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.

Christine (Tina) Tapazoglou, 5 years

May her memory be eternal

Today we introduce to you the icons of St. Christina 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. 

Coffee hour and light edibles offered today by Nicolaos Tapazoglou and Family.

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

The Cathedral’s annual Fall Cash Raffle was held last Thursday, October 15, 2026 and we would like to congratulate the grand prize winners:

1^st         Katerina Figurski

2^nd        Roula Kapodistrias

3^rd           Elias Politis

We would also like to thank all of you for your support of this annual fund-raiser for the Cathedral.

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. 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.

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.

The Makedonian Association “Aristotelis” Detroit Chapter 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: 

Reduce your red meat consumption overall. Even beyond one meat-free day a week, reducing red meat across your diet has an outsized impact. Beef production produces significantly more emissions per gram of protein than chicken, fish, legumes, or tofu.

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.

The Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine is pleased to announce an essay contest honoring His All-Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, in celebration of his 35 years of ministry.

The contest is open to Sunday School students ages 12 through 18.

Students are invited to reflect upon the global impact of His All-Holiness Bartholomew’s ministry over the past 35 years and the important role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the life and witness of the Orthodox Christian Faith. Essays should be no more than three pages in length and should thoughtfully address both the worldwide impact of His All-Holiness and the significance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to Orthodox Christians around the world. The top three essay winners will receive special recognition and monetary awards.

Essays should be submitted electronically in Word or PDF format by email to [email protected]. Each submission must include the author’s name, address, age, and parish. 

Submissions are due by Friday, October 30th, 2026.

The post Saint Photios National Shrine announces 2026 essay contest appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

NEW YORK — Judge John Iliou spends his working days with families at their breaking point. His Suffolk County caseload includes allegations of child abuse and neglect, along with cases involving domestic violence. So when His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America asked him how anyone does that work, the judge responded: “I get strength from my family. My wife is phenomenal. Athena is the best,” Iliou said. “And, then my faith helps me.”

Iliou, a Suffolk County Court judge and a candidate for the New York State Supreme Court, came to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s headquarters on East 79th Street in Manhattan last week to ask for the Archbishop’s blessing. With him were his wife, Athena Iliou; his father, Tom Iliou; and the Fr. Elias Pappas, presiding priest of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in West Babylon, the family’s parish on Long Island.

The judge was precise about the difference between what decides his cases and what keeps him going. “I’m guided by the law, by precedent,” he said. “We all have our own personal opinions, but I put them aside when I go into the law.” Iliou presides over the Integrated Domestic Violence Part in Suffolk County, where he also serves as an acting state Supreme Court justice. New York began building these courts in 2001 around an idea summed up as “one family, one judge.” When domestic violence lies beneath a family’s legal troubles, a single judge hears its related criminal, family and divorce cases, so the family does not shuttle among courthouses or receive conflicting orders from different judges. He has been part of that court almost from its start. Suffolk’s integrated court opened in October 2002 as one of the state’s first six, and Iliou was its principal law clerk from 2003 to 2006.

After graduating from Hofstra University and Albany Law School, he became an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County in 1994. He later worked as an assistant town attorney in Brookhaven, as a court attorney in Suffolk’s Family Court and as a principal law clerk in County Court. He became a Suffolk County District Court judge in 2006 and has served on the County Court since 2013. Off the bench, he is a former trustee of the West Babylon school board and has served as an officer of AHEPA, the Greek American fraternal organization.

“We are proud of you,” Archbishop Elpidophoros told the judge. “The church is your family. The Archdiocese is your family.”
He was just as plain about where the church stands in an election season. “The church is not partisan. We do not support one specific political party,” he said, explaining that the church is there for its people αnd want them to succeed when they serve in a public office.

Athena Iliou’s family comes from Kastoria, in the country’s north, and told His Eminence that she spent her childhood summers there. “Some of the most beautiful Byzantine churches in northern Greece are in Kastoria,” the Archbishop remarked.

Tom Iliou helped build the family’s parish. St. Nicholas once worshipped in a small church in the Babylon area, the judge said, until a priest of that era brought parishioners together to build the church the community uses today. His father was among those who did the work. The elder Iliou recalled needing great quantities of fill to prepare the grounds and calling a friend for help. Truck after truck arrived. When he asked what the parish owed, he was told the church would not be charged. He and others also laid the parish’s sidewalks and parking lot.

A new generation serves at its altar now. Fr. Elias Pappas, whom Archbishop Elpidophoros ordained to the priesthood in 2022, became presiding priest of St. Nicholas in June 2025.

“You see, it takes generations to build the body of Christ, the church,” the Archbishop said. “So many people worked so hard and we inherited all these beautiful things and we need to be worthy of having them and expanding them and growing them.”

