The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will host its first-ever conference for the organization of outreach ministry to Spanish-speaking persons with a conference at Saint Photios National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida, from April 28-30.
The conference forms part of an initiative spearheaded by Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, the Shrine’s Hierarchal Proistamenos, or pastor. The conference will explore strategies to better serve Spanish-speaking Orthodox Christians and reach out to new members. Participants will seek to create a foundation for a lasting national ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
Fr. John Bakas, Dean of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles, will headline the conference with a keynote address entitled, “Breaking Down Ethnic Barriers.” Various panel discussions and workshops will review existing Spanish-language liturgical materials and ways to expand into communities with Spanish-speaking Orthodox Christians.
The conference will feature dozens of clergy and laypeople from throughout the nation who are Spanish speakers or who have experience with Spanish-speaking communities. Unique to a Greek Orthodox gathering, worship services will be conducted entirely in Spanish.
The initiative was launched by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America who tasked Bishop Demetrios with organization of a missionary and philanthropic outreach to Spanish-speakers, believed to be one of the fastest-growing groups of Orthodox faithful in the country.
“We are not seeking to transform our Greek Orthodox Church into an Hispanic Orthodox Church,” Bishop Demetrios said. “We are simply seeking to make our parishes more welcoming to those who come to us from such a cultural background, while enhancing our ministry to retain the families of our parishes where inter-cultural experiences are a present reality.”
More than 20 clergy and laypeople have expressed an interest in this initiative, according to Bishop Demetrios, and spots remain open for more participation.
The funding for the conference was provided by a grant from Leadership 100, an organization of the Greek Orthodox Church that provides financial support to various church-based initiatives.
For additional information or to participate in the program, please email Bishop Demetrios here.
St. Photios is the first national shrine of the Archdiocese. The shrine is located in historic St. Augustine, Florida, on St. George Street between Orange and Cuna Streets. It is housed in a building that provided refuge to Greek settlers in the 1700s after they fled a failed British colony and received support from Spanish settlers.
Is The Pappas Post worth $5 a month for all of the content you read? On any given month, we publish dozens of articles that educate, inform, entertain, inspire and enrich thousands who read The Pappas Post. I’m asking those who frequent the site to chip in and help keep the quality of our content high — and free. Click here and start your monthly or annual support today. If you choose to pay (a) $5/month or more or (b) $50/year or more then you will be able to browse our site completely ad-free!
Click here if you would like to subscribe to The Pappas Post Weekly News Update
1 comment
Good news indeed. I remember in the 1980’s the official title of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America was: the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America. However, the emphasis was on providing guidance, aid to existing parishes in the Spanish speaking world rather than outreach to those living here even if married to Greek Americans.