On Friday, October 16, 2026, during the annual Archon Weekend of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (AEP) at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel, Archon National Council and Regional Commanders held a joint luncheon meeting. Numerous Archons offered enlightening and inspiring summaries of their activities in their respective Metropolises.
Archon Nikiforos Mathews, Esq. of the Direct Archdiocesan District reported that Archons had given 25 speeches in 25 parishes, creating visibility for the Archons and raising awareness of the situation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He added that 1500 students were enrolled in the Archon Sprouts program, and detailed efforts educate seminarians about the issues regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the role of the Archons. The senior seminarians of the Holy Cross School of Theology annually spend a week at the Archdiocese meeting with the various Departments and Institutions, including the AEP. After the presentation, the AEP hosts the seminarians at a fine Greek restaurant in NYC.
Archon Michael Neamonitakis then spoke about the success of Greek Jersey Night at Yankee Stadium, which 2500 Greek-Americans attended. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros threw out first pitch, and the event raised $40,000 for Camp Saint Paul, the Direct Archdiocesan District’s youth camp in Litchfield, Connecticut.
Speaking about Archon efforts within the Metropolis of Boston, Archon James Speros discussed the Pan-Orthodox celebration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy at Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church in Braintree. His Beatitude Archbishop Joani of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, as well as His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston all attended.
Archon Speros also detailed efforts to establish the first Archon Sunday in Canada. He explained the Archons’ quarterly learning series on Zoom, Faith In Focus, which has featured Dr. John Fotopoulos and will soon feature a presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, and detailed other successful efforts of the Archons in the region. Archon Speros also discussed a new pocket-size book that the Archons have produced: Wisdom and Inspiration from His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, beautifully designed by Archon John Mindala. Archon Speros stated that this wonderful book of inspiration and quotes can be used for a variety of purposes: it can be given to, among many others, legislators and Pilgrimage of Discovery participants.
Archon Speros’ fellow Regional Commander in the Metropolis of Boston, Costa Sideridis, pointed out that the Greek Heritage Night model can work anywhere, and can be used not just as a celebration of Hellenic identity and culture, but to raise awareness of issues involving the Holy Mother Church.
Archon Brock Martin of the Metropolis of Detroit discussed the difficulties of organizing events in his geographically far-flung region with a relatively sparse Orthodox population, and the Archons discussed various strategies to overcome this difficulty.
Metropolis of Pittsburgh Regional Commander Nicholas Tranto spoke of the enormous success of the Archon Sprout program, noting plans to translate every Sprout lesson into Spanish, and stating that the Archons had received requests to translate it also into French and even Mandarin Chinese.
Archon Nicholas Terezis, the other Regional Commander for the Metropolis of Pittsburgh, stated that between events, he and Archon Tranto communicate opportunities to Archons to serve and participate. He spoke of a successful day at Saint Constantine School in Pittsburgh, where Archon George Spanos gave a presentation on the Green Patriarch, detailing His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s prophetic words on the environment, and held a tree-planting ceremony to emphasize that the lesson was not about abstract principles, but was meant to inspire genuine action.
Archon Theodore Konopisos of the Metropolis of San Francisco noted with satisfaction the influx of new, young Archons, and stated that the message of Archon John Zavitsanos at Archon Boot Camp was so important that it should be nationally presented.
Archon Michael Camarinos of the Metropolis of New Jersey offered details of the celebration of the nameday of His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, who has since become Archbishop of Canada. The celebration also commemorated His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s 35th year as Ecumenical Patriarchate featuring Archon George Demacopoulos and the National Commander as keynote speakers.
Another Regional Commander for the Metropolis of New Jersey, Archon George A. Tsougarakis, praised his fellow Regional Commanders of the Metropolis and spoke of efforts to educate the faithful in parishes regarding the nature and importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Regional Commander Cary J. Limberakis, also of the Metropolis of New Jersey, discussed plans for another Archon symposium, noting that the symposium held last year on the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea was a resounding success.
Archon Andrew Manatos spoke of the wisdom of providing in one’s will for a bequest to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation.
Archon John Manos, Regional Commander Emeritus of the Metropolis of Chicago, said that Chicago-area Archons held a Zoom meeting every two months, as well regular business meetings and an orientation meeting for Archons-elect. Area Archons plan to pair an Archon with a Pilgrimage of Discovery participant to do joint presentation at various churches. He also discussed several successful presentations Archons in the region have made.
From the Metropolis of Atlanta, Archon Gregory B. Saad, Regional Commander for Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and Co-Chair of the Regional Commanders Laison Committee noted that His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was present at an Archon-sponsored dinner in New Orleans for the Hellenic Dance Festival. He also stated that all five of the parishes in his area that have Archons are observing Archon Sunday, and that the Archons are reaching out to the parishes that don’t have Archons.
Archon Konstantinos Mastorakis, also of the Metropolis of Atlanta for the region of South Florida, noted that Archon Aristotle Papanikolaou, Professor of Theology at Fordham University and co-founding director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham, had spoken at a successful event in South Florida, and that much more was soon to come.
Another Regional Commander for the Metropolis of Atlanta, Frank Boardman of the Carolinas, said that working with the Executive Council on a script that Archons could use for Archon Sunday had been a worthwhile process, and he encouraged others to bring their ideas to the Executive Council.
Archon Stephanos G. Trakas, also of the Metropolis of Atlanta for North and South Carolina, said that in his area, he was asking Archons to adopt parishes, reach out to them, and identify potential Archons. The Archons also reached out to Sunday school teachers and directors to get them prepared for Archon Sunday.
Archon Theodore P. Vlahos of the Metropolis of Atlanta for Northern and Central Florida invited the Archons to Epiphany celebrations in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a city with a strong Greek character, on January 3, 2027. He also discussed the annual symposium that the area Archons present, on topics such as the Istanbul Pogrom of 1955. At every event, he said, the Archons discuss the importance of supporting the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
After the presentations of the Regional Commanders, Archon Constantine Caras, chair of the Nominating Committee for New Archons, and Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, The Archon Grand Aktouarios and National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, discussed the procedure for notifying new Archons of their selection.
