November 7, 2019
SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine invites one and all to a Christmas Open House on Sunday, December 8, from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Guests will be able to tour the Shrine and its exhibits and the ornate chapel on the premises, as well as meet newly-assigned Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, the official representative of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America under whose jurisdiction the Shrine falls. Refreshments will be served.
Guests are encouraged to bring canned and non-perishable food items for a collection to benefit local food pantries and depositories as we approach the Christmas holiday.
The events of the day will actually commence with Sunday worship services at which Bishop Demetrios will preside beginning with Matins (Orthros) at 8:30 a.m. followed by the Divine Liturgy at approximately 10:00 a.m.
“This is an excellent opportunity for I to meet friends of, and visitors to, our Saint Photios Shrine as I begin my ministry here in Florida,” said Bishop Demetrios, “and to not only highlight the legacy of the first Greek immigrants to the New World, but to recognize that legacy includes a continued ministry of the present.” Bishop Demetrios was assigned as the hierarchal representative this past September.
Just steps from St. Augustine’s historic city gates at St. George Street, the Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, an institution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is dedicated to the first colony of Greek people who came to America in 1768. The Shrine consists of exhibits depicting the life of early Greeks in America and the development of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, and the Saint Photios Chapel that is filled with exquisite Byzantine style frescoes and iconography. Called “The Jewel of St. George Street,” the St. Photios Chapel should not be missed by any visitor.
The St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine is located in historic St. Augustine, Florida, on St. George Street between Orange and Cuna Streets.
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