March 25, 2009
The Feast of the Annunciation and
Day of Greek Independence
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am lovingly and joyfully writing to you on this solemn day, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary. This Feast is celebrated in the midst of the season of Great and Holy Lent, and, thus, it provides us the blessed possibility to enjoy the unending love of God for us as we continue along our spiritual journey to Holy Week. On this unique day, the God-sent Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to Her future things to come, the nature of which no other human being in the history of humankind had ever heard nor will ever hear again:
Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus (Luke 1: 28-31). The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Luke 1: 35)
The response of the Virgin Mary to the greeting of the Archangel was definitive: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word (Luke 1:38). With these words, the Virgin Mary accepted the immense responsibility of giving birth to the Son of God. With these words, she accepted the unique and amazing blessing of becoming the very Mother of God, the Bearer of God, as we so address Her with the most holy and reverential title Theotokos.
Her obedience to the will of God to give birth to His only-begotten Son, the Christ, and to be His Mother carry monumental significance. By Her full and unwavering acceptance of God’s will, the Theotokos reversed the terrible consequences of Eve’s tragic choice to disobey the will of God. By Her words and actions, the Virgin Mary made it possible for us to experience a full and total restoration from our tormented human condition, so that, in Christ, all human beings could live in authentic communion with God as He intended for us since the beginning of the cosmos.
Beyond Her exemplary words of obedience to the will of God, the Theotokos also demonstrated unparalleled courage when she accepted God’s most awesome charge of giving birth to His Son. For in the months and years that followed, the Virgin Mary, the Panaghia, faced unprecedented difficulties which called for uncommon bravery. It is enough for us to remember the birth of Christ in a cave in Bethlehem, the flight to Egypt to escape the dangers to the newborn Jesus’ life imposed by Herod’s wrath, and the sight of Her Son hanging upon the Cross. Hers was a level of courage that human language fails to express and which can only be attributed to the Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary and Theotokos, a courage most unique in its grandeur and in its authenticity as compared to the courage of all other human beings.
These characteristics of obedience to the will of God, and the courage of the Most Holy Theotokos have inspired Christian For the rest of this News Release, visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website
Fr. James Kordaris Appointed Director of Stewardship, Outreach and Evangelism
March 18, 2009
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios has announced the appointment of Fr. James Kordaris to the position of Director of Stewardship, Outreach & Evangelism.
NEW YORK – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios has announced the appointment of Fr. James Kordaris to the position of Director of Stewardship, Outreach & Evangelism. Since 2003, Fr. Kordaris has served the Archdiocese as Director of Outreach & Evangelism.
In announcing this appointment, Archbishop Demetrios commented, “This new department, being the result of merging two departments, will renew our focus on Stewardship resources and education while advancing Outreach and Evangelism and producing practical and modern resources for Parish Ministry. We entrust the leadership of Stewardship Ministries into the able hands of Fr. James Kordaris. These new responsibilities will surely complement his work in the area of outreach and evangelism and continue our work under the ongoing theme of our last Clergy-Laity Congress, Gather My People to My Home.”
Fr. Kordaris will work together with the Stewardship Commission and the Outreach & Evangelism Advisory Board of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Both are comprised of representatives from each Metropolis and the Direct Archdiocesan District and were formed to share best practices from parishes throughout the country and support Archdiocesan efforts to provide guidance and practical resources to the parishes.
Fr. Kordaris was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has BA (1979) and MBA (1983) degrees from the University of Minnesota. He served St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis in many capacities, including Parish Council President and Stewardship Chair. Following twelve years in the financial services industry, he entered Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, receiving his Master of Divinity degree in 1999. He was ordained to the Diaconate in 1998 and to the Priesthood in 1999. He has served parishes in Jamaica, NY and Roslyn Heights, NY, and has been the Director of Outreach and Evangelism since 2003.
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