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On the evening of September 14th, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros performed an agiasmos service of blessing for the new offices of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute (HEI) at Hellenic College Holy Cross. His Eminence was joined in officially opening the new office space by Archon-elect Hon. Michael Huffington, HEI’s chief benefactor, and Archon George Cantonis, former President of Hellenic College Holy Cross.
Speaking afterwards, His Eminence expressed his deepest gratitude for the generosity of Mr. Huffington, commending him as an outstanding example of sharing what we have in support of advancing the Church’s visionary initiatives. Mr. Huffington then affirmed his ongoing investment in the future of HEI by signing a new agreement of support with Hellenic College Holy Cross.
Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Executive Director of HEI, thanked Mr. Huffington again for his “generous and gracious endowment” of the Institute back in 2022, before leading the distinguished guests on a brief tour through the new office space. HEI now occupies the former offices of the Department of Religious Education in the Archbishop Cavadas Administration Building at the heart of Hellenic College Holy Cross’ campus. Entirely refurbished, the new office space also houses a truly “ecumenical library” of several thousand volumes furnished by donations, the most significant of which came from the estate of Rev. Dr. William Rusch, a professor, churchman, and leading scholar of Orthodox-Lutheran relations.
Since opening on the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross in 2023, HEI has immensely enriched the academic and spiritual climate of the school. The Institute has hosted numerous international conferences and symposia, offered several groundbreaking courses on cutting-edge topics in Orthodox theological education, and, most recently, inaugurated a new publishing endeavor, Encounters, in partnership with Holy Cross Orthodox Press and Akritas Books.
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