less fortunate" - The Food pantry is being maintained on an on-going basis.  Non-perishable items such as canned goods, pasta, cereal, crackers, paper products, laundry and bathroom products are welcome.  If you know of someone in need, please reach out to one of the Philoptochos members.

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 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.

Memorial Service and coffee hour for Dino & Doris Kontos will be held on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

The Detroit Cretan Chapter "Pseloretes" will be having their annual Artoklasia, Memorial and Coffee hour on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at the Annunciation Cathedral.

FEED THE HUNGRY at Saints Peter & Paul will take place the weekend of November 7th and 8th. Food will be prepped at our church on Saturday the 7th and served on Sunday, the 8th. See Kim or Will Lianos if you are interested in volunteering your services either or both of those days.

Our Fall General Assembly will be held on Sunday, November 15, 2026.

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

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:  November 1, 22. December 13.

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
Christopher Peresky
Dean Politis
Elias Politis
Roseanne & Christopher Pontisakos
Peter Rageas
Soula & Paul Serra
Nick Siringas
Jamie Spriet & Bill Snyder
Thomas Stathopoulos
Catherine Szuba
Nicolaos Tapazoglou
George & Dimitra Theodorou
Constandinos & Christina Tsagaratos
Anastassios Tsantis
Panagiotis Tsantis 
Michael & Deborah Tyler
Gregory & Christina (Monolidis) Viscomi
Kasiani Zikos

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: 

Properly dispose of hazardous waste. Motor oil, batteries, paint, and electronics contain toxic materials that contaminate soil and groundwater if thrown in regular trash. Locate your local hazardous waste drop-off and use it.

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.

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.

NEW YORK, NY — The Hellenic Film Society will present a special retrospective celebrating legendary Greek-Cypriot filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis as part of the 2026 New York Greek Film Expo, a Greek film festival, taking place October 8–18 throughout the New York metropolitan area and New Jersey.

The Michael Cacoyannis Retrospective will take place October 16–18 at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), 36-01 35th Avenue (at 37th Street), Astoria, NY 11106, and will feature four of the filmmaker’s acclaimed classic films.

Widely regarded as one of the most important Greek filmmakers of the 20th century, Cacoyannis brought Greek stories and characters to international audiences through a distinguished career spanning film, theater and television. His work earned international acclaim and numerous awards, including multiple Academy Award nominations. The retrospective offers audiences an opportunity to experience four landmark films on the big screen and to revisit the work of a filmmaker whose influence continues to resonate in Greek and international cinema.

The Michael Cacoyannis Retrospective includes:

A GIRL IN BLACK

ΤΟ ΚΟΡΙΤΣΙ ΜΕ ΤΑ ΜΑΥΡΑ

• Directed and written by Michael Cacoyannis
• 1956 | 140 minutes | Greek with English subtitles
• Friday, October 16 at 7 pm

Set on the Greek island of Hydra, Cacoyannis’ acclaimed drama follows a young woman whose troubled family life and relationship with an outsider lead to jealousy, conflict and tragedy.

• The film received a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.

ZORBA THE GREEK

• Directed and written by Michael Cacoyannis
• Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis
• 1964 | 142 minutes | English and Greek
• Saturday, October 17 at 6:30 pm

One of Cacoyannis’ most celebrated films, Zorba the Greek stars Anthony Quinn as the exuberant Alexis Zorba and Alan Bates as an English writer who travels to Crete.

• The film received seven Academy Award nominations and won three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Lila Kedrova, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.

STELLA

ΣΤΕΛΛΑ

• Directed and Written by Michael Cacoyannis (based on a play by J. Cambanellis)
• 1955 | 90 mins | Greek with English subtitles
• Sunday, October 18 at 3 pm

Starring Melina Mercouri in one of her most iconic performances, Stella follows a fiercely independent nightclub singer who refuses to surrender her freedom for love.

• The film was selected for competition at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival and received the 1956 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.

WINDFALL IN ATHENS

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΑΤΙΚΟ ΞΥΠΝΗΜΑ

• Directed and written by Michael Cacoyannis
• 1954 | 91 minutes | Greek with English subtitles
• Sunday, October 18 at 6 pm

A young saleswoman loses her clothes and the lottery ticket she is convinced will be a winner, when two boys steal them while she swims. All is not lost, however, when she meets a handsome young musician who becomes the new owner of the ticket.

• Winner of a Diploma of Merit at the Edinburgh Festival.

