Archbishop Elpidophoros at the Centennial Celebration of St. Barbara in Orange, CT

BOSTON – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over the centennial celebrations of the St. Barbara Greek Orthodox parish in Orange, CT on September 28 and 29. It was the first visit of the Archbishop to the parish which is under this direct archpastoral care. Arriving early in the afternoon on Saturday, September 28 he was welcomed by Fr. Peter Orfanakos, presiding priest of the parish for 23 years, and other officials of the parish.

Fr. Peter told The National Herald that “His Eminence arrived on Saturday afternoon to an enthusiastic group who welcomed him on his first visit to the community. After a brief tour of the Church and surrounding parish complex His Eminence had lunch with a small group of ministry leaders. During the lunch they shared with His Eminence their own journey of faith and experiences in the parish and Church.”

Fr. Peter also said that “after the luncheon, His Eminence met privately with twenty-one young adults from the community. The parish’s Young Adults are one of 14 Orthodox parish groups (not just GOA) throughout out the United States who are part of the Telos Project, which is a national initiative spearheaded by the Office of Vocation Ministry at HCHC through a grant from the Lilly Foundation. The project seeks to assist the Church in the manner that it ministers to young adults. His Eminence listened carefully, and lovingly asked the young adults present how the Church can better meet their needs. They shared some of their research findings as well as their own personal journeys with the Archbishop, who actively listened and shared his own hopes and ideas.  He reminded them that their voice needs to be heard and he thanked them for their honesty, dedication, and hospitality. The young adults left the meeting inspired by what they heard and honored that His Eminence chose to spend time interacting with them.”

Later Saturday evening the parish gathered for a sold-out Gala that was attended by His Eminence, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, and other dignitaries including Connecticut State Representative and Saint Barbara Parishioner Themis Klarides, and Paulette Poulos, Executive Director of Leadership 100.

The Highlight of the weekend, however, was the Archieratical Divine Liturgy on Sunday that was followed by a luncheon and brief program that featured speeches by several members of the parish.  Rev. Steven Sarigianis, a well-respected and loved, retired priest who assists at the parish, was honored for his 65th year in the Priesthood and presented with a beautiful pectoral cross by His Eminence on behalf of the parish.

The Archbishop in his sermon said among other things that “on this weekend we celebrate one hundred years of God’s grace to this community. Over that span of time, your parish has received many blessings, spiritual and material. However, an abundance of blessings alone does not ensure long life for a parish. A community like this grows and thrives only when the members see each other as family, and not merely as fellow parishioners.”
He added that “as you look ahead to the next century of service to our God, commit yourselves anew to the law of love. Work together gladly. Give generously. Forgive freely. Love one another sincerely. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Fr. Peter told TNH that “the Centennial celebration of a parish provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice, love and dedication of previous generations who established the foundation of the parish on the Rock that is Christ. It also grants us the occasion to gather together, give thanks and glorify God for blessings seen and unseen as we continue forward on our journey towards salvation.”

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