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His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of New Jersey
Enthronement Address
Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian, Tenafly, New Jersey
November 7, 2026
Your Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden, representative of His All–Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the Great,
Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America,
Your Eminences and Your Graces,
Your Excellency, dear Archbishop El-Kassis, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations,
Mr. Edward LaPorte, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State of New Jersey,
Beloved Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers,
Honorable Consuls of Greece and Cyprus,
Dear ecumenical guests,
Distinguished guests, members of our Metropolis and parish councils,
Esteemed Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
Beloved Philoptochos sisters,
and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ:
I stand before you with a heart full of thanksgiving, and a heart that feels the weight of this calling. I cannot take up this ministry on my own. Whatever good is done here will be God’s grace at work, and I am strengthened by your prayers and your love.
I stand before the icon of our Lord Jesus Christ, a reminder to all of us that the Church is His.
This throne is no possession and no prize.
It is Christ’s,—the true Shepherd and Great High Priest—and is an image of the heavenly throne where He—the King of Kings—reigns. I do not stand here in my own name—but in His—that I may humbly be a faithful icon of Him.
I stand before you, my beloved, not to be served — but to serve, and to walk beside you, hand in hand, toward Christ. This day is not about me. It is the day the Lord has made, and we gather to glorify Him.
To glorify God is to give thanks. And so I begin with thanks…
Μετὰ βαθυτάτης υἱικῆς ἀγάπης, εὐγνωμοσύνης καὶ ἀπεριορίστου σεβασμοῦ, ἐκφράζω τὶς ἐκ βάθους καρδίας εὐχαριστίες μου πρὸς τὴν Αὐτοῦ Θειοτάτην Παναγιότητα, τὸν Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριάρχην κ.κ. Βαρθολομαῖον τὸν Μέγαν, καὶ τὴν Ἁγίαν καὶ Ἱερὰν Σύνοδον τῆς Μητρὸς ἡμῶν Ἐκκλησίας, διὰ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν ἐμπιστοσύνην νὰ μοῦ ἀναθέσουν τὴν ποιμαντικὴν διακονίαν τῆς ἱστορικῆς ταύτης καὶ Ἱερᾶς Μητροπόλεως.
Ἡ ἀγάπη μου πρὸς τὸ σεπτὸν Πρόσωπον τῆς Αὐτοῦ Θειοτάτης Παναγιότητος καὶ ἡ ἀφοσίωσίς μου πρὸς τὴν Μητέρα Μεγάλην τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν δὲν ἀποτελοῦν μόνον ἔκφρασιν σεβασμοῦ καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ χρέους, ἀλλὰ βαθύτατον βίωμα τῆς προσωπικῆς μου πνευματικῆς πορείας, ἀπὸ τὰ πρῶτα βήματα τῆς μοναχικῆς μου ζωῆς στὸ Ἅγιον Ὄρος μέχρι καὶ τῆς σημερινῆς ἡμέρας.
Πρὸς τὴν Αὐτοῦ Θειοτάτην Παναγιότητα καὶ τὸ μαρτυρικὸν Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον ἀνανεώνω σήμερον, ἐκ βάθους ψυχῆς, τὴν ἀκλόνητον ἀγάπην, τὴν ἀμέριστον ἀφοσίωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀταλάντευτον προσήλωσίν μου. Ἡ διακονία μου θὰ παραμένῃ πάντοτε διακονία πιστότητος πρὸς τὴν Μητέρα Ἐκκλησίαν, τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν παρακαταθήκην τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ μας Θρόνου. Ἐπιπλέον δὲ θὰ ἐργαστῶ μὲ ὅλας μου τὰς δυνάμεις νὰ διακονήσω τὴν μία, ἀδιαίρετη Ἐπαρχία τοῦ Οἰκομενικοῦ Θρόνου, τὴν ἀγαπημένη μας Ἱερὰ Ἀρχιεπισκοπὴ Ἀμερικῆς.
Σεβασμιώτατε Ἅγιε Σουηδίας κ. Κλεόπα, ἐκπρόσωπε τῆς ΑΘΠ,
Σᾶς παρακαλῶ νὰ μεταφέρετε στὴν Αὐτοῦ Θειοτάτην Παναγιότητα ὄχι μόνον τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην μου, ἀλλὰ κυρίως τὴν ἀπέραντον υἱικὴν ἀγάπην μου, τὴν ἀφοσίωσιν καὶ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ὅτι θὰ παραμείνω πάντοτε πιστὸν τέκνον τῆς Μητρὸς Ἐκκλησίας, ζητώντας ταπεινῶς τὶς σεπτές πατρικές Του εὐχὲς καὶ εὐλογίες.
