Opinion | Carrying the Clergy-Laity Congress forward
Several months ago, I wrote on this site about the vision for the 2026 Clergy-Laity Congress and our hope that this year’s gathering would be different. Now, having returned from Cleveland earlier this summer, I
Ionian Village: A ‘Golden Bridge’ connecting motherland and homeland
The great and auspicious occasion of America’s 250th anniversary gives us plenty of reasons to celebrate our country’s many proud accomplishments and milestones. It also invites us to honor the many global traditions, peoples, and
250 years of faith formation through Orthodox camping ministries
As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, Orthodox Christians have an opportunity to reflect not only on their history in this nation, but also on their responsibility to prepare future generations to carry the
Philoptochos: Friends of the poor, mothers of a new homeland
Long before Philoptochos had a name, its work started with a knock on a door. In the closing years of the 1800s, waves of immigrants from Greece, Asia Minor, and Constantinople arrived in American port
In 1976, a growing Archdiocese met a nation’s 200th birthday
In 1976, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America stood at a remarkable moment in its history. The great wave of postwar Greek immigration was still fresh in the life of the Church and Archbishop Iakovos
‘The Greek Revolution Through American Eyes’: From Philhellenism to Orthodoxy in America
As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the exhibit “The Greek Revolution Through American Eyes” offers an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable relationship between America, Hellenism, and Orthodox Christianity that
Archbishop Elpidophoros’s encyclical for the Fourth of July
On July 4th, 2026, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America issued an encyclical for the Fourth of July, on the 250th anniversary of the United States of America’s Declaration of Independence. “This Fourth of July
The Clergy-Laity Congress and the life of the Church in the U.S.
In the life of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, few gatherings carry as much significance as the Clergy-Laity Congress. More than a conference or an administrative assembly, the Congress is a living expression of
How three hierarchs fostered Orthodox unity in the U.S.
Since its formation in 2010, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA (AoB) has fostered inter-Orthodox cooperation in the United States of America. The precursor to this forum of the episcopal assembly was
What can we learn from America’s first Orthodox bishop?
“I am an Arab by birth, Greek by primary education, American by residence, Russian at heart, and Slav in soul.” — St. Raphael of Brooklyn Many saintly, dedicated, and faithful servants helped plant the seeds
A Byzantine vision of an American sacred space: St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York City is a perfect example of an Orthodox ecclesiastical structure, drawing upon Byzantine architectural and iconographic traditions, yet adapted
How Orthodox monasticism has shaped America’s spiritual landscape
While having come into full fruition in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Orthodox monastic movement in North America has nevertheless, deep roots as it continues to support and accompany the development of Eastern Orthodoxy
In America’s oldest European city, the Archdiocese established its first shrine
Historians count Don Teodoro Griego, also known as Theodoros Griego, as the first Greek to set foot in America in 1528. He was the only person of Greek origin on the Spanish Narváez expedition; there
A landmark visit to Holy Trinity Cathedral in New Orleans
As part of the America at 250: Orthodoxy in a New Homeland initiative, we are proud to republish this 2025 account of Archbishop Elpidophoros’s visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, home to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
‘Greek Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the Church in the USA’: Archbishop Elpidophoros’s 2010 vision
Abstract and Excerpts from an article by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, published in Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 54, nos. 3–4 (2010): 421–439. This article by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, while he
Two modes, one Church: Orthodoxy’s arrival in America
If breathless parish anecdotes and fresh-off-the-press media profiles are to be believed, the Orthodox Church is one of few religious communities experiencing growth today in the United States. Largely convert-driven, this renaissance is at once
Introducing ‘America at 250: Orthodoxy in a New Homeland’
With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the Orthodox Observer and the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations are pleased to announce a special media initiative marking the 250th anniversary of