“Michael Cacoyannis was a groundbreaking filmmaker writing, directing and editing his films giving each one his singular vision and style. He brought his commentary of Greek culture and society to the global stage where his films transcended and resonated with audiences garnering worldwide critical praise. The retrospective also allows the Hellenic Film Society to highlight film preservation and restoration. By screening Stella, a film that has not yet been restored, we can magnify the importance of preserving the rich cultural heritage of Greek film and protecting it for generations to come.”

— Maria (Mary) Miles, President, Hellenic Film Society

The Michael Cacoyannis Retrospective is one of the special programs featured during the 2026 New York Greek Film Expo, which presents 12 films from Greece and Cyprus at venues throughout New York City and the metropolitan area from October 8–18.

Tickets and additional information about the retrospective and the complete New York Greek Film Expo schedule are available at HellenicFilmSociety.org.

About the Hellenic Film Society

The Hellenic Film Society USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization rooted in the belief that Greek cinema should be an integral part of the American cultural landscape. HFS promotes feature films, documentaries, and shorts made by Greek filmmakers and filmmakers of Greek descent, as well as films that celebrate the cultures of Greece and Cyprus.

In addition to its annual New York Greek Film Expo, HFS presents Always on Sunday, a monthly Greek film series at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, often to sell-out crowds. HFS also helps organize Greek film screenings in a growing number of cities across the United States.

The post Hellenic Film Society presents Michael Cacoyannis retrospective during 2026 New York Greek Film Expo appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, following the 15th Assembly meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the U.S.A., hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate met in Pittsburgh, PA, under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for the Fourth Synaxis of Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the U.S.A. 12 hierarchs attended the gathering, representing the various eparchies under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the U.S.A., namely the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the American Carpatho-Russian OrthodoxDiocese of North America, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, and the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of the Americas. 

In his message to the Hierarchs, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew underscored: “The development of fraternal relationships among the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate also strengthens their common contribution to the work of the Assembly of Bishops there and to broader cooperation with the other Orthodox communities throughout the country. The unity of the Church constitutes a lofty and abiding responsibility of the local Orthodox Hierarchs. For the Hierarchs of the First Throne of Orthodoxy, the guarantor of unity, this constitutes a sacred obligation and duty. Every step toward cultivating mutual trust, every common effort to address pastoral concerns, and every tangible expression of love, strengthen our witness to the world.” 

In his opening address to the Synaxis, Archbishop Elpidophoros noted that “First of all, thanks to all of you for making the effort to participate in this Fifteenth Assembly of Bishops Meeting. As Bishops of the Mother Church of Constantinople, we have a duty and a responsibility to uphold the decisions that have been inaugurated and effectuated by the Great Church. One can wonder about the effectiveness of certain Assemblies worldwide, but one thing is sure, our Assembly in the United States is deeply engaged in the lives of our Faithful, through a whole host of ministries and services. I hope that each of us takes full advantage of this multifaceted diakonia, for it can only enhance our Archpastoral efforts.”

Following the opening remarks, hierarchs discussed and shared information about their respective eparchies and other ministries. The Vicariate for the Palestinian/Jordanian Orthodox Christian Communities was represented by Rev. Protopresbyter George Jweinat. His Grace Bishop-Elect Alexander of Nicopolis presented the latest developments in the life of the Slavic Orthodox Vicariate. V. Rev. Archimandrite Chrysostom Onyekakeyah gave an update on the Mission and Outreach Ministry towards African-Americans. 

The following hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate participated in the Synaxis: His Eminence (H.E.) Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, H.E. Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh, H.E. Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta, H.E. Metropolitan Athenagoras of New Jersey, H.E. Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon, H.E. Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa, His Grace (H.G.) Bishop Spyridon of Amastris, H.G. Bishop Ioannis of Phocaea, H.G. Bishop Theophan of Philomelion, H.G. Bishop Nektarios of Diokleia, H.G. Bishop Anthony of Synada, and H.G. Bishop-Elect Alexander of Nicopolis. 

The post Fourth Synaxis of Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the U.S.A. convenes in Pittsburgh appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

BOSTON — “You stole a little bit of my thunder,” Alpha Omega Council President Costa Speliakos said into the microphone, addressing Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, who had just spoken. Onstage before 500 guests in the Fairmont Copley Plaza’s Grand Ballroom for the Council’s 50th anniversary gala Oct. 2, Speliakos nodded: “We are all on the same wavelength.”

