Dear Brother Archons and Friends,
At the time of this writing, we just learned that His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has tested positive for COVID. His symptoms are mild, as he is fully vaccinated and we pray for a speedy and uneventful recovery! Περαστικά Παναγιώτατε!
The Holy Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is the great feast of hope, the unmistakable sign of God’s love and mercy for His people. This Christmas season in particular, we see so many signs of hope renewed: the development of life-saving vaccines; the recent triumphal visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States; the impactful ministry of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America; the astonishingly rapid growth of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation; and so much more.
As we give thanks to Almighty God for His unending blessings, we are grateful above all for His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has completed a remarkable and spiritually enriching thirty years on the sacred throne of the Holy Mother Church. We are likewise thankful to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros and for all his tireless efforts to revitalize and strengthen our Holy Archdiocese of America. Additionally, we offer our heartfelt gratitude to Fr. Alex Karloutsos, who recently retired from the GOA, for his continued service to the Order of St. Andrew and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation where he remains as beloved Spiritual Advisor supporting the growth of the Foundation.
We likewise give thanks for each of you, your families, and for your ongoing labors on behalf of our Mother Church. As you know, there is a great deal more work to do. We remain in prayer for those Christians around the world who are heavily laden and suffering persecution, particularly the Christians of Turkey. We pray to the Lord Jesus and His All-Holy Mother that 2022 will bring them some relief and reward for their long suffering for their Christian faith, and we are newly determined to do everything possible to protect and defend the religious freedom of our Mother Church of Constantinople and of Christians worldwide. Our friends and faithful have already raised $19.171 million for the Holy Mother Church, and that is just the beginning of our efforts to secure the financial stability of the Holy Center of our Orthodox Faith in perpetuity.
During this Christmas season, as always, we express our unstinting gratitude for the greatest gifts of all:
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America,
The venerable Metropolitans of the Holy Eparchial Synod,
Protopresbyter Father Alexander Karloutsos,
All our beloved parish priests under the jurisdiction of the Holy Mother Church,
Our Brother Archons, for their devotion to the Holy Mother Church of Constantinople.
Maria and I, our children, and grandchildren wish our brother Archons and their beloved families a joyous and blessed Christmas.
Yours in defense of the Holy Mother Church,
Anthony J. Limberakis, MD
Archon Aktouarios
National Commander