The post The law guides his decisions. Family and faith sustain him appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

NEW YORK — His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America received Spyros Koulkoudinas, a member of the Hellenic Parliament for Pieria, at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s headquarters in Manhattan on Wednesday, October 14, for a discussion of Orthodox faith, Greek heritage and public service. Koulkoudinas, a New Democracy lawmaker, is visiting New York for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Parliamentarian Dialogue Program, which runs through October 16. The program examines how lawmakers can connect the needs of their communities with international cooperation and global governance.

Koulkoudinas spoke of his family’s roots in Asia Minor and the role of faith and tradition in sustaining Greek communities through displacement and hardship. The conversation also touched on the personal demands of service during the the COVID-19 pandemic. Koulkoudinas, a pharmacist, recalled caring for patients while fearing that he might bring the virus home to his infant child. The Archbishop reflected on the Church’s adaptation during that period, including Synod meetings held by videoconference, a step without precedent at the time that has since become part of regular practice. Looking ahead, he described the Archdiocese’s efforts to strengthen its ministries, services and scholarships, emphasizing the importance of transparent financial management in sustaining the confidence and support of the faithful.

“We are all striving to do our duty,” the Archbishop said.

The post A pharmacist-turned-parliamentarian visits the Archdiocese appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America welcomed Hellenic Olympic Committee President Isidoros Kouvelos and former Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis to the Archdiocese headquarters on October 14 for a luncheon held in their honor, as Greece’s Olympic leadership looks ahead to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“For us, meeting the Greek American community is always deeply meaningful. You have built lives, institutions and communities here, while keeping a strong bond with Greece,” Kouvelos said. “And this bond was kept alive through faith, through our Church.”

He credited that relationship to faith, citing “the strength of God and the protection of Christ and the Panagia.” “In every corner of the world where Greeks travelled, struggled and created, the Church became a home, a refuge and a point of unity. It kept the Diaspora together, gave courage in difficult times, and helped Hellenism rise and prosper in distant lands, remaining faithful to its roots.”

That connection, he said, can now become a source of strength for Team Hellas on the road to Los Angeles. “When our athletes arrive in California, they will carry with them the history of Greece, the pride of a nation, and the hopes of a new generation,” Kouvelos said. “And here, on American soil, they will meet another part of Greece.”

He noted that the Olympic flame, lit at ancient Olympia, will again travel to the United States to open the Games. “This light comes from our homeland but belongs to the whole of humanity,” Kouvelos said. “Every Olympic journey, wherever it takes place, is connected forever with Greece.”

Support Long Before the Applause

During their meeting, Kouvelos briefed His Eminence on the Committee’s preparations for the road to LA 2028 and on the projects the Hellenic Olympic Committee has undertaken under his presidency. These include the restoration of the Olympic Rowing Centre in Schinias and the historic swimming facility in Athens, as well as the restoration of the Panathenaic Stadium, the “Kallimarmaro,” for the first time in 130 years. The Committee is also working toward a new Athletes’ Residence, a true home for the athletes preparing to represent Greece at the Olympic Games. The projects share one vision, Kouvelos said: to turn Olympic heritage into living support for the next generation.

“Behind every Olympic appearance, there are years of work and sacrifice,” he said. “Our responsibility is to support them long before the applause begins.”

Kouvelos recalled that Greek Americans supported the Greek team when the Games came to the United States, in St. Louis in 1904 and Los Angeles in 1932, at times even competing as part of it. To carry that support forward, the Committee has established a 501(c)(3) structure in the United States so that friends and supporters of Team Hellas can contribute with confidence, clarity and trust.

Closing his remarks, Kouvelos turned to the Archbishop: “Your Eminence, your name carries a beautiful meaning: hope,” he said, a reference to the name Elpidophoros, “bearer of hope.” “And hope is also at the heart of Team Hellas.”

His Grace Bishop Nektarios of Diokleia, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, opened the luncheon, which brought together members of the Archdiocesan Council and leaders of the Greek-American community. Among them were John Catsimatidis, Vice Chairman of the Archdiocesan Council; Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; philanthropist C. Dean Metropoulos; the Hon. B. Theodore Bozonelis, National Vice Commander of the Order; and Anita Kartalopoulos, First Vice President of the National Ladies Philoptochos Society. Also in attendance was Fr. Alexander Karloutsos, Grand Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Spiritual Advisor to the Archons.

In his remarks, Archbishop Elpidophoros began by acknowledging minister Bakoyannis and thanking her for standing with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Archdiocese in difficult times.

He credited her with an initiative, pursued during her tenure as Greek Foreign Minister, that allowed hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate serving outside Türkiye to apply for Turkish citizenship. The Turkish government extended that offer in 2010, enabling those hierarchs to serve on the Holy and Sacred Synod, whose members Türkiye has required to be Turkish citizens.

“She had the idea, not only the idea, but she implemented it. She’s a doer,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “We owe this to you, Your Excellency, and we thank you for that.”

The Archbishop said the approach of 2028 is raising interest in “all things Greek” across the country. “Greece will never go out of style, or out of relevance,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.

