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His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over the 3rd Stanza of the Salutations at St. Eleftherios Church in New York City on Friday, March 13, 2026.
In his homily, Archbishop Elpidophoros spoke about the unending love of Panaghia for her son.
“The embrace of the Panagia of her Divine Son is a call to each and every one of us to be as loving to one another, as a mother would be to her only child,” His Eminence said. “And yet, our Panagia watched her Child perish on the Cross, fulfilling the Scripture that says: ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son to the end that all who believe on Him might not perish, but have everlasting life.”’
“The strength of the mother’s love of the Panagia allowed her to be present when her Son was crucified. And it cleared the way for her to receive the Good News of the Resurrection, for according to a tradition, the Lord appeared to His Mother first on that first Sunday of Pascha. And that, my friends, is how we traverse the strange path that leads from birth, to death, and then to eternal life – by magnifying our love as we journey.”
Following the service, His Eminence presented parish priest Fr. Nicolas Kazarian with the gold cross of our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in recognition of Fr. Nicolas’s exemplary service as Director of the Office of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, as well as for his pastoral leadership of the St. Eleftherios community.
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