The Ecumenical Patriarch granted the offikion of Hieromnemnon to John S. Theophilos
On Tuesday, July 5, 2022, the Ecumenical Patriarch awarded the Offikion of the Archon Hieromnemon of the Great Church of Christ to John S. Theophilos, from Tarpon Springs, USA.
In his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch congratulated the new Archon, who comes from Constantinople, and pointed out that He awarded him the Offikion of the Hieromnemon in recognition of his devotion to the Mother Church of Constantinople and his multidimensional contribution to the Holy Archdiocese of America. He noted with emotion that his immediate predecessor, Patriarch Dimitrios, had a special regard for his father, Theophilos Spyridon, with whom he maintained a sincere friendship and had honored him with the same Offikion.
“You are not a visitor, but you belong to this land, you do not visit here, but you return to your home,” the Ecumenical Patriarch stressed, while at another point in his speech he said that in the person of the new Archon, “we honor all the Greek diaspora of America, who is devoted to our Ecumenical Patriarchate and who these days organized the Clergy-Laity Assembly, and enters with it in the second hundred years of its life, action, and contribution. It is a historic moment for our Church and for the Diaspora of America.”
He also referred to the important event of the inauguration of the Saint Nicholas Church at “Ground Zero”, which is a reference point “because it reminds us of a tragic moment in the history of America, when three thousand people lost their lives, but also of the determination of the Americans to return to their daily lives with courage, with strength and with optimistic prospects for the future”.
In his response, the new Archon Hieromnemon expressed his gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarch for the great honor, while he referred with emotion to his descent from Constantinople and the inseparable ties that his family has maintained over time with the Mother Church of Constantinople.
Immediately afterwards, the Ecumenical Patriarch received the new Archon and his family at the Patriarchal Office.
Source: orthodoxtimes.com
More Photos: Nikos Papachristou / Ecumenical Patriarchate
