A concert, entitled, “The Life was the Light” was among the celebrations paid in tribute to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s milestone 35th year on the Ecumenical Throne. Video by Orthodox Observer/Panos Satzoglou

Following the Greek National Opera’s performance at Carnegie Hall, conductor Vassilis Christopoulos spoke to the Orthodox Observer. Read more at the link in our bio. 📸 Giannis Antonoglou.

The Greek National Opera chose to place Crete and Nikos Kazantzakis at the center of its landmark, debut performance in New York City at the historic Carnegie Hall. The work of the celebrated author served as a source of inspiration for a number of composers, while several of his books are familiar to the American public through English translations, and most notably through the iconic film adaptation Zorba the Greek. Read more at our site.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America called the shooting at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud a “shameful terrorist attack,” stating that no words could describe the shock felt by Orthodox Christians “and all people of faith and goodwill around the world.” Archbishop Elpidophoros wrote on Friday to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s representative in Amman, offering the prayers of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America after gunmen killed at least seven people at a funeral in a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan. The letter was addressed to His Eminence Archbishop Christophoros of Kyriakoupolis, who has served since 2018 as Patriarchal Commissioner in Amman and pastor of the city’s Orthodox community. 📸OO/Orthodox Observer

As the United States marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, we at Leadership 100, advancing Orthodoxy and Hellenism in America, pay proper tribute and express profound gratitude for this historic and successful experiment of a democratic constitutional republic, founded in individual liberty, economic opportunity, religious freedom, and equal justice under the law unlike any other nation that has ever existed. Our American founding fathers reached for Greek words before they ever met a Greek Orthodox parish: politics, democracy, aristocracy, tyranny: the lexicon of self-government was borrowed from Athens centuries before Ellis Island ever opened its gates. Classical Greece eventually gave way to immigrant Greeks, beginning in the mid-1700s and growing rapidly in numbers in the 1800s and early 1900s, steeped in faith, family, education, and hard work as the pathway to a new and better life than the impoverishment of their homeland in those challenging times. 🇬🇷 Καθώς οι Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες συμπληρώνουν 250 χρόνια από τη Διακήρυξη της Ανεξαρτησίας τους, εμείς, τα μέλη της «Ηγεσίας των 100» (Leadership 100), έχοντας ως αποστολή την προώθηση της Ορθοδοξίας και του Ελληνισμού στην Αμερική, ερχόμαστε να αποτίσουμε τον οφειλόμενο φόρο τιμής και να εκφράσουμε τη βαθιά ευγνωμοσύνη μας για την ίδρυση και την επιτυχημένη πορεία της αμερικανικής δημοκρατίας. Πρόκειται για μια συνταγματική δημοκρατία που θεμελιώθηκε πάνω στην ατομική ελευθερία, στις οικονομικές ευκαιρίες, στη θρησκευτική ελευθερία, στην ισότιμη απονομή δικαιοσύνης, και η οποία δεν έχει όμοιό της στην ιστορία των εθνών. Read more from Ecumenical and the Observer’s “America at 250” initiative at the link in our bio.

Following an earlier meeting, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew exchanged gifts with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and the other hierarchs present. Before the delegation left the Patriarchate, he invited His Eminence into his office and gave him two books: a collection of his selected articles, and the volume Thirty Years of Patriarchate: The Human Face of an Ancient Institution, edited by Archdeacon John Chryssavgis. The anniversary volume Thirty-Five Years of Patriarchate includes a personal testimony by Archbishop Elpidophoros, who looks back on how he came to know His All Holiness and sets down his own memories of thirty-five years of patriarchal ministry. 🇬🇷 Πριν από την αποχώρηση από το Πατριαρχείο, ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης κ.κ. Βαρθολομαίος προσκάλεσε τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αμερικής Ελπιδοφόρο στο γραφείο του και του προσέφερε δύο βιβλία: μια συλλογή επιλεγμένων άρθρων του και τον τόμο «Τριάντα χρόνια Πατριαρχίας: Το ανθρώπινο πρόσωπο ενός αρχαίου θεσμού», σε επιμέλεια του Ιωάννη Χρυσαυγή. Στον επετειακό τόμο “Τριάντα πέντε χρόνια Πατριαρχίας” περιλαμβάνεται και η προσωπική μαρτυρία του Αρχιεπισκόπου Ελπιδοφόρου, ο οποίος ανατρέχει στη γνωριμία του με τον Βαρθολομαίο και καταθέτει τις δικές του μνήμες από τα 35 χρόνια της πατριαρχικής του διακονίας. Video by Orthodox Observer/Panos Satzoglou & Salvatore Ambrosino

