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On October 8, 2026, participants of the 2026–2027 GOA Girl Delegate Program to the United Nations visited the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and met with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. In the Archdiocesan Chapel of St. Paul, the Girl Delegates, all high school students, were welcomed by His Eminence and shared about their experiences in the Programs and their hopes for the coming year. The meeting was facilitated by GOA Girl Delegate Program Director, Ms. Niki Devaris-Morgulis.
Every year, the Fall Program of the Girl Delegate Program centers our the International Day of the Girl (IDG) which is observed on October 11. The United Nations established IDG in 2011 to elevate the importance of girls’ rights and the challenges they face around the world. The GOA Girl Delegate Program not only invites, but provides the means for high school girls from throughout the Archdiocese to participate in advocacy efforts at the UN directly
“Men and women are equal in personhood before God, and the gifts, the talents, and leadership of women are essential to the life and to the witness of the Church,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “This program puts that conviction into practice.”
“Our Orthodox faith teaches us that every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inherent and God-given dignity,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.
Delegates from across the country share their experiences
“We have a voice, social awareness, and a stance regarding events unfolding both in our country and across the globe. Yet, what unites us and deepens our love and passion for this program is the fact that we are here as young Greek Orthodox Christian women, with the Love proclaimed by Christ serving as the driving force in our hearts,” Chrisanthi Antonouli of St George Greek Orthodox Church in Media, Pennsylvania said.
The girl delegates traveled to the UN this week from across the United States. Sofia Pennino traveled from Alaska; she was present when the Archbishop consecrated her parish, Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Anchorage, Alaska. Pennino told His Eminence she hoped the program would show her how to bring her faith into public advocacy.
“I am especially excited to learn how I can use my voice to advocate for young people and the values that are important to our Greek Orthodox faith,” Pennino shared with Archbishop Elpidophoros. “I am looking forward to learning how advocacy can make a difference, how we can speak up for those whose voices may not always be heard, and bring attention to issues affecting girls and young people around the world, and doing all of that through our Church.”
For Zoe Temple of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Oklahoma, the program has built both confidence and a deeper understanding of her faith.
“This program has taught me how to speak up more confidently and to not be afraid to speak up for what I believe in. It’s also taught me to more deeply understand my faith and my role in it,” Temple shared with Archbishop Elpidophoros.
Some delegates said their time at the UN has shaped their plans beyond high school. Irene Maria Zografos of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection in Brookville, New York, will study environmental engineering in college next year.
“For me, being exposed to the UN helped spark an interest in policy. As I go to college next year to study environmental engineering, I want to gain the technical knowledge to eventually contribute to environmental policy,” Zografos said. “This program opens doors for us, but even more importantly, it teaches us that we belong on the other side of them.”
Foteini Gatsia of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn reflected on how far her journey has taken her since she came to the United States.
“As a girl who immigrated to the United States from a small village, I never could have imagined that I would be standing at the United Nations and listening to diplomats and advocates discussing policies that affect girls across the world,” Gatsia said.
Archbishop Elpidophoros told the delegates that their presence at the UN carries the witness of the whole Church.
“We are proud to have you represent not only your Greek Orthodox sisters, but all Greek Orthodox faithful at this important forum of international collaboration. Through this program, you have a unique opportunity to address issues affecting women and girls throughout the world while bringing your experiences, convictions, and Orthodox Christian perspective to the United Nations,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.
A legacy of institutions led by women
While with the Girl Delegates, His Eminence noted the significance of women leaders in the life of the Archdiocese, particularly recognized Ms. Paulette Poulos and Ms. Anita Kartalopoulos for their exceptional service to the Archdiocese within Leadership 100 and National Philoptochos respectively.
Paulette Poulos, Special Advisor and former Executive Director of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, recalled her years at the Archdiocese, where she worked as an associate youth director and within Finance Department before becoming the administrator of the office of Archbishop Iakovos of blessed memory. Traveling with him, she saw firsthand how he encouraged parishes to include women in leadership.
On a visit to a parish in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Archbishop asked where the women were. When he was told they were in the kitchen baking koulourakia, he asked that they be brought out, and he told the parish he expected a woman on the parish council when he returned in six months. On the next visit he raised the bar and asked for a woman officer. Poulos urged him not to push, since the parish already had two women on its board, but he insisted. By his following visit, Dolores Revelus had become president of the community.
The Archbishop later appointed Poulos, Presbytera Nikki Stephanopoulos, and Eleni Houziak, a Chicago attorney, to the governing board of the National Council of Churches. Nikki Stephanopoulos was the wife of Fr. Robert Stephanopoulos, longtime dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral, and the mother of George Stephanopoulos. When Poulos asked why he would send laywomen rather than priests, he answered that he had enough priests and wanted women with intellect and heart who could do the work. Poulos would serve on that board for the next decade.
Anita Kartalopoulos, a third-generation Philoptochos member and First Vice President of the National Philoptochos Society, said the organization has grown from its familiar parish role into the second-largest women’s philanthropic organization in the United States, now supporting youth, seminary education, and prison ministry.
“The Philoptochos was incorporated not as a mere auxiliary, but as a standalone, not-for-profit, to be governed and run by the women of the Philoptochos,” Kartalopoulos said. “The women of the Church were trusted by Archbishop Athenagoras before he became Patriarch.”
She credited Archdiocesan leadership for placing women in senior roles throughout the Archdiocese, among them Maria Andriotis, Director of Administration, and Marissa Costidis, Head of the Press Office. “She’s not an administrator, she’s not an assistant, she’s at the director level,” Kartalopoulos said of Andriotis. “We have people at the helm.”
Addressing the Girl Delegates, she reminded them that the Church, Leadership 100, and the Philoptochos stand behind their work at the UN, and urged them not to wait for permission to do great things.
“The Church is here with you,” Kartalopoulos said.
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