• By Observer staff
  • April 4, 2026

The community of Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Port Washington, New York welcomed His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America on Saturday, April 4, 2026, for the Divine Liturgy of Lazaros Saturday; joining Archbishop Elpidophoros was Proistamenos Fr. John Lardas. The parish celebrated today’s liturgy as its Challenge Liturgy, a tradition dating back to 1990 which aims to bring Orthodox Christians with intellectual and developmental disabilities into the full life of the parish. 

For His Eminence, the visit carried particular warmth, as this year marks his seventh Holy Week as Archbishop and his fifth Lazaros Saturday alongside the Archangel Michael community, a community which he has come to regard as a leader within the Archdiocese in its witness to inclusive parish life. 

Photo by Orthodox Observer/Dimitrios Panagos

In his homily, the Archbishop drew the faithful into the Gospel account of the raising of Lazaros, reflecting on how the disciples struggled to face hard truths. The Archbishop reminded the faithful, however, that at the center of the story is a transformative energy. 

“It is the same energy that raised Lazaros from the dead, And is described in a single verse that precedes the story of his sickness, death, and the Lord’s overcoming of them all,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “‘Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazaros.’” 

“It is love, and only love, that has the power–the energy–to reshape reality. When faced with difficulties, challenges, and obstacles, it is love that finds a way through the hardships, so that we emerge on the other side transformed, if only we are willing to be loved,” His Eminence continued. 

“Sometimes, the transformation has a dramatic effect, as in the Raising of Lazaros … But like all physical transformations, the effects are ultimately temporary. Even the resurrected Lazaros eventually had to die again,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “But the greater transformation – the one that lasts unto eternity – takes place in the human heart, where love can blossom into an everlasting source of sweetness and beauty.” 

> Read His Eminence’s full homily here 

On the Saturday before Holy Week, the Orthodox Church commemorates one of the great feasts of the year: the miracle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who raised Lazaros from the dead after he had lain in the grave four days. Celebrated at the close of Great Lent and the forty days of fasting and penitence, Lazaros Saturday is joined in spirit with Palm Sunday, as the Church bears witness in triumph and joy to the power of Christ over death. It is a moment of exaltation before the faithful enter the most solemn week of the year, one that leads them through the remembrance of His suffering and death and concludes with the great and glorious Feast of Pascha.