Message from Father Andreas Vithoulkas
Archiepiscopal Vicar of the Saint Nicholas National Shrine
On December 2, 2021, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America installed the new Parish Council for the Saint NicholasGreek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. The Reverend Protopresbyter Andreas Vithoulkas, the current Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, leads that Council with its President, George Mihaltses.
At a celebratory luncheon following their installation, Father Andreas offered these remarks.
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Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America,
Members of the Parish Council of Saint Nicholas,
Brothers and Sisters,
Please allow me a few words of gratitude – to His Eminence, for this sacred παρακαταθήκη of trust and confidence, to the Friends of Saint Nicholas for their amazing labors of love and devotion to complete and endow our National Shrine, and to the Members of the Community, who have persevered through the last twenty years to arrive on the other side of that great chasm of loss and grief that swallowed so many of our loved ones, and really, all our lives, on 9/11.
I feel so privileged to be the inheritor of the mantle of Father John – and, Presvytera Romas: I will certainly strive with my utmost to honor his decades of ministry. I know that speak for my own Presvytera Anthoula and my sons, when I say that our family is excited to commence this ministry, and we will give it everything that we have!
I also know there is a lot to learn and lot to catch up on – especially in regards to the Parish community that has endured through these past two decades. This Parish Council will be the key to bringing our flock together again – to worship now on Liberty Street, and bring the mission of our National Shrine to the world.
I am particularly grateful that we will have the Friends on an ongoing basis, as we develop our ministries and presence at the World Trade Center. I am acutely aware, that while the Memorial Pools and Museum fulfill the need to remember, it is only Saint Nicholas that fulfills the need to believe. Our Greek Orthodox Christian Faith has been entrusted to deliver the message of faith in God, hope in God, and ultimately, God’s love for the world at Ground Zero.
I know that I can count on each and every one of you to have my back as we go forward, and I’ll have yours as well.
With the blessing of Saint Nicholas himself, whose holy relic will be enshrined in the Church. With the blessing we have received from His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who first opened the doors of the Church. With the blessing of our Archbishop, who has made this National Shrine a truly national priority,
We will complete the Shrine. We will celebrate next Pascha in the Shrine. And the light of Saint Nicholas will illumine our city, our country, and our world for generations to come.
Thank you.