Archbishop presides at anniverary

Sunday, November 18, 2007

By MICHAEL McAULIFFE

mmcauliffe@repub.com


SPRINGFIELD - To conclude the celebration of the 100th anniversary of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Western Massachusetts, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in America came to the city this weekend.

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios celebrated the Great Vespers last night at the cathedral in Memorial Square, which was followed by a reception at the Greek Cultural Center. He is scheduled to celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom this morning and then attend a banquet at the Springfield Sheraton hotel where he will meet a number of dignitaries, including Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

Demetrios, the leader of about 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians in the United States, has been archbishop since September 1993. The 79-year-old Demetrios visited Springfield in 2001, the 100th anniversary of the first Greek Orthodox services in Western Massachusetts.


Before last night's service, Demetrios said he was "more than glad" to be in the city, and glad members of the Greek Orthodox faith were celebrating the 100th anniversary of the cathedral.

"It's a very lovely and live community," Demetrios said.

The archbishop, who lives in New York City, also spoke about the challenges facing Greek Orthodox Christians in America. He said one challenge is how to combine life in the most technologically advanced society in the world "with a fullness and genuineness of the Orthodox tradition."

Demetrios said another challenge - one he believes all religions face - is connecting with young adults who have limited participation in church life.

"They seem to be very busy, very concerned with their future," he said. Demetrios spoke about mixed marriages, where one spouse is a member of the church and the other comes from a different religious background. The different faith traditions can present a problem, and Demetrios said the work of the church must include offering the non-Orthodox member solid, nonadversarial instruction in the faith.

"They have to overcome, perhaps, a number of inherent difficulties," Demetrios said.

Demetrios was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He was ordained a deacon in 1960 and a priest four years later.

From 1983 to 1993, Demetrios was the distinguished professor of biblical studies and Christian origins at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline. In the 1980s he also taught at Harvard Divinity School.

St. George's was founded in 1907 on Auburn Street. The Memorial Square church has been the site of St. George's for well over a half century.

As part of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the church, Panagias Chapel in the cultural center was renovated and consecrated.

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