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Message for Tuesday, August 12thDear Brother Clergy,
Today I received from National Philoptochos the following message which is short and inspiring. I offer to you to share with your parishioners as you are able.
Faithfully yours,
+Fr. George Tsahakis, Chancellor
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Religious Education Survey - Clergy, please distribute to your religious educators
July 14, 2025 Beloved Clergy, Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers,
I hope this message finds you well. As we wrk together to enhance religious education in our Archdiocese, we recognize the importance of understanding the needs and challenges faced by our Sunday School programs. To help with this, we've created a "Greek Orthodox Sunday School Needs Assessment" survey (find the button below for the link).
I kindly ask that you share the survey link with your Sunday School directors, teachers, and religious educators. Their insights and feedback will be crucial in helping us understand their needs and provide the necessary support. We also encourage you to take a few moments to complete the survey yourself, regardless of whether you are teaching any classes.
Your cooperation in this matter would be greatly appreciated and will make a significant difference in our efforts to strengthen our Sunday School programs. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to nurturing the faith and education of our youth.
With gratitude and paternal love in Christ,
♱ Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos
Chief Secretary, Holy Eparchial Synod.
Archiepiscopal Vicar, Hellenic Orthodox Community of Astoria.
National Director, Department of Religious Education (DRE).
Spiritual Advisor, National Philoptochos Society.
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America | 8 East 79th Street | New York, NY 10075 US -
July 8, 2025 Reminders for Wedding PlanningMy dear Brother Clergy,
Thank you for sending in your wedding paperwork to our Registry Office at least four weeks in advance of the sacrament. Some clergy report they have difficulties with this and to help, we recommend they not confirm the date of the wedding with the bridal couple until the ecclesiastical paperwork is completed, just as they are used to doing when they reserve and make deposits for their reception venue.
Also, our Registry Office has been receiving calls related to planning delays as follows:
1) If an Orthodox is getting married abroad, the "Freedom to Marry Form" must be affirmed by our Metropolitan well in advance to ensure the destination clergy fulfill their local ecclesiastical obligations.
2) Our parishioners planning a re-marriage after a Civil Divorce need your help in obtaining an Ecclesiastical Divorce before any wedding dates are confirmed for a subsequent marriage. Proactively educating your parishioners that our Orthodox practice is that every parishioner who has received a Civil Divorce should not wait until re-marriage, but immediately begin seeking to return to be in good ecclesiastical standing. (This last point is unknown by many and we can help our faithful by offering our help much earlier.)
This message's aim is to support and remind our clergy that the Registry Office seeks to issue "Episcopal Licenses to Marry" quickly and efficiently. Your help with the above further assists this goal. We thank you.
For ongoing questions, feel free to contact JoAnne Mertzanis, [email protected], who oversees the Registry Office. You also can email me if needed.
Faithfully yours,
+Fr. George Tsahakis -
We Are Privileged to Hold the True Light on behalf of our Lord, Jesus Christ
My dear Brother Clergy,
With the above words of my title in mind, on behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos, I humbly remind you of the awesome responsibility we have as clergy holding the Light of Christ to let it so shine in our pastoral ministry as to attract people from darkness to His Light.
In today's world, many things are being posted on the Internet and social media that oftentimes confuse and divide our Lord's Holy Church. This time last year, at the Clergy-Laity Assembly in San Diego, our Archbishop mentioned this very fact in his Clergy Breakfast Remarks: “…I am not saying that we cannot use the technological toolkits that are available to us. In fact, we have to use them, but use them in ways that are consistent with our theology, with the Holy Fathers, with the canonical order of the Church, and with Holy Tradition.” Following up on this wise thought, we also need to be on guard, carefully examining which social media posts and blogs are really ways for the Evil One to cause discord in Orthodoxy.
For this reason, I'm asking you to prayerfully consider what you write—not only in your sermons, but also on social media, and on blogs belonging to other individuals. If we consider all these media different teaching opportunities, we need to be sure that whatever we preach lifts the light of Christ and does not cause darkness or diffusion.
I encourage you with our Lord's assurance: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
Faithfully yours with brotherly love,
Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor, Metropolis of Atlanta -
Upcoming Clergy Retreat - Register TodayDear Brother Clergy,
On behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta, I encourage you to register for our next Metropolis of Atlanta Clergy Retreat scheduled for February 3-5, 2026 at our Diakonia Retreat Center.
Yes, it is a ways off, but in making this announcement, I wanted to encourage you likewise, to take the opportunity to register for our National Clergy Retreat in Naples, FL, in October. The APC has sent you that information already.
So as not to have our next Metropolis Clergy Retreat so close to the National Retreat this Fall, His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos chose to have our next Metropolis Clergy Retreat the first week of Triodion in 2026. It will be Tuesday through Thursday, February 3 - 5, 2026. Arrival is scheduled from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and departure either at lunch (1:30 p.m.) or afterwards.
Click here to register today. It's fast and easy.
Faithfully yours,
+Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor -
Check back next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.
Every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., this page is updated to remind clergy of pending requests from Metropolitan Sevastianos and our Metropolis Office. Sometimes, clergy may miss emails, so check this page once per week after Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. to ensure you have not missed an email or important notice asking for your help.