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On May 25, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America traveled with the rising seniors from Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology for an educational pilgrimage to the monastic region of Mount Athos. The group’s first stop on the peninsula was the Holy Monastery of Xenophontos, where the abbot, Archimandrite Alexios of Xenophontos, received them.
The Archbishop offered a gift to the abbot in gratitude for the monastery’s hospitality, both on this occasion and over the years, as Xenophontos has long welcomed the senior classes of Holy Cross. He told the abbot that the monastery stands as an example of “what really healthy asceticism means,” of “how Orthodox monasticism looks,” and of how obedience and respect toward the Ecumenical Patriarchate are “a blessing for an Orthodox monastery like this monastery.”
The Archbishop also noted the connection between Xenophontos Monastery and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America through Fr. Loukas, the renowned iconographer from the monastery’s brotherhood.
Fr. Loukas created the iconography for St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York, which Archbishop Elpidophoros described as “one of the most important monuments” in the United States and a testimony to the spiritual and artistic witness of Xenophontos Monastery beyond Mount Athos and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
> Related: A Byzantine vision of an American sacred space: St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine
Responding with warmth, the abbot said the monastery was honored by the Archbishop’s presence and grateful for his blessing. Abbot Alexios emphasized that the Holy Mountain owes everything to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, describing it as “the mother that gave birth to Mount Athos.” The abbot added that the monks must speak of the Patriarchate with reverence and, more than that, be ready to sacrifice themselves for it.
Abbot Alexios welcomed the young students with affection, praying for their progress and success as they prepare to serve the Church, whether as clergy or as lay leaders and family men. The visit also carried special significance as the abbot marks 50 years as abbot of Xenophontos Monastery, a milestone Archbishop Elpidophoros acknowledged during the meeting.
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