Speliakos was referring to an idea the Archbishop had drawn from Isocrates after offering the invocation: that Greek identity rests on shared education and culture, not ancestry alone. “The Greeks are the seedbed of Western civilization,” the Archbishop said, emphasizing that the Hellenic inheritance could be shared by anyone who embraced its ideals. In that spirit, Alpha Omega “welcomes one and all,” he said, citing a condensed version of Isocrates’ words inscribed on the Gennadius Library in Athens: “Those who partake of our culture are called ‘Greeks.’”

The black-tie gala opened a three-day anniversary weekend. Co-chairman Bill Galatis welcomed guests, and Dr. Vivian Paraskevi Douglas and Peter Costarakis performed the national anthems of Greece and the United States. The master of ceremonies was John Metaxas, who joined CNN in 1994 and anchored several of its financial news programs, including “Your Money.”

Peter Agris, publisher of The Hellenic Chronicle, founded the Council in 1976 to bring Greek American professionals together for fellowship and good works. Its 10 incorporators, the Council’s anniversary film recalls, were sons of the boys who came over in the early 1900s: doctors, judges, scientists and government officials at the height of their careers. “There was an auspicious beginning to this wonderful endeavor, and the Omega point is not even yet on the horizon,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.

“Fifty years ago, a handful of visionaries had an idea, and tonight that idea fills this room,” said Harry J. Vlachos, whose term as the Council’s 38th president ended two days before the gala. Today the Council hosts Greek Heritage Night with the Boston Red Sox, a golf classic and a student essay contest on the Battle of Marathon, and helps crown Boston Marathon winners.

The custom dates to the early 1930s, when George C. Demeter, a Greek American state legislator, took it upon himself to meet the winners at the finish line with laurel wreaths from Greece. Agris, then-Gov. Michael Dukakis and others made it official in 1984. Since then, Greece’s consulate in Boston and the Council have supplied olive wreaths cut in Marathon, Greece, for the men’s and women’s champions in the running and wheelchair divisions.

Metropolitan Methodios of Boston thanked individual Alpha Omega members for their generous contributions to the St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center in New Hampshire, including its chapel, cafeteria, soccer field and new indoor sports facilities.

The Founders’ Award went to Nancy Agris Savage, the founder’s daughter. A former senior House Foreign Affairs Committee aide, she succeeded her father at The Hellenic Chronicle. The paper was “like the sibling that got all the attention,” she said. Her father met her mother, a disc jockey, while buying an ad on a small Greek radio show in New Hampshire. Each of us, she said, is “a living museum of the immigrants who came here for a better life.” She is now leading the newspaper’s digitization project, which received early support from the Alpha Omega council.

Boston University received the Philhellene Award, which honors champions of Hellenism, Greek or not. Kelly Polychroniou, head of BU’s Modern Greek language program, accepted it for President Melissa L. Gilliam, who could not attend. She noted that in 1877, Boston University awarded Helen Magill White a Ph.D. in Greek, making her the first woman to earn a Ph.D. from an American university. BU is now working with the University of Athens on semester and yearlong study there, she said.

Telemachus “T.A.” Demoulas, a fourth-generation member of Market Basket’s founding family, received the Emerging Leader Award. His great-grandfather Athanasios, he said, landed in New York on St. Patrick’s Day and took the celebrations for a welcome meant for the Greeks. They honored the patron saint of the Irish. Athanasios went back to Greece in 1912 for the First Balkan War, then returned and settled in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1917 he and his wife, Efrosini, both from Kalambaka, Greece, opened Demoulas Market, a small grocery specializing in lamb. It stood in the Acre, a neighborhood first settled by Irish canal workers and later known as Lowell’s Greektown.

The store made it through the Great Depression largely on credit. Demoulas said his great-grandfather credited the immigrant neighbors who came in every day, the French, the Irish and the Greeks, with keeping it open. The Irish, it turned out, had welcomed him after all. His grandfather and namesake, Telemachus, left high school as a sophomore to help save the store from foreclosure. It grew into Market Basket, one of New England’s largest grocery chains.

The Peter Agris Memorial Awards, which Agris Savage has run for more than 30 years, have given nearly $1 million to students. This year’s recipients are Fotini Anastopoulos, Christian Andriolas, Tyler Davis, Maria Manousakis, Calista Sybrant and Theodora Tsevas. “I think that at a time when our democracy is in peril and the concept of truth is under attack, your young journalists here give me hope that things can be better for the future,” Metaxas said, wishing them “the courage to pursue the truth.”

