Juneteenth Ecumenical Prayer Service Planned at St. Nicholas National Shrine

The interior dome of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. Photo: Aaron Hickman/UOJ-America

NEW YORK — A Juneteenth Ecumenical Prayer Service will be held on June 19 at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero, bringing together clergy and faithful for a commemoration described as being focused on healing, reconciliation, and national reflection.

"As we approach the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, we are called to both honor the revolutionary legacy of our forefathers and reaffirm our commitment to seek an ever more perfect union in our nation," a release from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America's Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations states.

The service is scheduled for 11 a.m. at 130 Liberty Street and will be offered with the blessing of Abp. Elpidophoros. Organizers said the gathering will mark Juneteenth, the federal holiday recognizing the end of slavery in the United States, while also calling attention to ongoing efforts toward justice and unity.

Participants are expected to include clergy and members of various Christian communities. The program will focus on prayer for healing from the historical wounds of slavery, segregation, and discrimination, as well as broader appeals for peace and justice.

Organizers are encouraging the public to attend and take part in the service as a moment of shared reflection and intercessory prayer for the nation and the world. According to reporting on the 2025 Juneteenth prayer service:

The service is based on an Akathist Service “To the Merciful Savior, Healer of the Wounds of American Slavery” written by an Orthodox Nun, Mother Katherine Weston, president of the Fellowship of St. Moses the Black. This Akathist not only leads in the process of helping but also honors the saints of Africa, and American luminaries, the Holy ones who strove during the ills of Slavery in the Americas, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow Semi Slavery and Segregation.

This follows similar events that have been held in GOARCH's Archdiocesan District, such as an "Ecumenical Prayer Service for Christian Unity" that took place earlier this year.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the Ecumenical Patriarch said Muslims were increasingly embracing Orthodoxy.

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