On Thursday January 5th, 2023 The Archons of the Tampa Bay area along with all the Clergy helped welcome His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater to begin the Epiphany celebration. A welcome reception was held along with a tour of the new church and recently placed iconography.
On Friday, Epiphany Day, January 6th, Local Archons along with many visiting Archons from across the nation participated in the Liturgy, Blessing of the Waters at Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs and the famous Dive for the Holy Cross, a Tarpon Springs tradition for more than one hundred years. The day concluded with a Glendi at the St. Nicholas Community Hall.
That evening, His Eminence was hosted, along with a number of Tampa Bay Archons, to a spectacular gourmet dinner at the beautiful home of Archon Markos Lagos and his wife Sevasti.
The following day, Saturday January 7th, His Eminence travelled to St. Augustine, Florida, for the 40th Anniversary Gala of St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine. At the Gala, Archon Ted Pappas of Jacksonville was honored for his work in founding and designing the shrine and presented by His Eminence with the medal of St. Paul. In attendance were National Council members Dr. Nick Loutsion and Carl Hollister, Regional Commander Dr. Ted Vlahos, and many Archons from throughout the country.