BOSTON – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America offered a Trisagion Service on Friday October 23, at the tomb of the late Archbishop Iakovos of America on his name day. Iakovos was buried behind the Chapel of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. In attendance was the Ambassador of Greece to the U.S. Alexandra Papadopoulou who happened to be visiting Boston and the Theological School. Both the Archbishop and the Ambassador laid flowers at Iakovos’ tomb.

A brief Service took place in the chapel during which the Archbishop thanked Greece for the generous grant of two million euros to the School. It is noted that the donation of the Greek State to the School, which was introduced and promoted by the former Deputy Foreign Minister with Responsibility for Greek Diaspora and its Orthodox churches, Antonis Diamataris, is an annual grant with the aim of supporting the School and the upgrading of its Greek language program. The recently received funds were for the year 2019.

In a post on social media, Archbishop Elpidophoros thanked the Greek government for its generous grant. Ambassador Papadopoulou had officially announced the receipt of the two million euro grant during a luncheon hosted by the School in honor of the Archbishop and the Ambassador in the Administration building. The Archbishop of America thanked the Greek government for its offer, calling it a significant investment of Mother Greece in her children in the Diaspora, and which highlights their spiritual, cultural, and linguistic bonds.

Before the luncheon, Papadopoulou was shown around the premises of the School starting at the Archbishop Iakovos Library and proceeding to the Chapel, which was a donation of the Greek Orthodox Youth of America, as well as to the Maliotis Cultural Center.

Archbishop Elpidophoros and the Ambassador had also visited Metropolitan Methodios of Boston at the Metropolis Offices. Methodios is under the sever penance of suspension by the Ecumenical Patriarchate from all liturgical Services not only in Boston but throughout all of the United States and the entire world. Despite that, it is the policy of the Greek Government that their Ambassadors and Consuls visit the Metropolitan of the city they visit.

Archbishop Elpidophoros had meetings at the School with its president George Cantonis and the school’s academic and administrative staff. The interim Dean of the School of Theology, Archimandrite Maximos Constas, was absent again for the second time that the Archbishop visited the School, and this time during the Ambassador’s visit. Fr. Constas also was not present in September for the beginning of the new academic year.