GreekNewsBlog: johnmetaxas.com

ARCHIVES

Vol. 1, #7

January 10, 2006

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Broadcasts Liturgy Worldwide

Florida Epiphany Celebration is
Landmark for Orthodox Church

by John Metaxas

Related links:
The Ecumenical Patriarch calls on Turkish authorities to open the Theological seminary of Halki.

The Rev. Dr. Chris Metropulos hosts a weekly radio program on the Orthodox Christian Network.

With his visit to the United States last week to celebrate the Epiphany liturgy at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, Fla., Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew took some real strides towards putting the Orthodox Church more prominently on the world stage. In a nearly four-hour broadcast, the Ecumenical Patriarch's words -- most notably in English to the young divers who would dive for the cross in the ritual blessing of the waters -- were broadcast around the world by satellite and over the internet. Bartholomew was joined by Archbishop of America, Demetrius, and Orthodox hierarchs from around the world.

Viewed live in Greece, the United States and elsewhere, the broadcast marked a landmark in the Orthodox Church's communications efforts.

It was my pleasure and honor to do the commentary with The Rev. Dr. Christopher Metropulos of the St. Demetrius Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Ecumenical Patriarch's visit coincided with the 100th anniversary of the church in Tarpon Springs, one of the oldest Greek-American communities in the U.S., also known as "Epiphany City" for its traditional celebration of the baptism of Jesus and the revelation of the Holy Trinity.

Clearly touched by the tens of thousands of people who crowded the Cathedral and the surrouding streets, the Ecumenical Patriarch told the assembled faithful, "We salute you for your steadfastness in maintaining the faith of your ancestral tradition, as well as your love for the beautiful, spiritual, cultural and folk traditions in which you reverently persevere. Truly it is out of respect and love for the memory of your forebears that you have clung to your ecclesiastical and ancestral customs."

During the trip, Bartholomew anounced that Pope Benedict will visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople sometime this year. The Ecumenical Patriarch also toured the post-hurricane devastation in New Orleans, where the nation's oldest Greek Orthodox community is located.