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The Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council Fall Meeting was convened yesterday, October 17, 2025 by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City.
Members of the Council are appointed or elected from across the country and serve for a two-year term. Metropolitans present at the meeting were Their Eminences Metropolitans Methodios of Boston, Savas of Pittsburgh, Gerasimos of San Francisco, Nathanael of Chicago, and Apostolos of New Jersey.
His Eminence opened the meeting with a prayer and review of recent events of the Church, including the successful visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the U.S. and His All-Holiness’s awarding of the Templeton Prize.
The meeting was called to order by Secretary Nick Karacostas, who introduced Vice- President John Catsimatidis. Mr. Catsimatidis welcomed the members to New York City and stated that he is working to establish the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Pope as “equal in Christianity,” saying that we need to support our Church and religion in the U.S.
Legal Counsel George Tsougarakis gave a thorough report and reviewed outstanding legal cases being managed and overseen by the Legal Committee of the Archdiocesan Council. He was followed by Treasurer Elaine Allen and Chairman of the Finance Committee Chairman Lou Kircos.
Mrs. Allen announced that the Archdiocese is on target, for the 9th year, to achieve an excess of revenue over expenses, a balanced budget, and increased liquidity. Specifically, she noted the financial improvement of the Archdiocese from an accumulated operating deficit of $11 million in 2017 to positive net assets of $12 million in 2025–a turnaround of $23 million in the span of 8 years.
This increased liquidity is important so support of Archdiocesan institutions can occur when needed. Mrs. Allen identified St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, St. Michaels’s Home, and St. Demetrios Cathedral and School as three institutions which have needed financial support and received it from the Archdiocese due to its liquidity and current strong financial position. She shared said that Total Commitment from parishes in 2025 is expected to again meet budget and thanked the Archbishop, Metropolitans, and the parishes for their support in achieving this goal.
Mrs. Allen also said that the Archdiocese continues to be transparent and accountable in the financial administration of our Church in order to demonstrate to its parishes and donors how it shepherds the funds entrusted to it (information available at goarch.org). She thanked Leadership 100 for their support, which enables the ministries of the Archdiocese to complete projects and programs by supplementing the operating budget.
Mr. Kircos also reviewed the Total Commitment program and the stabilization of the clergy and lay staff pension program, which has improved tremendously in the past years. He noted the turnaround of the Clergy and Lay Staff Pension Plan and the increase in funding in just a few years and ahead of projected funding levels.
President of Hellenic College Holy Cross (HCHC) Dr. Demetrios Katos gave a detailed presentation on the school. He shared that the school has now received unprecedented support from the Archbishop and Metropolitans, and that he is looking forward to preserving the legacy of HCHC while creating a great future by educating men and women to serve the Church.
He noted that the growth of the school can be seen in numbers from both the College and the Seminary. He reported the largest numbers of students in HCHC’s history–250 full-time equivalent students and 369 students by headcount. He thanked the Archdiocese and Leadership 100 for their support and financial contributions, saying the school continues to improve and grow, especially with online and virtual programs.
Archbishop Elpidophoros introduced an initiative to explore elevating Hellenic College to Holy Cross University.
“We need a realistic and viable business plan to establish Holy Cross University,” he said. “I see that we have two choices: 1: we shrink, or 2: we have vision and grow. I prefer the second.”
The fully-developed business and financial plan will be deliberated by the Board of Trustees.
A special report was offered by representatives from a new national ministry: Greek Folk Dance and Culture. George C. Demos, Spiro Beckas, Stacie Zambas Peroulas, and Michael Syrengelas detailed the mission and the goals of this ministry.
The ministry will connect faith and culture–expanding on the current successful dance and music festivals and connecting them to a national program that will have goals of collaboration, elevating culture and faith in order to “Honor Tradition, Witness Faith, and Celebrate Heritage.”
Dr. Stratos Safioleas, Director of Communications and Senior Advisor, presented the evolution of the Orthodox Observer (OO), highlighting its transformation into a modern, multimedia platform serving the entire Archdiocese and thanked Leadership 100 for their support.
He said the OO has moved decisively from a static publication to a comprehensive digital ecosystem–expanding its reach through a redesigned website, newsletter and social media presence that together now attract millions of viewers.
Engagement since the OO relaunch has surged to 4.2 million pageviews during the Ecumenical Patriarch’s visit, more than doubling its previous baseline. Dr. Safioleas emphasized that this growth reflects not only technical innovation but also the OO’s renewed mission to communicate faith, community and culture in a clear, compelling and accessible way.
He also outlined next steps: expanding sponsorship opportunities, deepening partnerships through multimedia projects, and anchoring the OO as a communications hub.
Director of Ionian Village Fr. Steven Klund gave a review of the Ionian Village program for the summer of 2025, expressing the critical need to allow Greek Orthodox youth to continue encountering the program’s life-transforming experiences.
He reviewed the continuing success of the programs for high-school and college students and noted that campers recount true changes in themselves and how they view their personal faith journeys.
He also expressed a desire to review how to make the camp accessible to all while remaining fiscally responsible. He noted that the camping scholarship fund, established with funds raised from the Archbishop’s Nameday Gala, has been successful and has allowed many campers to receive scholarships allowing them to participate.
His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos reported on both the activities of the Holy Eparchial Synod and on the Department of Religious Education (DRE), for which he serves as Director. He provided a detailed review of several goals, including the new Sunday School curriculum which the Department plans to release next summer, and also reviewed the various projects and programs of this active ministry.
Additional reports included an Administration Committee report by Chairman Theodore Theophilos; a National Ministries report by Director Theo Nicolakis; and an Archon report by Archon National Commander Dr. Anthony Limberakis.
Following the Ministry Reports, the Archdiocese also announced the establishment of a national retirement plan for all employees of the parishes of the Archdiocese. The plan, known as a 403(b) retirement plan, will, for the first time in the Archdiocese’s history, allow all lay employees, including schoolteachers, to have a mechanism to save for retirement, with parishes having the option to contribute to the retirement of their employees on a matching basis.
If they are participants in the Clergy Pension Plan, clergy will also be able to participate in the plan as a supplement to the Clergy Pension Plan. To ease the financial burden associated with the establishment of the plans by parishes, the Archdiocese will cover the initial set up fee and annual administrative fees for the first three years. Investment advice and educational sessions will be made available to participants to assist them with making wise investment choices for their individual circumstances.
To close the meeting, Fr. Evagoras Constantinides, Director of Special Events and Clergy-Laity Congress Coordinator gave a detailed report on the 2026 Clergy-Laity Congress, which will be held in Cleveland from June 30-July 2, 2026 with the theme “Rise and Rebuild.” More information on the Congress will follow at clergylaity.org.
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