Our Faith
WHAT IS ORTHODOXY?
The Orthodox Church is an international federation of patriarchal, autocephalous, and autonomous churches. Each church is independent in her internal organization and follows her own particular customs. However, all the churches are united in the same faith and order. The Orthodox Church acknowledges that unity does not mean uniformity. Some churches are rich in history, such as the Church of Constantinople, while others are relatively young, such as the Church of Finland. Some are large, such as the Church of Russia, while others are small, such as the Church of Sinai. Each Church is led by a synod of bishops. The president of the synod is known as the Patriarch, Archbishop, Metropolitan, or Catholicos. Among the various bishops, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is accorded a “place of honor” and is regarded as “first among equals.” In America and Western Europe, where Orthodoxy is relatively young, there are a number of dioceses and archdioceses which are directly linked to one of these autocephalous Churches. For example, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is under the care of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. While the Archdiocese enjoys a good measure of internal autonomy and is headed by an Archbishop, it owes its spiritual allegiance to the Church of Constantinople.
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
www.goarch.org
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America
Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) of America was born in 1967 in Bakirköy, Istanbul. On May 11, 2019, he was elected Archbishop of America.
OUR CLERGY
Rev. Father Neofitos Sarigiannis, Proistamenos
Fr. Neofitos Sarigiannis, born July 18, 1981 married Presbytera Catherine Sarigiannis on October 14, 2018. They had baby George Nektarios Sarigiannis on August 14, 2020. Fr. Neofitos went to St. Demetios Astoria for his elementary and high school years and graduated from Bryant High School in 1999. He graduated from the University of Athens: School of Theology in 2006 (2001-2006).
Fr. Neofitos was ordained to the Holy Deaconate on September 7, 2019 and to the Holy Priesthood on November 9, 2019 where he received his first ever assignment as a clergy member in the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Schenectady, NY: November 9, 2019 until June 30, 2026. He was assigned Proistamenos of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Chuch effective July 1, 2026. He previously served as Pastoral Assistant and Chanter at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection, Brookville, NY for 11 years: 2008 - November 2019. He has been a member of the Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir since 2013.
He was called to the Holy Priesthood from a very young age while serving in the Altar of St. Demetrios in Astoria. Working with the youth is one of his favorite ministries to facilitate. He loves family and friend time, handball, basketball, bowling, food, and of course chanting with his Presvytera. He has an extensive sales background and a lot of experience running events for churches and a large marketing company. He enjoys reading books on leadership, business, health, and self improvement. Some of his favorites are: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Lencioni, Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by Maxwell, and Speak to Win by Tracy.