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Orthodox Observer - October 1996

Enthronement Message of Archbishop Spyridon

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

With love and joy in my heart, I humbly answer the call of our spiritual father, His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch, and the Holy Synod, to serve and minister to the Greek Orthodox faithful in America. I thank my beloved brother, Metropolitan Ioakeim of Chalcedon, for personally bringing to us the love of His All Holiness and the blessings of the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople.

It is only by the mercy of God that I stand before you today as your Archbishop, for only by His grace could so many worthy challenges be placed on so unworthy a soul.

Two hierarchs (N. Maginas photo)

Archbishop Spyridon, escorted by Me- tropolitan Ioakeim of Chalcedon, makes his way past the crowd outside the Ho- ly Trinity Archdiocese Cathedral.

Indeed, elevation to this sacred throne is an awesome commission entrusted to me by the Ecumenical Patriarchate On this most solemn day for our Church in America, I pray for strength from God to carry out this blessed task, and I ask all of you for our love, support and constant prayer.

As I accept this commission, I find myself as the inheritor of an extraordinary legacy which has been given to us by my predecessors: Alexander, Athenagoras, Michael and Iakovos. Their record shows what mere people can achieve when touched by a compassionate God who loves mankind. Today, the shepherd's staff is passed to a generation born in America. Let us pray together for God's continued blessings and grace, so that in our own day, we, too, may know what it is to achieve great things in His holy name.

Let us remember this day all that they accomplished would not have been possible without our committed clergy, our faithful presbyteres, and our loyal laity — and without people like my parish priest, Fr. Constantine Raptis of Tarpon Springs, Fla., who was a spiritual guide to me, and who honors me by his presence here today.

Like the sturdy columns that have sustained the Parthenon for thousands of years, and like the powerful arches that have suspended the dome of Aghia Sophia for centuries, each and every one of you carries the Greek Orthodox Church in America on your shoulders. Indeed, so vital is your role in the future of our Archdiocese that I will begin my tenure with a pilgrimage to parishes throughout the United States, in order to experience the parish life of the Church in America, be close to you, and walk with you, and in so doing see how the Archdiocese can be of greater help.

I approach this throne today as a pulpit from which to preach the Faith; not so much as a lectern from which to instruct you, but as a seat from which to learn about your concerns, dreams and expectations; and not as a podium from which to dictate, but as a platform from which to define, with your help, a vision for our Church in America.

I profoundly believe that, as great and glorious as our past, there is even greater glory in our future. But only if we take to heart the central message of our Church: that in the resurrected Christ, we are all born again, we are all reconciled, we are all renewed. Only by renewal do we grow, only by renewal do we improve, only by renewal do we become more worthy of our Father, in whose image we were made. And so St. Paul wisely counsels us, "Be renewed in the spirit of you mind and put on the new man who was created in the image of God."

Like His All Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew, I believe that the Archdiocese of America can play a pivotal role in the renewal of the Holy Orthodox Church. The Greek Orthodox faithful in America are deeply engaged in all aspects of the life of this great nation. The rich spiritual, intellectual and material resources of the Church in America can provide us with the tools to better confront growing pastoral challenges and safeguard the rights of Orthodox Churches and communities throughout the world.

This Archdiocese stands at the forefront of an extraordinary history. Indeed, both the Church and her children have come a long way since we arrived on these shores more than a century ago, as "strangers in a strange land." The Church that we inherit was built with love, faith and great sacrifice by our parents and grandparents who emigrated to this land of hopes and dreams. Often uneducated, they worked from sunrise to sunset until they could save enough money to bring over a brother, a sister, a wife, a child or a cousin. The little they earned put bread on the table for themselves and for those still back in the homeland. But as good Christians, they also knew that "man does not live by bread alone." And so, hard-pressed though they were, they made sure to build a home for the Faith of their fathers and mothers — a Greek Orthodox Church that would protect and preserve that rich spiritual heritage and convey it to their children born in a new land.

Those early immigrants built 65 percent of the Orthodox churches in America while they were among the poorest communities in the country. We have much to accomplish to match their achievement now that their children have been blessed with material resources.