He noted that the Ecumenical Patriarch, now in his 35th year on the Ecumenical Throne, has called on the world to observe the Olympic truce, the Εκεχειρία. “Violence is diametrically opposed to the contest and the spirit of the Olympics,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.

The post Olympic leadership calls Greek Americans a source of strength for Team Hellas appeared first on Orthodox Observer.

At the Phanar on Friday, September 11, 2026, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew welcomed a group of pilgrims who were journeying to Prousa and Nicaea as well as Constantinople, and elucidated for them the often-overlooked spiritual value and importance of making pilgrimages to holy sites.

“We believe,” His All-Holiness said, “that healthy religious tourism is never merely a leisure trip.” Pilgrims are not primarily tourists, and are not engaged in simple sightseeing: “The monuments themselves, which visitors enter,” His All-Holiness explained, “do not allow for that.”

His All-Holiness explained that such places do not allow for casual visiting, or draw the casual visitor into a more profound experience than he or she may have expected, because of the spiritual character of these sites, which remains uneffaced even in ruined churches and monasteries. The Orthodox attentiveness to the importance of creating a sacred space makes the experience of visiting these sites far more than just another tourist stop.

“The sanctity of the space of the churches and monasteries,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch, “the works of doxological art, the whole ethos and spirit of the place that houses or once housed a life dedicated to God — all of these transform the visitor into a pilgrim. Quickly, the superficial acquaintance with the monuments becomes a desire to partake in the truth of things, in the historical adventures of the Nation, which are inextricably bound to its Orthodox Christian identity, a participation in our wonderful traditions.”

His All-Holiness pointed out that “it is impossible to imagine that an Orthodox Christian enters a monastery without feeling the ‘good transformation,’ a spiritual upheaval, without sensing that he is in a sanctified place.”

This is because, he continued, “the monuments of our faith are not mere sights. They are places of divine presence, of prayer and supplication, of spiritual and psychic uplift. Everything there exhales a spiritual fragrance, creates compunction, radiates a mystical light, proclaims the beneficent presence and grace of the God of love. All our monuments and pilgrimage sites form a theological and cultural language that reveals the intangible heritage of the Nation, the Orthodox mindset, the truth of art, the priority of relationship, the ‘culture of the person.’”

Addressing the pilgrims, His All-Holiness charged them to be spiritually attentive as they continued on their journey: “On this pilgrimage journey of yours, you too will encounter this same ethos, this same spirit.” He explained why this was true even when the pilgrims visited ruins of ancient Christian sites: “Although the outward ‘grandeur’ of the Nation no longer exists among our monuments, the eternal present of Truth remains. And even if today we no longer find our once-flourishing communities in the sacred Asia Minor land, nor the charitable institutions, parishes, and monasteries, we find everywhere the imprint of Romiosyni, its indelible traces and its seal, bearing witness to and proclaiming a presence of centuries, and granting vital revelations to all pilgrims, however many times they come to this incomparable place.” Romiosyni, or “Romanness,” refers to the religion, culture, and indomitable spirit of the Greek-speaking Christian population of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

His All-Holiness spoke movingly about the spiritual power of these pilgrimage destinations: “It is characteristic that the footsteps of devout pilgrims are drawn to our monuments, as if pulled by a holy force. And when the pilgrims arrive, they taste the waters of eternity, hear unspeakable words, undergo an inner renewal, and feel as though, after a long absence in a foreign land, they have returned to their ancestral home. It is the grace of God, a living and life-giving presence, at work. And the icons that remain in our pilgrimage sites, even if defaced by a profane human hand, express intact the divine loving-kindness, our faith in its entirety, our hope unadulterated.”

Speaking personally, His All-Holiness added: “I declare, before you as well, that with the help of the all-merciful God, as long as I live and breathe, I will not cease to come as a humble suppliant and pilgrim to the divine dwelling-places of the Church and of the Nation in Asia Minor, Mother of Saints, in Pontus, in Eastern Thrace. When we celebrate the Holy Services in our restored or ruined churches, we feel that the souls of our devout ancestors, who rest in this holy soil and await the resurrection of the dead, leap and rejoice together with us, chanting together ‘Christ is Risen’ and ‘Glory to God in the Highest.’ What the pilgrims feel here is not mere emotion and compunction. It is a revelation of divine majesty and compassion.”

His All-Holiness emphasized the responsibility of parents and teachers to impress upon youth the importance of Orthodox traditions: “When we address parents and teachers, we always urge them to teach the new generation the traditions and values of the Nation, so that it may not forget its roots and may feel proud of the most precious things it has inherited from its ancestors. We rejoice when we welcome, here in the City and in the unforgotten homelands, young men and women, always with the certainty that even those who came as visitors will become pilgrims, that the journey will become a sacred pilgrimage.”

May we feel the same pride in the precious gift of our Holy Orthodox Faith, and its foremost exponent today, our beloved Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Original article here.

The post Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew explains spiritual significance of pilgrimage appeared first on Orthodox Observer.