Message from Father Andreas Vithoulkas
Proïstamenos and Archiepiscopal Vicar of the Saint Nicholas National Shrine
***
As we press forward to finish the construction of the Shrine, many of you know the challenges of the last two years that were marked by the pandemic. Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of The Friends of St. Nicholas, with the expertise and pro bono work of COO of Construction Richard Browne, the rebuilding process has moved as speedily as possible. While we were hoping to hold Holy Week and Pascha in the Shrine, the complexities of construction and supply chain issues that virtually every enterprise is facing around the globe, made this not practicable this year.
In the meantime, progress on the iconography, furnishings, and the digital experience of the Shrine have all been progressing apace. I cannot stress enough the gratitude of Parish Council of Saint Nicholas to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for his wise counsel in this last leg of our journey. With his blessing, we remain confident that the Consecration of the Church will take place during the Centennial Celebrations of our Sacred Archdiocese during the forthcoming Clergy Laity Congress around the July Fourth holiday in New York City.
Our resurgence as a Parish and as a National Shrine are coming into their own power. It has been a long journey, truly an odyssey of epic proportions. But the struggles are being rewarded because of our patience and perseverance. As it says in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
We have kept the faith with Saint Nicholas to rebuild his Church for the glory of God. And we have kept a good hope for over two decades, that the Church would once again stand. Now, it is standing and bearing witness, and it will give abundant evidence of things not often seen, but things that are deeply felt: love, forgiveness, mutual understanding and respect, and the truth of our Orthodox Christian Faith.
We will be worshipping in the Shrine soon, and we will keep you up to date when that happy day dawns for all of us.
Faithfully in Christ