Greek singer Konstantinos Argiros was also honored. The next night, he drew an impressive crowd to BU’s Agganis Arena for his Boston concert debut.

Speliakos promised a more visible Council that reaches beyond its own events. He called for closer work with educators, universities and cultural institutions, and a greater role for younger leaders. “Our heritage is extraordinary, but heritage survives only when it is shared,” he said.

The post Alpha Omega Council turns 50, with a nod to Isocrates appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

When Greece was experiencing a migrant crisis, what stood out to Noel Demetrio amid all the noise was her observations about how Greeks responded. This was the first time she understood what the Greek concepts of philotimo and philoxenia actually meant, and seeing those values in practice helped her understand what it truly means to be Greek.

Noel Demetrio is a student at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a Plan II Honors major and plans to add international business to her studies. A parishioner of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, Noel joined the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Girl Delegates to the United Nations program in February 2024.

Noel’s aunt Sherry initially encouraged Noel to apply to the Girl Delegates program, saying it had Noel “written all over it.” Noel took the idea seriously, thinking back to her experience in Greece.

“I had watched Greeks who were struggling themselves still constantly find ways to give to others, especially during the refugee crisis,” Noel says. “It made me feel like if I were ever given an opportunity to use my voice or represent my Greek heritage in a meaningful way, I had a responsibility to at least try. So when this opportunity came along, I knew I had to apply.”

For Noel, her Orthodox faith and Greek culture have always been closely connected. Her parents taught her faith should be reflected in how people treat and care for others–echoing philotimo and philoxenia. She was raised with Saint John Chrysostom’s teaching about seeing Christ in the person in need at the church door, not only in the chalice. 

Through the Girl Delegates program, Noel has had the opportunity to advocate for girls on an international level while representing her Greek Orthodox faith and values. 

The program has also allowed Noel to participate in important conversations at the United Nations, and exposed her to perspectives she might not otherwise have encountered. During the 68th and 69th sessions of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, she had the opportunity to participate in conversations concerning women’s rights, including with leaders from Nepal, Cyprus, and Greece. 

Through the program, Noel also developed a network of talented young Greek women who have become both friends and sources of inspiration. She met girls from across the country who continue to inspire her, including fellow Chicago-area Girl Delegate Dia Drossos. Noel describes Dia as a wealth of information whose passion encourages her to continue learning and becoming more involved.

“Every time I talk to her, I walk away wanting to know more and do more,” Noel says.

Noel’s work at the U.N. also led to her recognition at the White House, where she was selected as one of 10 Girls Leading Change honorees in 2024. There, she met other young women who had made meaningful contributions to their communities and shared her commitment to creating tangible change. Noel remains in contact with several of the honorees, and continues to draw inspiration from their work. 

“Watching their continued accomplishments constantly pushes me to think bigger,” she says.

Noel also believes the Girl Delegates program helped prepare her for college, challenging her to look at problems through a global lens and better understand how different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences can shape the way people view the same issue in distinct ways.

Noel encourages all Greek Orthodox girls to apply to the Girl Delegates program. 

“Walking into the United Nations never gets old. There’s an energy and a sense of hope there that’s hard to describe,” Noel says. “It’s an experience most people will never have, and getting to advocate on behalf of girls while also representing our Greek Orthodox faith makes it even more meaningful.”

The post How this Girl Delegate learned the true meaning of philoxenia appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

As he received an honorary doctorate at the University of Chichester on September 16, 2026, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered the new graduates of the university, and the world at large, a series of powerful and deeply compelling reflections upon the true nature of freedom and the principles that should guide one’s choices in life.

Speaking to the graduates movingly about his own youth, His All-Holiness stated: “We too, my own generation, were once young, and we lived through the contradictions of our society, its challenges, but also its positive prospects, its disappointments and its hopes.”

His All-Holiness explained that “youth is a period of intense inner crisis for the human person, and the soul of the young person is a sensitive seismograph of developments. The crisis of youth, which is ‘normal’ from an anthropological perspective, is intensified by the external circumstances of each age. Today especially, you young men and women face unprecedented developments in the field of scientific knowledge, momentous changes in the course of history, and continuous ‘digital leaps.’”

His All-Holiness said that like himself and the young people of his age, “you too, the promising young men and women of today, are called to build your present and your future within a civilization which you did not yourselves create.” He admonished the graduates, and all young people, not to neglect the most important questions regarding the meaning of life itself. “Amid the turmoil of human affairs,” he said, “no human being—and certainly not you, young men and women—can push away the ultimate questions about the meaning of existence, about life and death, about happiness and misery, about right and wrong, about good and evil, about the perplexities of our freedom.”

