Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, together with the Metropolitans of the Holy Eparchial Synod, has officially designated Sunday, November 22, 2026, as this year’s Archon Sunday.
Archon Sunday is a day devoted to the canonical, historical, and ecclesiastical significance of our Holy Mother Church of Constantinople, and to the work of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation, which the Archons established to ensure the financial security of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for generations to come.
This marks the third year since His Eminence and the Holy Eparchial Synod approved the annual celebration of Archon Sunday on or near the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the First-Called, on November 30. His Eminence has also designated Archon Sunday as the day on which Sunday school teachers focus on the pivotal role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the life of the Church, using materials from the Archon Sprout Program.
The Archon Sprout Program, an age-specific and grade-specific Sunday School curriculum prepared by professional educators, introduces Orthodox Christian children throughout the Archdiocese of America to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Sacred Center of our Holy Orthodox Faith, and to the challenges that His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Mother Church of Constantinople face in our time.
If there is an Archon in your parish, he may speak after the Divine Liturgy about the five major challenges facing the Ecumenical Patriarchate today and the urgent need to protect our Holy Mother Church. He may also share what the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation are doing to secure the future of our Faith.
Please make every effort to attend the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 22. Help amplify the message of the global sacred mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and prayerfully consider what you can do to support and defend the Sacred Center of our Holy Orthodox Faith.
Yours in the service of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis
The Archon Grand Aktouarios
National Commander
