St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church

† B A R T H O L O M E W
By God’s Mercy Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome 
and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plenitude of the Church
Grace, Peace and Mercy from the Maker of All Creation
Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ

The Feast of the Indiction, the solemn day of prayers for the natural environment, finds once again humanity confronted with intense weather conditions due to mounting climate change, with devastating floods and fires across the globe, as well as with the Coronavirus pandemic and its socioeconomic consequences.

The fact that the restrictive measures in transportation and the limits imposed on industrial production have resulted in a reduction of pollutants and emissions, offered an additional valuable lesson on global interconnection and on the interdependence of all dimensions of life. Moreover, it has been also revealed anew that the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s ecological initiatives, which comprise an extension of the Church’s theology and liturgical tradition, correspond with scientific findings and with experts’ recommendations calling for multifaceted mobilization in order to protect the integrity of the natural environment.

We thus pray for the swift overcoming of the consequences of the health crisis and for the illumination from above of governments throughout the world, so that they do not return to or persist upon economism, to those principles of organization of the economic life, of production and consumption, of exhaustive exploitation of natural resources, principles that prevailed prior to the pandemic. Further, it is our genuine desire that the dissemination of pseudoscientific opinions concerning the purported dangers of the Covid-19 vaccines, the slander aimed toward specialists of the medical field, and the unfounded degradation of the seriousness of the disease, be terminated. Unfortunately, similar opinions are propagated in regard to climate change as well, its cause and its disastrous effects. The reality is entirely different, and must be faced with responsibility, collaboration, joint actions, and common vision.

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Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and IOCC partner to Provide Relief to Greece

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, following the launch of a nationwide fundraising campaign, will partner with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) to identify specific needs and distribute the funds that are being collected in order to provide long-term assistance in the wake of the recent catastrophic fires across Greece.

In making the announcement, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America said, “We are grateful to partner with International Orthodox Christian Charities, who has a long history of properly identifying how to best address the needs of those suffering from these catastrophes. Working together, we will offer much needed support to our brothers and sisters in Greece who have lost so much during these past weeks.”

Executive Director and CEO of IOCC Constantine Triantafilou stated, “We remain concerned for the people of Greece whose lives are impacted by these recent fires. IOCC is thankful for the leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros and for the support of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. We look forward to working together to address the mounting needs in the fire-ravaged regions of Greece.”

*International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is the humanitarian relief and development agency of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops of the United States of America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has provided more than $715 million in humanitarian relief and sustainable development programs in over 60 countries worldwide. Today, IOCC applies its expertise in humanitarian response to natural and manmade crises in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, offering assistance based solely on need.

“Even now as I speak to you, the fires are still ravaging Greece. And when this horror is over, thousands of our Greek brethren will be left without their homes and possessions. I am inviting whoever wishes to make a direct donation, to do so by visiting the website of our Archdiocese. May God, the Comforter, through the Holy Intercessions of the Virgin Mother of God, whose sacred Dormition we will celebrate in a few short days, send speedy relief to the people of Greece, and bring to an end this terrible inferno that continues to devastate our Ellada, την Ελλάδα μας.”

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America

GOARCH donation page:https://www.goarch.org/greecefiresdonate

GoFundMe donation page:https://gofund.me/291b0813

Due to recent mandates lifted by the Governor, we have changes to Covid guidelines and we are returning to normal operation during Church services.

• There is no more registration required.
• Social distancing is no longer required.
• Masks are required only if you are not vaccinated.

Thank you for your patience this past, difficult year. We look forward to seeing everyone at Church again, soon.

Click here to register

It is with much joy and excitement that I am sending you this email to announce that Camp Good Shepherd – New Jersey has officially returned and registration is now open for this year’s camp session, which will take place from August 15  – 21, 2021. 

We encourage our youth to attend this wonderful camping ministry. Please find attached to this email the flyer for the camp program and in addition the link for the Camp registration site found below:
app.campdoc.com/register/cgsn

At the direction of His Eminence,
Dn. Philotheos