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His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America offered his blessing in a video message marking the September 14 reopening of Greece’s consular presence in New Orleans, with John D. Georges serving as Honorary Consul of Greece. His Eminence recalled the very deep roots of the Greek American community in the city and the historic role New Orleans played in the establishment of Greek Orthodoxy in America. The reopening restores an official Greek presence in New Orleans after the previous consulate closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The history to which Archbishop Elpidophoros referred reaches back much further than the major waves of Greek immigration of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral records a Greek presence in New Orleans from the mid-1700s, including the arrival in 1766 of Greek seaman Miguel Dragon.
> Watch the full video here.
By the early 1860s, Greek merchants including Nicholas Benachi and John Botassi were working to establish an Orthodox church. In 1864, Benachi opened his home on Bayou Road for worship, marking the beginning of the organized Holy Trinity community; in 1866, the community constructed its first church building at 1222 N. Dorgenois Street in Tremé. Holy Trinity is recognized by both the Cathedral and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as the first Greek Orthodox church in North and South America. Archbishop Elpidophoros himself underscored that distinction during his 2025 Archpastoral visit to New Orleans, when he referred to Holy Trinity as the “Mother Church of Greek Orthodoxy in the Americas.”
John Georges, a New Orleans businessman, publisher, philanthropist and longtime leader of the Greek American community, is CEO of Georges Enterprises, whose interests include distribution, real estate and hospitality; he and his wife, Dathel, are also the owners of The Advocate and The Times-Picayune. Georges was invested as an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2006 with the offikion of Kastrinsios, is a member of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100, and has served Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in leadership positions, including as Parish Council president and led the parish’s rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina.
Messages marking the reopening were sent by House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece. The ceremony was attended by Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou; Antonis Alexandridis, Greece’s ambassador to the United States; New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno; and representatives of the Greek American community. Also in attendance was the Reverend Protopresbyter George Wilson, dean of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
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