Tue@2
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May 5, 2026
My dear Brothers in the Lord,
I pray this message finds you well..
The following forms have been updated. Please discontinue using the ones sent in February and replace with these:- Freedom to Marry: Click here for the Freedom to Marry Transcript, in English
and Click Here for the Freedom to Marry Transcript, in Greek
- Baptism: Click here for the Baptismal Transcript, in English
and Click Here for the Baptismal Transcript, in Greek
- Certificate of Marriage: Click Here for the Marriage Certificate Transcript, in English
and Click Here for the of Marriage Certificate Transcript, in Greek
As of today all official requests for Certificates of Marriage, Baptism, or Freedom to Marry must comply with these standard templates--otherwise we will be unable to process the request.
May our Lord bless and keep your families during the Great Lenten Fast
Faithfully yours,+Very Rev. Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor - Freedom to Marry: Click here for the Freedom to Marry Transcript, in English
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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 -
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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
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Important Reminder - JULY 28, 2026
Reverend Fathers,
Thank you to those 55 parishes that have submitted their selections for this year's Archangel Michael Feast and Honors Program (to be held on Saturday, November 14th, 2026)! Click the link above, or the photo below to view:
The initial deadline having passed (as of Sunday, July 26th), I ask that you please either submit the necessary information, found on this Google Form, or email me with an explanation I may provide to His Eminence, as to why your parish is not participating in this year's celebration of our Patronal Feast.
Please ensure that the honorees are aware that that they are your parish representatives this year. We have had a few instances of individuals who were not aware that they were honorees until very late in the creation of the Honors Program.
In Christ,
Nick Kostopoulos
Correspondence, Metropolis of Atlanta -
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. check this page once per week after Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. to ensure you are aware of important notice asking for your help.