Now, let me tell you about a Saturday morning.
When I was twelve years old, in Thessaloniki, I began going on Saturday mornings to a Christian youth group, a Bible study called Lychnos—meaning the Lamp. A boy who was fifteen years old went there too, Yiannis—now Archbishop Elpidophoros.
We were brothers then — and we are brothers now.
Who could have imagined that a lifetime later, on another Saturday morning, this is where we would be?
That is how God works.
He does not begin with thrones.
He begins with a lamp. A Saturday. And a few young people learning to love the Gospel.
Your Eminence, thank you for your trust.
I also thank the Holy Eparchial Synod, who I had the honor of serving as Chief Secretary. I took that duty so seriously that if one of them called, day or night, I answered, even when I was on the phone with my own mother. I hung up on her. Mom, forgive me!
Today I join their ranks — with gratitude for all they have taught me along the way.
Two hierarchs gave me their time.
When Metropolitan Augoustinos of Germany ordained me a priest, I had much to learn. So when I needed counsel I would jump into my car and drive two hours to see him. And he always made the time for me.
Archbishop Sotirios, formerly of Canada, never rushed. He gave every decision the time it deserved, and he never settled for less than the best possible answer. To work beside him was a masterclass.
I have come to believe that this is how love for the Church looks—it makes time.
Before standing at this throne today, I knelt, with the blessing of our Archbishop, at the grave of Metropolitan Silas, the first Metropolitan of New Jersey, while at our beloved Hellenic College Holy Cross, and asked for his prayers.
I honor Bishop George, of blessed memory, who also served this Metropolis.
I thank my brothers Metropolitan Evangelos of Sardis and Archbishop Apostolos of Canada for their service.
I stand on the foundation others have laid.
My calling is to guard what I have received, and to build on it with love.
My heart overflows for the people I have had the joy of serving: on Mount Athos, across Germany and Canada, at Hellenic College Holy Cross, and throughout the Direct Archdiocesan District, especially in Astoria. To my National Philoptochos family and the National Department of Religious Education (the DRE): you have shown me again and again what love looks like when it rolls up its sleeves.
Στὴν πολυαγαπημένη μου οἰκογένεια, ποὺ μὲ γνώριζε πολὺ πρὶν ἀποκτήσω ὁποιονδήποτε τίτλο,
Δὲν ἔχω λόγια… μόνο δάκρυα χαρᾶς καὶ συγκίνησης.
Στὸν ἀείμνηστο πατέρα μου, Δημήτριο,
Ἀγαπημένη μου μητέρα, Φωτεινή, ποτὲ δὲν εἶσαι μακριά μου, καὶ οὔτε θέλω νὰ εἶσαι ποτέ.
Στὸν μικρό μου ἀδελφό, Γιάννη. Θυμᾶσαι, ὅταν ἤμασταν παιδιά, ποὺ παίζαμε Ἐκκλησία μαζὶ μὲ τὰ ξαδέλφια μας; Ἐγὼ ἤμουν πάντα ὁ παπᾶς, τυλιγμένος μὲ μία κουβέρτα, κι ἐσεῖς ἤσασταν τὸ πρῶτο μου ἐκκλησίασμα!
Ποῦ νὰ φανταζόμουν τότε ὅτι μία μέρα θὰ ἀντάλλασσα ἐκείνη τὴν κουβέρτα μὲ αὐτὸν τὸν μανδύα!
Στὴν ἀγαπημένη μου νύφη, Κατερίνα,
καὶ στὴν ἀνιψιά μου, Νεφέλη, τὸ μικρό μας θησαυρό.
Ὅπου κι ἂν μὲ ὁδήγησε ὁ Χριστὸς στὴ ζωή μου, ἐσεῖς κρατήσατε πάντα γιὰ μένα ἕνα σπίτι μέσα στὶς καρδιές σας.
I remember with profound affection my spiritual guides, fathers, and brothers, whose prayers mean the world to me.
I offer my profound gratitude to the Great Protopresbyter Fr. Alex’s prayers and support, and your crucial stewardship of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Scholarship.
You and Presvytera Xanthi are in my daily prayers. Fr. Alex, you will always be the kindest person to me in America, and the first to reach out when I arrived here seven years ago. I will never forget that.
So many hands have held me up, and behind them all was the hand of God.
Now I extend my hand to you, my beloved faithful of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey.
I come to know you, to listen to you, and to love you.
I want to meet you exactly where you are. In our churches and parish halls, in our classrooms and homes, in days of celebration and days of struggle, I want to hear your stories, share your worries, and rejoice in what you have done.
