Orthodox Observer – March 14, 2024

Good afternoon, Welcome to this issue of Orthodox Observer News online! Registration is now open to “UNIFY” Young Adults at the 2024 National YAL Conference in San Diego, California. The ministries of our Archdiocese and Metropolises are very active in their stewardship and community efforts. Read about events such as the Kimisis Tis Theotokou Youth Ministry in Poughkeepsie, NY helping build bears for Premature Babies in the NICU at Vassar Hospital. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America met with leaders from the Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese National Girl Delegates to the United Nations, emphasizing the importance of uplifting women to take leadership roles in the Church. The Orthodox Observer wants to highlight our parishes! Please send us a story, under 500 words, and hi-resolution photos. Photo credit must be included! Let us showcase your parish, your good work and your history! Email us at observer@goarch.org with the subject line: Parish Highlight. (The Orthodox Observer reserves the right to edit stories for clarity.) Enjoy this edition of the Orthodox Observer Online! TOP NEWS Archbishop Elpidophoros Welcomes the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese National Girl Delegates to the United Nations to Archdiocese Headquarters Today, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese National Girl Delegates to the United Nations were welcomed to Archdiocese Headquarters by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Read More Bishop Ierotheos of Eukarpia Falls Asleep in the Lord Archbishop Elpidophoros of America Welcomes Leaders from the Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs (SEGE) to the Archdiocese Clergy-Laity Congress Online Registration Now Open ARCHBISHOP ELPIDOPHOROS Archbishop Elpidophoros Celebrates the Tenth-Year Anniversary of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Williamsburg, VA St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Williamsburg, Virginia celebrated the tenth-year anniversary as a parish Saturday, March 9, 2024. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America joined the St. Demetrios community to celebrate. His Eminence presided over Hierarchical Divine Liturgy Saturday morning and joined the parish for their community gala in the evening. Read More Archbishop Elpidophoros Presides Over Divine Liturgy on Meat-Fare Sunday at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral Washington, D.C. His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Galicia and Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is Welcomed at the Archdiocese Headquarters Archimandrite Cyril Hovorun is Received at the Archdiocese Archon Peter Vlitas Meets with Archbishop Elpidophoros Photos: GANP/Bill Petros Photos: Allison Niccole Creatives  Visit our Flickr to see more photos!  FROM THE METROPOLISES Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey Visits the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Community in Baltimore, MD to Celebrate the 76th Anniversary of the Unification of the Dodecanese Islands with Greece On Sunday, March 10, 2024, His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey visited the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Community in Baltimore, MD in order to celebrate the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in commemoration of celebration of the 76th Anniversary of the Unification of the Dodecanese Islands with Greece. Read More Metropolitan Methodios Welcomes His Clergy for Their Monthly Brotherhood Meeting 2024 Metropolis of Boston Scholarship Program Metropolis of Pittsburgh Weekend of Service Metropolis of San Francisco Summer Camp Staff Applications Due March 31 Metropolis of Boston Youth Basketball League Complete Their Season at Hellenic College Holy Cross Metropolis of Atlanta St. Stephen’s Camp Summer 2024 – Let Us Lift Up Your Hearts FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE Registration Is Now Open to “UNIFY” Young Adults at the 2024 National YAL Conference in San Diego, CA San Diego, California – With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries (Y2AM) is thrilled… Read More Saint John Chrysostom Clergy Syndesmos of the Archdiocesan District Convened at the Church of Kimisis of the Theotokos Southampton, New York Call for Applications: Orthodox Christian Studies Center Summer Internship Program at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Ionian Village Summer 2024 Registration Ionian Village Applications Open for the Archdiocesan Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund 2024-2025 Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships Available St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Parish Spotlights Read the most recent Sunday Sermon Series from the Department of Religious Education (DRE) Sunday Sermon Series Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare Sunday) March 17 SUNDAY SERMON SERIES Department of Religious Education (DRE) Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare Sunday) March 17 Matthew 6:14-21 This week, find insights about the upcoming Gospel reading, where… Read More DID YOU KNOW? Department of Religious Education (DRE) DID YOU KNOW? is your go-to source for concise answers to a wide range of questions about the Greek Orthodox faith. DYK? equips Gen Z and millennials with facts they can trust and easily absorb while scrolling. Clergy, religious educators, and parents can share these nuggets of knowledge with the faithful, students, those inquiring about Orthodoxy, and loved ones. KOLLYVA March 9 Kollyva (Greek: κόλλυβα) is specially prepared boiled wheat that is blessed by the priest and offered by the faithful on behalf of a departed Orthodox Christian in a Memorial Service. Kollyva symbolizes the resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of Christ. Read More CHEESEFARE WEEK March 11 Cheesefare Week (the week after Judgment Sunday/Meatfare Sunday) is the last week before Pascha we are permitted to consume cheese and dairy products. The Church guides us to give up the most substantial foods first and the least essential foods last. Read More Saturday of Souls Series In the Greek Orthodox Church, there is an important and long-standing tradition of praying for our departed brothers and sisters. Saturday (except for Lazarus Saturday and Holy Saturday) is the day of the week that is traditionally reserved for those who have fallen asleep because our Lord’s own salvific passing took place on Great and Holy Saturday. Part I: In the Hope of the Resurrection of Christ Read More Part II: Christ Offers Himself (Memory of the Holy Ascetics) Read More PARISHES & PEOPLE Parish Highlight: Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church Poughkeepsie, New York Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church is located at 140 S. Grand Ave., Poughkeepsie, New York. Greek immigrants settled the Mid-Hudson River region with Poughkeepsie, NY as its largest city in the late 19th century and build the first Orthodox Church, Kimisis tis Theotokou in 1923. Read More Kimisis Tis Theotokou Youth Ministry gathered after church with friends to help build bears for Premature Babies in the NICU at Vassar Hospital. Kimisis Tis Theotokou is currently operating their Fish Fry 2024 every Friday until March 29. Pickup menu here. Parish Highlight: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Parish Highlight: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral Atlanta, Georgia Parish Highlight: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Salt Lake City, Utah Parish Highlight: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral Detroit, MI Parish Highlight: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in West Babylon, New York Supports 300 Families With Their Expanded Food Pantry Happy International Women’s History Month! From the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations: March is International Women’s History Month, and it would only be proper to celebrate it by honoring the women of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. We want to showcase the wonderful women who work for our beloved Archdiocese and its Affiliated Institutions this March to celebrate their contributions and the talents they bring to our Church. This week, we present the resilient women of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Click on the text below to read more! Stavroula Samara-Symeonidis Maria Anna Kassomenakis Presvytera Melanie DiStefano Eva Konstantakos Leah Kats Hannah Williams AFFILIATES & OTHERS The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture Recycled Cities: Sardis and the Fortifications of Early Byzantine Anatolia The largest standing architecture at the ruined city of Sardis is not its famous Temple of Artemis, the fourth largest Ionic temple of antiquity, but is instead the massive but little-published fortification that sits on its Acropolis. Read More The Maliotis Cultural Center and the Anatoliama Inc. Present The Soul of Epirus PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: An IOCC Frontliner Reflects AHEPA Educational Foundation Announces Newly Established Scholarship