PRESS RELEASE

The world will continue to face an unabated risk of an irreversible environmental disaster unless there is a fundamental change in the collective human heart, warned His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch at a gathering of distinguished environmentalists, scholars, entrepreneurs and activists, which he convened on the island of Heybeliada/Halki from June 18th-20th.

“The real crisis is not in the environment but in the human heart,” said His All-Holiness as he opened the gathering, known as the Halki Summit and co-organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Southern New Hampshire University. It was the latest green initiative by the Ecumenical Patriarch, whose activities over the past two decades have included five educational seminars on Halki island, site of a famous monastery and theological school, and eight water-borne symposia in places ranging from Brazil to Greenland.

His All-Holiness expressed his gratitude to the co-sponsor of the summit, Southern New Hampshire University, which is the first carbon neutral campus in the state of New Hampshire and nationally recognized for its innovative programs in the Unites States. President Paul LeBlanc commented: “A central role of universities is to convene expert people around complicated and critical questions, and no more important question faces us than the fate of our planet.”

Jane Goodall, the East Africa-based conservationist and founder of a green movement that operates in over 130 countries, said she had come to the Halki summit to drive home her belief that “every individual makes a difference every day of life, and we have a choice as to what sort of difference we make.”

Jim Hansen, president of the NASA Institute for Climate Change, called for religious leaders to renew their engagement with a global environmental challenge which was steadily growing in gravity. “We cannot ignore the consequences of continued unchecked exploitation of fossil fuels without creating a tragedy of monstrous proportions,” he said.

Other keynote speakers included Bill McKibben, founder of the global climate protest movement 350.org, and Gary Hirschberg, founder of the organic yoghurt company Stonyfield Mountain.

Closing the summit, His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon, said the gathering had marked a new milestone in a dialogue between religion and science, which had shown up a deep interdependence between the two fields of knowledge. “Religion and science do not complement one another, they interpenetrate one another,” he said, while calling for an intensified effort to promote environmental awareness at all stages of education. For further information, visit www.halkisummit.org.

NEW YORK – Archbishop Demetrios of America has appointed the Rev. Fr. Jason C. Roll as the National Director of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries effective July 1, 2012, succeeding Rev. Fr. Mark Leondis who served as National Youth Director from 2000 to 2011. Father Jason is currently serving as the assistant priest at the parish of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge, California.   Previously he was a part time assistant at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Rochelle, NY.

Father Jason has over 20 years experience in the field of youth work and camping ministries, as well as 18 years of business and professional management experience. Under the direction of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Fr. Jason served as the Director of Ionian Village from 2009-2011. He has also directed various youth camps throughout our Archdiocese and served in many areas of youth, young adult and campus ministry, most recently including the OCF-West Spiritual Advisor.

Commenting on the appointment of Fr. Jason Roll, Archbishop Demetrios of America said,  “Fr. Jason brings to the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries a vigorous faith, an unwavering enthusiasm and strong, managerial skills.  I am sure that with the help of God he will work diligently, creatively and effectively on the challenging, but also promising, field of the youth related activities of our Church.”

“With the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, I look forward to serving the youth and young adults of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America” said Father Jason.  “My goal is to strengthen the relationship between God and the Greek Orthodox youth through supportive Christ-centered resources aimed at sustaining youth leaders. I look forward to enhancing and establishing a greater online presence with a live resource center for Orthodox youth, young adults, parish youth leaders and parents.”

Father Jason is originally from Portland, Oregon and is a graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a minor in Behavioral Sciences. He received his Masters of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology where he graduated cum laude in 2009.  Prior to attending Holy Cross, Father Jason worked for companies such as US Bank, NIKE Inc. and as a Neuroscience Treatment Team Manager and Pharmaceutical Sales Representative with Eli Lilly and Company. He is married to Presvytera Sandra (Salidas) of Sacramento, California and they have three children, Demetre, Theodore and Georgios.

NEW YORK – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, responding to the loving wish of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to help, if possible, with part of the proceeds collected in the “Relief Fund for the People of Greece” the suffering people in the Holy Metropolises of Crete and the Holy Metropolises of Dodecanese, sent to these Metropolises funds totaling $190,000.

Specifically, the total amount of $130,000 was sent to the Holy Archdiocese of Crete and to the eight Metropolises of the Orthodox Church in Crete and the total amount of $60,000 was sent to the five Metropolises of the Dodecanese and the Holy Monastery of Patmos.

Archbishop Demetrios in his letter to the Hierarchs accompanying the check noted that the amount is an offering for the special programs of these Churches for the relief (food, shelter, medicine) of the suffering people in their area. “This is an offering of love of the parishes and individuals of our Holy Archdiocese of America, who responded to the call for solidarity and support of the Greek people during this difficult period, with what they could and despite the adverse economic conditions that exist here as well.”

Jun 11, 2012

NEW YORK – “The new World Trade Center will not be whole and complete until the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is rebuilt.”  With these words, Patrick J. Foye, Executive Director of the Port Authority welcomed Archbishop Demetrios and other representatives of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the St. Nicholas parish. The meeting was held, June 6, at the offices of the Director for the WTC construction, Steven Plate, and included a comprehensive presentation of the planning and construction underway in the World Trade Center. The future site of St. Nicholas Church was a significant part of the presentation through architectural plans and virtual reality renderings.

Archbishop Demetrios praised New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for his role in achieving a positive resolution for the rebuilding of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, the only house of worship destroyed during the attacks of September 11, 2001. His Eminence also remarked on the important role of New York Senator and Majority Leader Dean Skelos and other individuals including Greek- American entrepreneur Archon Dennis Mehiel, who was present at the meeting. Other participants included His Grace Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, His Grace Bishop Sevastianos of Zela, Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod, Fr. Alexander Karloutsos, Fr. Mark Arey, Dr. Anthony Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons, Aphrodite Skeadas, National President of the National Greek Orthodox Philoptochos Society, Dr. John Grossomanides, Supreme President of AHEPA, Stamatios Lykos and Olga Pavlakos, representing the St. Nicholas Parish, Nicholas Koutsomitis, architect, Dn. Aristidis Garinis, Stavros Papagermanos, press officer for GOA and Archon Demetrios Panagos, photographer.

Following the presentation at the office, Steven Plate, the director of the WTC Construction and his associates led His Eminence and the other participants on a tour through the construction site. They stopped in front of the site where St. Nicholas is to be built at the corner of Liberty and Greenwich streets (the south-east corner of WTC) and viewed the vast understructures for the Vehicle Security Center now under construction, which will be situated beneath the Church. St. Nicholas will be built 25 feet above street level, atop a park directly facing the 9/11 Memorial, which will receive 250,000 passers-by every day when the transportation hubs are complete.

Following a walk around the Memorial Plaza and the footprints of the fallen towers, the group took a construction elevator first to the 37th and then to the 90th floor of the One World Trade Center Tower (previously known as Freedom Tower) which is still under construction and will reach 104 floors, making it the tallest building in the western hemisphere. From that vantage point Archbishop Demetrios and his entourage were able to view the entire area of the World Trade Center, and the extraordinary work performed there, part of which will be, by the grace of God, our St. Nicholas Church.

Steven Plate, asked Archbishop Demetrios to inscribe a thought on one of the steel columns on the 90th floor and His Eminence wrote:
"This is a miracle of human creativity love and courage in defeating hatred and darkness, and in building love, hope and perspective of a bright future for our beautiful America, the place of God’s love and blessings." †Archbishop Demetrios of America – 6.6.12 .
For  photos of the tour visit: http://p For the rest of this News Release, visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website