I long for us to be a true spiritual family, bound together by His love.
When the risen Christ asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” Peter said yes. Christ did not say it back. Instead, He entrusted him with His flock, and said, “Feed My sheep.”
So I ask you to measure my ministry by this:
Are the lost being sought?
Are the lonely being visited?
Are the struggling being supported?
Are our children being guided?
Are the faithful growing closer to Christ?
Hold me to that.
It is what Christ entrusted to Peter,
and it is what He entrusts to me.
And when I stand before Christ, may He find me Feeding His Sheep.
To the clergy of this Holy Metropolis:
When I became a bishop five years ago, I was asked whether I felt more like a monk, a priest, or a bishop. I think people expected me to say monk. I answered without hesitation: I will always be a priest at heart.
Today, my answer is the same. I served as a parish priest for more than twenty years, and I carry it with me. You are my brothers in that calling, and I thank you for all you carry.
And to your Presvyteres and your children:
I have watched from close by, what you give. You share the sacrifices of this calling, often quietly, and the Church and our children are stronger for your love.
Remember the Saturday mornings at Lychnos I told you about?
Those mornings were given to me.
Someone gave a twelve-year-old their time, and it changed my life.
So to every child and young person here:
You are precious to me.
You are precious to our Church.
Most of all, you are precious to Christ.
The Church is your home, right now, today.
You belong here, and you are loved here.
Bring me your dreams, your questions, and yes, even your doubts. Do not be afraid to ask me the hard questions. Let us pray together, laugh together, and I will be beside you as you discover how beautiful life with Christ is.
To our children: I did not want to come to you today with words alone.
I wanted to come with a gift. A promise to our children, by each of us.
Today, with profound joy, I announce the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Scholarship, established in honor of His All-Holiness as we celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of his election and elevation to the Ecumenical Throne.
This scholarship is a unified promise to support both paths of our children’s educational futures.
- The Priesthood Vocation Path: will support our seminarians across the Metropolis of New Jersey who are studying at Hellenic College Holy Cross and need financial assistance to answer the sacred call to the holy priesthood.
- The Higher Education Path: will support our Greek Orthodox high school graduates across the Metropolis of New Jersey who need financial assistance to pursue undergraduate studies at any accredited college or university.
And it is a gift that lasts. Every gift is more than a donation — it is an investment in our children’s future.
The fund’s principal will be protected forever, with only the interest used to provide scholarships for generations to come.
Christ invites us and our children to be fishers of souls. Let us give our children every opportunity to answer His invitation.
I stand beside you in giving, because I could not ask you to give what I was not willing to give first.
Between generous gifts and pledges, today, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Scholarship already stands at more than HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
And I invite each of you to join me in growing this fund and opening doors for our children.
My commitment to education goes further. In more than a century, our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America never had a complete National Sunday School curriculum. By God’s grace, and with the work of so many, I was blessed to lead the creation of a new one, the first ever from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Now I want to bring that same care to our parishes: practical resources for teaching the faith, for helping families pray at home, and for supporting the clergy and catechists who welcome those exploring Orthodoxy.
Καὶ ἡ ἑλληνική μας γλῶσσα καὶ ἡ πολιτιστική μας κληρονομιὰ εἶναι πολύτιμα δῶρα, ποὺ θὰ φυλάσσουμε καὶ θὰ καλλιεργούμε πάντοτε μὲ ἀγάπη καὶ σεβασμό.
Let us teach not only what the Church believes,
but how to live it: how to pray, how to forgive, how to serve, and how to find Christ in everyday life.
Another one of my deepest desires is that together we also rediscover the power of prayer.
Mount Athos taught me something I have never forgotten: without prayer we may accomplish many things, yet we will never truly change hearts.
I dream of a Metropolis where our churches are spiritual homes filled with the presence of Christ, and where our families and children find the peace and joy of knowing Him.
This is my prayer for our Holy Metropolis: a Church whose heartbeat is prayer, that serves with sleeves rolled up, and welcomes every person with the love of Christ!
And I humbly ask for your prayers as I take my first steps as your Metropolitan.
Pray that God will give me wisdom when I must decide, courage when I must lead, humility when I must listen, and tenderness when someone is hurting. Above all — pray that I never forget whom I serve, and whose Church this is.
May we begin this journey together—with open hearts, growing faith, and the joy of the risen Christ.
Σας αγαπώ!
Christ is in our midst!
He is and ever shall be!
The post Metropolitan Athenagoras Enthronement Address, November 7, 2026, Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian in Tenafly, New Jersey appeared first on Orthodox Observer.