Our archbishops have been faithful fathers, seeing us through the stages of our communal life. Alexander nurtured us through our childhood as a community, while Athenagoras guided us safely through the conflicts of adolescence. Under Michael, we achieved adulthood, and with His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, our community finally became wedded to America.

Together we have created a new community that is partly Greek, partly American, and yet completely Orthodox.

It is no betrayal to join ourselves to a new nation. But it would be a grave failing not to provide for the fruit of that union —the children of Orthodoxy in America. The time has come to think earnestly about our legacy to them.

What kind of church will we leave to our children, and to our children's children? If we take our faith seriously, we know that their salvation tomorrow depends on how well we answer that question today.

I see one of my primary roles to be an advocate for those children — after all, I am one of the children of America. My mother gave birth to me in Warren, Ohio. I feel truly blessed today to have her and my sisters and brother here.

Of all humanity, Jesus singled out children as special: "Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." We need to cherish, love and spiritually nurture our children, keeping them close to the Church and teaching them the beauty of their Faith.

Our young people deserve a living tradition in which they can find spiritual sustenance. They deserve a refuge from the anxiety of modern, materialistic life. they deserve the comfort of belonging to a loving, spiritual family. And they deserve the strength that comes from enduring values. All that they seek is offered by the Greek Orthodox Church.

I take it as the special task of my tenure to prepare a strong legacy for our youth: a Church that will grow and endure, a Church that will serve the needs, not just of any one generation of Orthodox in America, but of all generations of Orthodox in America.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the key to building such a Church is inclusion. Rome became great by opening up its citizenship to all people. Christianity became predominant by welcoming all people into the Faith. The United States became the strongest nation in the world by opening its doors to all people — raising a huge Statue of Liberty in the middle of its greatest harbor, to let newcomers know that they were welcome. Each of these communities shared the belief that, by admitting new members, it would gain far more than it lost. Each of these communities was right.

The Greek Orthodox Church is no exception. I read in

style="text-indent: 0px;"> a newspaper not too long ago that the greatest problem we face today is that the majority of our people in America marry persons not of the Orthodox faith. I was shocked, not that they are a majority, but that anyone would regard this solely as a problem.

It is not so much a problem as it is a promise of things that can be. It is an opportunity. Let us take advantage of it, for a church that is open to all people is a church that grows. Isn't this what happened when the Apostle Paul, the patron saint of the Archdiocese, took the message of Christ to the Gentiles, the Greeks, and the Romans of the eastern Mediterranean, despite the disapproval of some of his fellow disciples?

Let us inspire our young people with the Faith that inspired their mothers and fathers, so that when the time comes for the sacrament of marriage, the Church is their first thought, not their last resort. Let us welcome and embrace their non-Orthodox spouses with love, and let us tell them about our Faith with joy.

Today, we all gather in this cathedral as children of God. We are honored by the presence of political and civic leaders of many races and creeds, and by cardinals, bishops and clergy. They are our brothers and sisters, and we join hands with them to promote religious tolerance and freedom. Together, we must fight the forces of bigotry and intolerance that burn African-American churches in the United States, and that forcibly close seminaries in other parts of the world.

There is a brotherhood of believers in America, and we must take care to build bridges to each of these communities of Faith, even as we nurture and develop our own community. The mosaics that adorn our churches bring together parts that are different and turn them into a vision of beauty. So it is with the American mosaic, and we must respect that. Yes, we have a unique gift in the Tradition of our Church — we have preserved something beautiful and fulfilling, something ancient and pure, and kept it safe so that others may share in it. As the Orthodox Patriarchs wrote in a joint letter in 1718, "we preserve the doctrine of the Lord uncorrupted, neither adding anything nor taking anything from it." That doctrine is called ORTHO-DOXIA, correct belief. but let us be sure to follow ORTHO-DOXIA with ORTHO-PRAXIA — to follow correct belief with correct action. We must love even those who are different from us.

And that includes our fellow Orthodox, such as Russians, Georgians, Albanians, Romanians, Serbs, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Arabs, as well as Hispanics, Asians, Africans and countless others, those who were born Orthodox and those who were not born Orthodox but yet have embraced the Orthodox Faith. We learn from our Creed that there is "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church." but too often we see with our eyes a church divided, not only in Eastern Europe, but even here in the United States, with its parallel Orthodox jurisdictions.

