Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
On Sunday, December 1, 2024, parishes throughout the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America commemorated the indefatigable work of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (AEP) to support and defend the Holy Mother Church of Constantinople on the first annual National Archon Sunday, which has been established by unanimous decision of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Sacred Archdiocese of America. Also on Sunday, November 24, 2024, as well as Sunday, December 1, 2024, Orthodox Christian children throughout the Archdiocese were introduced to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and to the challenges that His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Mother Church of Constantinople face in this age, with the inaugural rollout of the Archon Sprout Program.
Our remarkable professional educators, Dr. Helen Nixon and Katina Limberakis Tsatalis, M.Ed., contributed hundreds of hours pro bono to create the Archon Sprout Program, and they did a splendid job. The program instills our children with filial love and respect for His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and a comprehensive understanding of the canonical, historical and ecclesiastical significance of the Holy Great Church of Christ. Archon Nick Tranto, Chair of the Archon Youth Activities Committee, and his team deserve our profound gratitude for this groundbreaking initiative, and we will continue working to make it an integral element of every parish’s religious education program. Once again, the generosity of Archon Michael and Robin Psaros has made this initiative possible, and our gratitude to them cannot possibly be overstated.
Meanwhile, National Archon Sunday provides the AEP with an annual opportunity to do for adults what the Archon Sprout Program does for children: imbue them with a renewed and deeper understanding of our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate, the role of the Ecumenical Patriarch in God’s Holy Church, and our efforts as Archons to protect the future of faith and support and defend our Holy Mother Church. By God’s grace, this annual commemoration will become a cornerstone of our efforts to raise awareness about the sacred center of our Holy Orthodox Faith, so that more Orthodox Christians will be moved to demonstrate, in whatever way they can, their devotion to His All-Holiness.
National Archon Sunday featured the reading of the first-ever Encyclical on the Archons by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. His Eminence stated of the Archons that “a visit to their website would reveal an incredible number of initiatives that impact the Church in America in positive, Christ-affirming ways. The Archons exercise a worldwide reach that extends to Greece and the Eparchies of the Ecumenical Throne to promote religious freedom around the globe, and recognize virtuous, humanitarian leadership through the annual Athenagoras Human Rights Award. Indeed, their voices are heard throughout the oikoumene!”
The Archon Sprout Program, an initiative of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to raise awareness about and love for our Ecumenical Patriarchate, is an age-specific and grade-specific program that covers every grade level from preschool to high school with a pre-prepared curriculum. This Archon Sprout Program was developed by Archons in the Metropolis of Pittsburgh under the wise guidance of Archon Tranto and his fellow Regional Commander Nicholas Terezis, as well as Archon Ted Argeroplos and Dr. Nixon and Ms. Tsatalis, who have 50 years of combined teaching experience. View the Archon Sprout Program website here.
All of us, as children of the Mother Church of Constantinople, are deeply grateful to our loving God for these initiatives, and to all of those who devoted their time, talent and treasure to making them come to fruition.
Yours in the service of our Holy Mother Church,
Anthony J. Limberakis, MD
Archon Megas Aktouarios
National Commander
