In the course of his Apostolic Visit to the United States, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Saturday, September 20, 2025 attended a banquet that was held in his honor at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Southampton, New York.
His All-Holiness elevated Dormition church to the status of cathedral on Sunday, September 21, 2025, as he conferred the title Grand Protopresbyter of the Holy and Great Church of Christ upon the Spiritual Advisor the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Father Alexander Karloutsos. Father Alex was instrumental in the expansion of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
In his remarks at the banquet, His All-Holiness noted that “our humble person has a most significant relationship with the clergy families that serve this extraordinary parish. Father Alex and Presvytera Xanthi and their family – Father Constantine and Presvytera Anastasia. They are extraordinary leaders – both the Presbyters and Presvyteres, and they manifest legacies that reach back to their blesséd and ever-memorable parents.” He added: “You, the devoted children of the Ecumenical Patriarchate who reside in America, are a continual and abiding source of paternal and Patriarchal pride to us.”