On Thursday, October 22, 2026, a Patriarchal Divine Liturgy in the most venerable Patriarchal Church of Saint George at the Phanar celebrated the completion of thirty-five years of the patriarchal ministry of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. His All Holiness presided, concelebrating with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and other hierarchs. 🇬🇷 Με πανηγυρική Πατριαρχική Θεία Λειτουργία στον Πάνσεπτο Πατριαρχικό Ναό του Αγίου Γεωργίου, στο Φανάρι, εορτάστηκε την Πέμπτη 22 Οκτωβρίου 2026 η συμπλήρωση 35 ετών πατριαρχικής διακονίας του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη κ.κ. Βαρθολομαίου. Προεξήρχε ο Παναγιώτατος, συλλειτουργούντων του Σεβασμιωτάτου Αρχιεπισκόπου Αμερικής κ. Ελπιδοφόρου και άλλων ιεραρχών. Read more at the link in our bio. Photos by Orthodox Observer/Huseyin Aldemir.

Near the close of his remarks at the Phanar, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered his guests an image whose plainness was the point. “Each one of us is a drop,” he said. “The ocean is the Ecumenical Patriarchate.” Spoken by the leader of the Church who has now completed thirty-five years on the Ecumenical Throne, it was self-effacement of a deliberate kind. The anniversary of his election and enthronement brought His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, to Istanbul. They came on a pilgrimage organized jointly by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, which runs from October 20 to 25, 2026. 🇬🇷 Στην Κωνσταντινούπολη έφτασαν ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αμερικής κ. Ελπιδοφόρος και οι Άρχοντες του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου, προκειμένου να συμμετάσχουν στις εορταστικές εκδηλώσεις για τη συμπλήρωση 35 ετών από την εκλογή και την ενθρόνιση του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη κ.κ. Βαρθολομαίου. Η επίσκεψη πραγματοποιείται στο πλαίσιο προσκυνήματος που διοργανώνουν από κοινού η Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αμερικής και το Τάγμα του Αγίου Ανδρέα του Αποστόλου, από τις 20 έως τις 25 Οκτωβρίου 2026. Read more at the link in our bio. Photos by Orthodox Observer/Huseyin Aldemir.

An ERT documentary traces the life and ministry of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, marking 35 years since his election. The film will air Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at 10 p.m. Greece time on ERT3, ERT Cosmos and ERTFLIX. ERT Cosmos will rebroadcast it Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. Greece time. Video by ERT Cosmos

The Icon Museum and Study Center marked its 20th anniversary Oct. 15 with the opening of the exhibition Light from the East: Masterpieces from the Ikonen-Museum Recklinghausen and the start of a two-day symposium, “Encountering the Sacred Image: Highlights from the Icon Museum and Study Center.” 🇬🇷 Τη συμπλήρωση 20 χρόνων λειτουργίας γιόρτασε, στις 15 Οκτωβρίου, το Μουσείο και Κέντρο Μελέτης Εικόνων με τα εγκαίνια της έκθεσης «Φως Ανατολής: Θησαυροί από το Μουσείο Εικόνων του Ρεκλινγκχάουζεν» και την έναρξη του διήμερου συμποσίου «Ανακαλύπτοντας την ιερή εικόνα: Επιλογές από τη συλλογή του Μουσείου Εικόνων και του Κέντρου Μελέτης του». Find out more about the exhibit at the link in our bio. Photos by John Cannon.

His Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop emeritus of New York, received the 2026 Athenagoras Human Rights Award from the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the organization’s annual banquet at the New York Hilton Midtown. The evening opened with a prayer for the recovery of Pope Leo XIV by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. He began by asking the guests to remember the pope “with special and heartfelt petitions.” He prayed that Pope Leo, “whose goodness and piety is manifest to all the world,” would “enjoy his speedy recovery, good health and length of days.” “Your friendship and solidarity mean the world to me,” Cardinal Dolan said. 🇬🇷 Με το Βραβείο Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων «Αθηναγόρας» για το 2026 τίμησαν οι Άρχοντες της Μ.τ.Χ.Ε. τον Σεβασμιώτατο καρδινάλιο Τίμοθι Ντόλαν, ομότιμο Αρχιεπίσκοπο της Νέας Υόρκης, το Σάββατο 17 Οκτωβρίου, κατά το ετήσιο επίσημο δείπνο τους στο ξενοδοχείο New York Hilton Midtown. Η βραδιά εγκαινιάστηκεμε μια δέηση του Σεβασμιωτάτου Αρχιεπισκόπου Αμερικής κ. Ελπιδοφόρου για την ανάρρωση του Πάπα Λέοντα ΙΔ΄. Στη συνέχεια, κάλεσε τους παρευρισκομένους να προσευχηθούν για τον Πάπα «με ξεχωριστή θέρμη» και προσευχήθηκε ο Πάπας Λέων, «του οποίου η καλοσύνη και η ευσέβεια είναι γνωστές σε όλο τον κόσμο», να έχει «ταχεία ανάρρωση, καλή υγεία και μακροημέρευση». «Η φιλία και η συμπαράστασή σας είναι για μένα ανεκτίμητες» κατέληξε ο Καρδινάλιος Ντόλαν. Read the full story at the link in our bio. Photos by Orthodox Observer/Dimitrios Panagos

At the Phanar on Friday, September 11, 2026, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew welcomed a group of pilgrims who were journeying to Prousa and Nicaea as well as Constantinople, and elucidated for them the often-overlooked spiritual value and importance of making pilgrimages to holy sites. “We believe,” His All-Holiness said, “that healthy religious tourism is never merely a leisure trip.” Pilgrims are not primarily tourists, and are not engaged in simple sightseeing: “The monuments themselves, which visitors enter,” His All-Holiness explained, “do not allow for that.” His All-Holiness explained that such places do not allow for casual visiting, or draw the casual visitor into a more profound experience than he or she may have expected, because of the spiritual character of these sites, which remains uneffaced even in ruined churches and monasteries. The Orthodox attentiveness to the importance of creating a sacred space makes the experience of visiting these sites far more than just another tourist stop.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America welcomed Hellenic Olympic Committee President Isidoros Kouvelos and former Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis to the Archdiocese headquarters on October 14 for a luncheon held in their honor, as Greece’s Olympic leadership looks ahead to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. “For us, meeting the Greek American community is always deeply meaningful. You have built lives, institutions and communities here, while keeping a strong bond with Greece,” Kouvelos said. “And this bond was kept alive through faith, through our Church.” He credited that relationship to faith, citing “the strength of God and the protection of Christ and the Panagia.” “In every corner of the world where Greeks travelled, struggled and created, the Church became a home, a refuge and a point of unity. It kept the Diaspora together, gave courage in difficult times, and helped Hellenism rise and prosper in distant lands, remaining faithful to its roots.” That connection, he said, can now become a source of strength for Team Hellas on the road to Los Angeles. “When our athletes arrive in California, they will carry with them the history of Greece, the pride of a nation, and the hopes of a new generation,” Kouvelos said. “And here, on American soil, they will meet another part of Greece.” Read more at the link in the comments below. Photos by Orthodox Observer/Yannis Malevitis

National Philoptochos is proud to support Ronald McDonald House Mobile with a $91,351 grant establishing the Family Care Van, a new transportation program serving families whose children are receiving medical care in the Mobile, Alabama area. The grant made possible the purchase of a new 15-passenger van, two car seats, and a wheelchair-accessible conversion, along with the first year of a part-time driver. Through this program, families will have daily transportation between Ronald McDonald House Mobile and USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital, as well as rides to other area hospitals, medical appointments, pharmacies, and, when needed, work. Twice-weekly shopping trips and occasional outings will help families care for their everyday needs while they are far from home. For several years, families returning home from Ronald McDonald House Mobile have named transportation as the service they need most. For parents already carrying the weight of a child’s illness or injury, something as simple as a ride can mean being present at a child’s bedside, receiving their own medical care, or bringing home a needed prescription. Full story at the link in our bio. Photos by Mike Kittrell/RMHC Mobile, AL.

📷 Gallery | The historic observance on Friday represents a local recognition of the holiness and saintly character of the Venerable Bishop Gerasimos, whose life of prayer, humility, pastoral love, and dedication to theological education continues to inspire generations of clergy and faithful. 📸 Orthodox Observer