This post was originally published on this site
NEW YORK, NY – St. Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church marked its Centennial with a historic weekend of worship, celebration and thanksgiving, bringing together hierarchs, clergy, parishioners and friends to honor 100 years of faith and service and to look toward the parish’s second century.
The celebration paid tribute to the generations who built and sustained St. Gerasimos while affirming the community’s commitment to preserving its Orthodox faith and Hellenic heritage for generations to come.
A Centennial Celebration
The Centennial Gala brought together the faithful to honor the clergy, parish leaders, families and benefactors whose sacrifice and devotion have sustained St. Gerasimos throughout its first century.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America joined the community for the historic occasion, together with His Eminence Metropolitan Demetrios of Kefalonia and His Grace Bishop Nektarios of Diokleia.
A significant moment of the evening was the announcement of a $1 million donation from the Kefalonian Society “Ainos” to the St. Gerasimos Endowment Fund. Together with commitments from the Parish Council and the Ladies Philoptochos Society, the gift represents a lasting investment in the parish and its ministries as St. Gerasimos enters its second century.
The evening celebrated not only the parish’s history, but also the stewardship and commitment that will help carry its mission forward.
Divine Liturgy Marks the Spiritual Culmination
The Centennial continued Sunday, Oct. 25, with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Gerasimos Church, providing a fitting spiritual culmination to the weekend.
Archbishop Elpidophoros presided, joined by Metropolitan Demetrios of Kefalonia, Bishop Nektarios of Diokleia, the Rev. Archimandrite Bartholomew Mercado and the Rev. Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos.
Seminarians from Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology also participated, offering a meaningful connection between the parish’s century-long legacy and a new generation preparing for service to the Church.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Papazafiropoulos, proistamenos of St. Gerasimos, expressed the parish’s gratitude to Archbishop Elpidophoros for his presence and pastoral leadership and thanked Metropolitan Demetrios and Bishop Nektarios for sharing in the historic celebration.
As part of the Centennial observance, Vasilios Kokkosis and Fokion Avgerinos, two devoted members of the St. Gerasimos community, were presented with the Medal of St. Paul in recognition of their longstanding service and dedication to the parish and the Church.
A third Medal of St. Paul was presented to Nikie Calles, Archivist of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, honoring her exceptional and tireless service to the Archdiocese. Through her years of dedicated work in the Office of the Archbishop and her important role as Archivist, Calles has helped preserve the historical record and institutional memory of the Church. Her recognition was especially appropriate during a Centennial devoted to honoring and preserving a century of faith, service and history.
A Second Century Begins
Founded in 1926, St. Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church has served generations of Orthodox Christians while maintaining deep ties to the Kefalonian community and its patron saint, St. Gerasimos.
For a century, generations of faithful have worshiped within the parish, raised their children in the Orthodox faith and worked together to ensure that the Church entrusted to them would remain strong for those who followed.
The Centennial weekend honored that inheritance while looking confidently toward the future. As St. Gerasimos begins its second century, the parish does so with gratitude for those who came before and with renewed commitment to carrying their legacy of faith, service and love for the Church into the generations to come.
The post St. Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Centennial Weekend appeared first on Orthodox Observer.
