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Archbishop’s Welcome Message |
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Welcome to the newly redesigned website of the Italo-Greek Orthodox Church in the Americas and Canada. As you make your way through this site, you will find that it is still a work in progress. You will also notice that it contains a great deal of information, information about who we are, what we believe, what we are doing, what we hope to accomplish and what our vision is for the future.
Our new website is a “business plan”, if you will; a visual presentation of the Archdiocese’s five-year strategic plan which guides the active reorganization and reconstitution of the Italo-Greek Church, a Church rich in history, tradition and faith which has its historical origins in Sicily and Southern Italy.
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As a business plan, it presents to the viewer how we intend to rebuild and organize our Church, how we plan to utilize and account for the financial and material assets and resources given to us by others, and how we plan to carry out our divine mission of transforming, transfiguring, sanctifying and caring for the world and all God’s children. It lays out our vision of creating a truly Christ-centered Church. We intend to achieve this goal by being, at all times, a servant Church, a stewardship Church, a tithing Church, and an accountable and transparent Church.
As an Orthodox Christian Church, we are committed to bringing the good news and transforming message of Jesus Christ to every person we encounter: poor and rich, prostitutes and drug addicts, the unloved and the marginalized, believers and unbelievers alike; and to every segment of society: to homes and workplaces, schools and colleges, hospitals and prisons, fire departments and law enforcement agencies, to rodeos and motorcycle gangs, to soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Wherever an opportunity exists to bring and share the good news of the Gospel and the Orthodox Christian Faith, you will find us there, unashamed and eager to do the work of the Lord!
We know that in order to be faithful disciples of Christ, we must be solidly rooted in His teachings and in His life. Without Christ being the center of our own lives, our words and actions are empty and meaningless.
Since the death in 1982 of His Beatitude, Archbishop GENNADIOS, of blessed-memory, we have watched our beloved Church steadily deteriorate and almost once again pass into oblivion. The past 22 years have been very difficult for our small Church, yet by God’s grace we have nevertheless continued to survive and maintain our community, although with much less substance and numbers than we had in 1982. We have watched our membership dwindle from over 60,000 in 1982 to less than 1,200 today. Our congregations, which once numbered fourteen, are now down to four active communities, the remaining ten having been placed in dormant status. It was a very difficult decision to place those communities on inactive status, but, as I have said so many times in the past, we cannot call ourselves Orthodox Christians or identify ourselves as Italo-Greek Orthodox Christians and not live our faith responsibly and actively. Being a member of the Church, and of a parish, mission or fellowship, is not like being a member of a club in which we participate only when it’s convenient for us. On the contrary, being a member of the Church carries with it responsibilities and obligations which must be fulfilled: to the Church, to one’s own parish, mission or fellowship, and to each other.
While we have had to make some difficult decisions and endure many disappointments, and while we still face some challenges ahead of us, we nevertheless are filled with joy and the bright prospects of rebirth, renewal and growth. We know that every gift we have received from our rootedness in God, and all the shoots of life and rebirth which are springing forth from the Church, are there to bear fruit for all the people of our Archdiocese, both present and future. And make no mistakes, the future IS a bright one. We just had to prune the vine a little so that the healthy branches that remain will flourish and bear fruit.
Our five-year strategic plan, which manifests itself in this website, makes exciting reading and is full of innovative ways of being Church. You will see that our emphasis in moving forward is to create and be truly a servant Church, a stewardship Church, a tithing Church, and a Church of accountability and transparency at all levels.
Our progress in rebuilding has been slower than expected in several areas but it has given us, on the other hand, an opportunity to revisit and rethink our goals and vision for the Church. In evaluating all that has happened since my enthronement as bishop, where we are today, and the possibilities that lay before us, I can say with confidence that we have matured and grown in many ways. Additionally, we have identified what is truly important and necessary for us as Orthodox Christians and as a local Church with a specific mission and purpose.
In that we are a Church rebuilding on a proud history, we have been given a great opportunity to put in place practices and a life which draws upon a faithful adherence to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the apostolic tradition of the Church so that we can avoid the mistakes and problems which currently plague some of the other local Orthodox Churches. If there are any lessons to be learned from the sad events which have taken and are taking place in our sister Orthodox Churches, it’s that we can no longer function in a “business as usual” manner. No, on the contrary, dramatic changes must take place in the way we exist as Church, in the way we relate to each other, in the way we conduct ourselves, in the way we administrate the Church, and in the way we present ourselves to the wider community, the general public, to the world, and to non-believers.
Nothing in the Church is relative. Nothing in and about the Church is politically correct. The Church, and we as Orthodox Christians, are counter-cultural and because we stand against the current culture, we are and will be unpopular. Our beliefs, our practices, our way of life does not conform to those of the world and for that reason we are looked upon as being out of touch, irrelevant, intolerant and even hateful. But, such is the fate of a true disciple of Christ. Such is the price we pay for being bearers of the truth. What you will see as you continue your visit through our website, is our vision of how we intend to go about bringing that truth to all people everywhere and making God’s presence known to all through Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to refine and finish this site. It is a work in progress and we thank you for taking the time to visit and learn about us. If you have any questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact me personally. I can be contacted by email at metropolitan@igoarch.org or by phone at 315-368-8753.
May Christ, who is the beginning and end of all things, fill your hearts with love, joy and peace and may He bless you and your loved ones always and forever.
In His service, I remain,
Your unworthy servant,
+STEPHEN
Bishop of Utica Metropolitan of the Americas and Canada of the Italo-Greeks Archbishop of Siracusa and All Sicily Primate of the Italo-Greek Orthodox Church. |
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Copyright 2010 - 2011 Italo-Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of the Americas and Canada 1101 Howard Avenue, Utica, NY 13501 (315)-368-8753 Email: chancery@igoarch.org
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“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” Psalm 26:4 |
