NEW YORK – Fordham University conferred yesterday its highest honor, the Honorary Doctorate of Laws, to
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
“for his remarkable service to the world community and for the principles that he continues to uphold.”
The solemn and historic conferral ceremony was held in the University Church at the Rose Hill Campus in Bronx, NY and was attended by many hundreds of people, University officials and trustees, professors and students, clergy of the Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox Churches, honored guests and hundreds of faithful.
“It is a grace to welcome your All Holiness,” said
Stephen Freedman
, Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, acting as the Master of Ceremonies.
His Excellency Timothy M. Dolan
, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York offered the invocation.
“AXIOS” (meaning “worthy” in Greek), was exclaimed several times by Fordham University President, the
Reverend Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
, as he highlighted the Ecumenical Patriarch’s work in the advancement of ecumenical dialogue, his devotion to the promotion of peace and his dedication to the cause of environmentalism.
His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan,
Papal Delegate of His Holiness Benedict XVI conveyed the welcome and brotherly greeting of the Pope and in his comments underlined the importance of dialogue which one day will lead to becoming one as “it is the wish of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Fr. McShane read the Citation and along with,
John N. Tognino
, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees conferred to His All Holiness the honorary degree. The Fordham University Choir sung the Ecumenical Patriarch’sPolychronion
(a prayer hymn for health and many productive years).
His All Holiness delivered a very important address entitled “Discerning God’s Presence in the World” in which he emphasized “
the primacy of ecumenicity or the value of opening up in a world that expects us ‘always to be prepared to give an answer to everyone that asks us to give the reason for the hope within us
.’” (1 Peter 3:15) In concluding the address, His All Holiness summarized the theme of his remarks:
"Opening up to the heart; opening up to the other; and opening up to creation. Our age demands no less than openness from all of us. We hear it stated often that our world is in crisis. Yet, never before in history have human beings had the opportunity to bring so many positive changes to so many people simply through encounter and dialogue
.” (see full text below)
For the rest of this News Release, visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Officially Opens Eighth Environmental Symposium in New Orleans
October 21, 2009
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew officially opened today the Eighth Religion, Science and the Environment (RSE) Symposium, entitled “Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River,” which takes place here for the next five days under his high patronage and includes a large and diverse group of theologians, scientists, policymakers, environmentalists, representatives of business and NGOs, and media.
NEW ORLEANS – His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew officially opened today the Eighth Religion, Science and the Environment (RSE) Symposium, entitled “Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River,” which takes place here for the next five days under his high patronage and includes a large and diverse group of theologians, scientists, policymakers, environmentalists, representatives of business and NGOs, and media.
Roman Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch and read a cordial, prayerful and personal message from Pope Benedict XVI in which he conveyed his support and solidarity in the effort of caring and protecting the environment and “the safeguarding of God’s creation.”
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in his very significant opening address said that “we have reached a defining moment in our history…the point where absolute limits to our survival are being reached,” and we “instead of living on income, or the available surplus of the earth, we are consuming environmental capital and destroying its resources as if there is no tomorrow.” (See full text below)
Following the Patriarchal Address, retired US Senator Paul Sarbanes, who is a participant in the symposium read a message from former Vice President Al Gore, in which he expressed his esteem and respect for the Ecumenical Patriarch’s perseverance demonstrated by this Eighth Environmental Symposium. Al Gore was the first to address Patriarch Bartholomew as the “Green Patriarch” in 1997 when welcoming him to Washington D.C.
Finally, Archbishop Demetrios, as the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, offered an official welcome to the Ecumenical Patriarch both to the United States and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “We are in this wounded city, New Orleans, and in an equally wounded River, the mighty Mississippi. And we are here to contribute, as much as it is possible, to the healing of both,” said Archbishop Demetrios and added that His All Holiness is “the Healer Patriarch who laboriously, incessantly, and deliberately serves in an extraordinary way the ecological healing process and tends to the wounds inflicted upon nature by human beings.”