We read in the Bible that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." But what we see all to often — not only among Orthodox, but throughout the world — is a destructive politics of identity, in which there is only Jew or Greek, only male or female, only black or white.

No one takes greater pride in Hellenic culture that I do, to which my Greek school teacher, Savvas Petrides, will readily attest. He came all the way from Steubenville, Ohio, to be with me today. I am deeply touched by his presence.

Western civilization arose within the womb of Hellenism. We would be foolish to squander that rich legacy, or to forget who we are and where we came from.

I believe that those newer arrivals who still feel strong ties to the country of their birth and to their mother tongue are a bulwark of our Church in America. I believe we need to do more to preserve the culture and the language to which they, and we, are bound. It will be one of my goals to expand the teaching of the Greek language, the language of the Gospels, and of Hellenic culture in our communities. And I intend to reach out to all philhellenes and friends of Orthodoxy who recognize the vast contributions that Hellenism has made to Christianity and the world. with the help and support of our Church schools, of the many academic programs devoted to Hellenic studies, of the great number of Greek cultural organizations in America, and of Hellenes and philhellenes everywhere, we will preserve our cultural identity.

But my concern is first and foremost with our spiritual identity. For the Orthodox Church serves no earthly power, but only Christ Jesus himself.

I spoke earlier of our Ecumenical Patriarch's special hopes for America as a source of renewal for Orthodoxy. When it comes to inclusion, America very much justifies those hopes. For every time Orthodoxy believers of different ethnic backgrounds share the chalice of Holy Communion — as we do here in America — all of Orthodoxy takes a step forward. Every time bishops of different jurisdictions meet in partnership to advance the common Faith — as American bishops do in SCOBA — all of Orthodoxy takes a step forward. I am pleased today to greet my brother hierarchs of SCOBA; I warmly thank you for your presence and participation here today; and I pledge myself to our common dream of growing together and ministering as one Orthodox family to all of our Faithful.

The inclusiveness of the American Church stands as a beacon for Orthodox Christians throughout the world. It justifies His All Holiness' high expectations for this Archdiocese. I am thankful for the ministries of my brother Bishops of the Archdiocese, who for many years have served my predecessor as his co-shepherds to the flock in the Western Hemisphere. I look forward to working closely with them for the continued good welfare of this Holy Church.

Family pride (D. Panagos photo)

The Archbishop's mother, Clara Pa- pageorgiou (r), and his three sis- ters reverently look on as he is ele- vated as the next archbishop of the American church.

The Greek Orthodox Church here is a natural extension of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Just as the Mother Church is the first See of world Orthodoxy — with increased responsibilities, a special ministry, and a primary role in the affairs of Orthodox Churches throughout the world — likewise the Daughter Church of America has a special ministry in the New World, a ministry of relevance to all of us.

Sisters and brothers, today we open a new chapter in that ministry. We approach the third millennium in a society where people are desperate to distract themselves. they are weary of life and afraid of death. Political cynicism and personal disillusionment have robbed them of their ability to believe.

Yesterday, our forbears needed the hope offered by America. Today, America needs the hope offered by our Church.

We must recapture the daring spirit of the great Patriarchs of Constantinople — Chrysostom, Gregory, Photios, Athenagoras and Dimitrios — as well as the dreamers who left their homelands, the pioneers who established our Church in America. And we must share the Good News. Where others see death, we have a vision of life. Amid sorrow, we have reason to rejoice. In an untrusting world, we have something we can depend on, something that has remained true to us for the last 2,000 years, and will remain true to us for the next 2,000 and unto the ages of ages: the salvation of the cross and the promise of the empty tomb of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: may our Heavenly Father grant us the wisdom and strength to pursue our task, and the good fortune to succeed. And in so doing we on earth will become, like the angels in heaven, messengers who proclaim: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to all women and men."

[ Orthodox Observer - Vol. 61 - No. 1119 - October 1996 - pp. 1,10,11 ]