Reminding the graduates that “the human being is not merely a biological entity, nor merely a citizen of the world,” His All-Holiness stated that the human being “is a spiritual being with an exalted vocation. The underestimation or rejection of spiritual values and traditions has gravely negative consequences for every dimension of personal and social life.” He observed that “the fascination with technological achievements leads to the identification of development with technological progress,” and noted also that “the growth of scientific knowledge does not keep pace with the development of the moral sensibilities of the human person.”

This, His All-Holiness, explained, demonstrated the need for religion. “Religion,” he said, “remains of critical importance for contemporary man” because in an age in which the ‘existential vacuum’ is a global phenomenon, amid the pervasive anthropological confusion and the mutually contradictory proposals for the meaning of life, religion is the answer to the ultimate questions of human existence, which stir our minds and souls.” He pointed out that “we cannot imagine a human being who does not ask about the meaning of his life. Religion constitutes ‘a constant of human existence,’ while the suppression of the religious need and its expression provokes profound alienations in the human person.”

The Ecumenical Patriarch also said that “religion is of central importance not only for the personal orientation of life, but also for the identity of peoples and cultures. This became particularly evident at the end of the twentieth century when, after the fall of the Eastern Bloc, the religious self-awareness of its peoples, repressed for decades, re-emerged. Atheist ideology and prohibitions failed to uproot a religious identity bound up directly with the cultural distinctiveness of those peoples. A wholly secularised society, cut off from its religious roots, cannot possibly preserve its humanistic orientation.”

His All-Holiness also pointed out another neglected and often overlooked fact that demonstrates the importance of religion: “Within religious traditions, the greatest achievements of civilization and of particular cultures, their fundamental values, and their ordering of those values were born, shaped, and preserved. With the religions is bound up the great spiritual heritage of humanity. Nothing of significance in the course of human history can be understood without regard to its religious roots. Whatever is most precious among the things that peoples have preserved is connected with their religion or religions. Religious treasures and artefacts fill museums; the religiosity of peoples reveals central aspects of their culture.”

Another “essential function of religion,” His All-Holiness stated, “is its peacemaking power and mission. From Professor Hans Küng comes the phrase: ‘No peace among the nations without peace among the religions. No world peace without peace among the religions. No peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions.’”

“No one can deny,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch, “that today we are living through a profound ‘crisis of freedom.’” He observed that “individual and collective life has become, for the human being, more demanding and more difficult.” Amid these difficulties, “the central question of human existence is the understanding and use of our freedom. Unfortunately, it is proclaimed today with a loud voice that freedom is ‘the art of avoiding commitment.’ The impression has been skillfully planted in our young people that commitment means adaptation to outdated patterns of life, confinement within obsolete schemes. Freedom is very widely identified with the possibility of choice. Yet the truth of our freedom is judged not by the fact that we choose, but by what we choose. The issue that remains is the linking of freedom with responsibility. Freedom understood as responsibility is Ariadne’s thread, which leads us out of our intricate existential labyrinths.”

In line with this understanding of freedom, His All-Holiness told the graduates: “Studying the concept of freedom as autonomy, in the Kantian sense, I came to understand that autonomous freedom does not mean doing whatever I desire; it is not to be identified with a self-sufficient and arrogant self-determination, but is obedience to the moral law, which is the foundation of human dignity, that is, of the absolute worth of the human person. As Kant makes clear, what befits the human being is not the attitude of the arrogant volunteer, who has no need of the idea of duty in order to do good since he does it of his own inclination and initiative, but the attitude of indebtedness and obligation.”

The insight of this philosopher coincided with those of Saint Paul: “We recall here the great theologian of freedom, the Apostle Paul, according to whom the renewal of the human being in Christ is, and is experienced as, liberation and freedom. Freedom, which is a gift from above and not a human achievement, is expressed as the indissoluble unity of faith in God and love for one’s fellow human being, one’s brother.”

His All-Holiness explained that “these two aspects of freedom, the philosophical and the Christian, with their differences but also with their common character as a refusal of the self-deification of the human being and as absolute commitment, together form a robust existential possibility for the creative combination of the identity of the contemporary responsible and free human being with the quality of the believer.” Accordingly, His All-Holiness concluded: “The human being ‘honored with freedom’ has a higher destiny than simply to do ‘whatever he wants.’”

May we all prove worthy of this immense responsibility and honor.

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