Information on the Ecumenical Patriarch and his visit to the U.S. can also be found online at: www.goarch.org or www.usvisit2009.org and on the Mississippi symposium at: www.rsesymposia.org
Contact: Stavros Papagermanos
Tel.: (212) 570-3530 or (718) 415-5850
Email: pressoffice@goarch.org
Opening Address of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Symposium The Great Mississippi River: Restoring Balance’ (New Orleans, 21 October 2009)
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you all to the official opening of Symposium VIII, entitled “The Great Mississippi River”.
This Symposium is in many ways both historical and unique. This river comprises a microcosm of our planet. In its waters, we observe many of the world’s ecological issues. We are humbled in its presence. We have come to listen to its story, to learn from its history.
Let us consider our own presence on this great river.
As the Mississippi links the prairies to the sea, we ourselves form the link between the past and the future. Science has developed a theory to explain the beginning of the Universe almost 14 billion years ago, the beginning of simple life forms some 4 billion years ago and the birth of human beings a mere 160,000 yea For the rest of this News Release, visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website
Archbishop Demetrios Appoints Bishop Andonios of Phasiane New Chancellor of the Archdiocese
October 7, 2009
Archbishop Demetrios of America, in consultation with the Holy Eparchial Synod, has appointed His Grace, Bishop Andonios of Phasiane to be the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, effective October 1, 2009.
NEW YORK - Archbishop Demetrios of America, in consultation with the Holy Eparchial Synod, has appointed His Grace, Bishop Andonios of Phasiane to be the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, effective October 1, 2009.
On the occasion of this appointment, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America offered the following remarks: "We are very glad to have His Grace Bishop Andonios of Phasiane as the new Chancellor of the Archdiocese. In all the positions that he has held within the Archdiocese, as a lay theologian, a deacon, a presbyter and a Bishop, His Grace has served with remarkable zeal and diligence. We are confident that with the help of God and the blessings of our Holy Eparchial Synod Bishop Andonios will execute his new and responsible duties as Chancellor with exemplary dedication, care and effectiveness."
Bishop Andonios was elected on December 11, 2001 by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He was given the title of Bishop of Phasiane, an ancient Diocese in Pontos, the birthplace of his grandparents. His episcopal ordination took place at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York on Saturday, February 23, 2002.
Born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, the middle child of Steven and Despina Poulos (Paropoulos), he grew up in the local St. Demetrios parish. In 1976, he entered Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Mass., graduating in 1979 receiving a M. Div with Distinction and as President of the graduating class. After serving at various Archdiocesan institutions for five years in a lay capacity, he was ordained a Deacon on August 18, 1985 at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity by the late Archbishop Iakovos. He served for almost 4½ years as Deacon to the Archbishop until December 3, 1989, when he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood.
Following his ordination, he continued to serve in both the Office of the Archbishop and the Office of the Chancellery and was Assistant Chancellor and Personnel Director of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America. On February 24, 1991, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. After a sabbatical in Greece from 1991-1992, he returned to the Archdiocese and was subsequently assigned to the parish of Zoodohos Peghe in the Bronx until 1995. At that time, he returned to the Archdiocese to assist with the retirement of Archbishop Iakovos and also assumed the position of Coordinator for the 1996 Clergy-Laity Congress, which was held in New York. In July of that year, he was appointed Director of St. Michael's Home in Yonkers, NY, where he continues to serve as Director, and in June 2000, Archbishop Demetrios appointed him to the new position of Director of the Archdiocesan Department of Philanthropy. In addition, he serves as the advisor to the National Board of the Ladies Philoptochos Society and to the Direct Archdiocesan District Philoptochos Board. Since 2007 he has been responsible for the Benevolence Fund of the Archdiocese for Retired Clergy and Widowed Presvyteres and in the Spring of 2008, organized and heads the Committee which oversees the Direct Archdiocesan District's Camp St. Paul .
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