Pat. Bartholomew Arrives in NYC

NEW YORK — The Orthodox faithful, as well as those interested in what the commotion was at 130 Liberty St. near Ground Zero, waited in anticipation late Thursday morning for the arrival of Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople. Children from the A. Fantis School of Ss. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Brooklyn lined the steps outside the St. Nicholas National Shrine, holding flags and practicing their cheers for a patriarchal visit that will culminate in the receipt of the Templeton Prize.

Metropolitans of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America showed up one by one, greeting the children as they marched to find their place in line inside the shrine. Expected by whomever extended the invitation, but unexpected to most, former Vice President Mike Pence also arrived at the shrine in a like manner, taking time to shake hands and make conversation with the students before entering the church.

At last, the patriarchal entourage pulled up with law enforcement guiding the way, and the next phase of Patriarch Bartholomew’s apostolic visit to the United States began in a place that stands mere steps from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum – a place of worship that was itself rebuilt after being the only place of worship destroyed due to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

After receiving flowers from two of the students and offering blessings to the initial greeting party, the child of Imvros who ascended the patriarchal throne nearly 34 years ago proceeded up the steps with great fanfare from the well-practiced children who had been asking, “When is he going to get here?” just moments before.

Before entering the church, His Holiness stopped to lay a wreath at a spot of remembrance on the building itself, engraved with the text:

“TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LAST FULL MEASURE

ETERNAL MEMORY”

The marble also contains a quote from John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, to sacrifice your life for your friends,” and another quote from the Funeral Oration of Pericles:

“For they gave their lives for the common weal, and in so doing won for themselves the praise which grows not old and the most distinguished of all sepulchers – not that in which they lie buried, but that in which their glory survives in everlasting remembrance.”

Upon entering the narthex, the patriarch lit a candle before vesting and receiving the patriarchal staff. Finally, to the sound of the choir singing “Axion Estin,” he entered the church and proceeded to the altar, where he venerated the Holy Table, put on the epitrachelion and small omophorion, and blessed the people from the solea before ascending the throne to commence the doxology.

Following the service, Fr. Andreas Vithoulkas, Proistamenos of the St. Nicholas National Shrine and Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, welcomed Patriarch Bartholomew back to the completed church, as he had performed the thyranoixia (opening of the doors) for the shrine in late 2021.

“Today, as you return to us, we rejoice in your recognition with the Templeton Prize – a testament to your prophetic witness for creation and for humanity. In the same spirit of witness, it is now our great joy to present your All-Holiness with two gifts – signs of sacrifice, resurrection, and new creation.

The first is the newly prepared reliquary case which will permanently house the sacred relics of St. Nicholas – relics Your All-Holiness personally brought to us, and the holiest treasure of our shrine. This reliquary will guard with reverence, so that generations to come may venerate St. Nicholas here, where hatred tried to silence faith, but where love has triumphed.”

The second is a set of hierarchical vestments, lovingly prepared as a sign of reverence. These vestments are offered in the same spirit as the Templeton Prize – a witness to the resurrection, to the renewal, to the transfiguration of creation. They are more than mere garments – they are theology in fabric. The cross upon them proclaims sacrifice, the gold proclaims the glory of the kingdom, the very fabric proclaims that Christ has clothed Himself in our humanity so that we may be clothed with immortality.”

Next, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros recalled that the door-opening service on Nov. 2, 2021 took place nearly two decades after Patriarch Bartholomew’s first visit to Ground Zero and on the 30th anniversary of his enthronement as Patriarch of Constantinople. Not only did he inaugurate the liturgical life of the shrine, the archbishop said, but he also bestowed a precious relic of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker that was brought directly from Mount Athos.

“With these words, His All-Holiness gifted the precious and holy hand of St. Nicholas: ‘May his precious relic, his miracle-working hand, extend over you all, and grant you health, prosperity, and every spiritual blessing.’ In the intervening years, the prayer of our Patriarch has been fulfilled in ways beyond our wildest imaginations. We have seen the shrine become an integral thematic element here at Ground Zero and become a place of pilgrimage for the many thousands that flock to this historic place for their own consolation and for understanding of the events that have shaped and continue to shape our world.

The blessing that St. Nicholas National Shrine conveys to this sacred ground has been much amplified and augmented by the offerings of His All-Holiness. So, we welcome him with open hearts and open minds, awaiting his wisdom, his grace, and his unparalleled spiritual experience.”

Patriarch Bartholomew began his exhortation by complimenting those who have finished the temple and installed the iconography.

“But while finished, the shrine will never be complete, as its mission is never-ending,” he said. “For as a house of memory and prayer, the shrine will always bear witness to the fallen of that terrible day, and provide comfort and healing to all who come to this holy ground.”

The Patriarch shared that he had brought soil from Imvros, the island of his birth, to plant a tree species native to his home on the south side of the shrine, and that other seeds would be planted to grow there, as well, which he said demonstrates “the relationship of the Mother Church of Constantinople with this holy ground, exemplified by the mission of the shrine to promote mutual respect and understanding among all people of faith.”

This mission extends from the Bosphorus to the Hudson River, across an ocean and around the world, Patriarch Bartholomew said, and on this sacred ground of the new world will be added the soil of the ancient world, where for millennia past, the seas have been traversed seeking the truth of humanity’s existence.

“For we are all citizens of one oikoumene, of one inhabited earth that is home to us all. As Ecumenical Patriarch, a title that reflects a responsibility to the entire global community, not only to the plentitude of the Orthodox Church, we are proud to support and to augment every initiative and undertaking that supports this mutuality founded in love. For it must be love that brought this renewal about in the first place. Love for those who perished that fateful day, love for the memory of the heroes of 9/11, and of all those who gave of themselves to bring healing and restoration to this place, often at the cost of their health, and even their lives. And love for the way of life that was injured monstrously by that act of terror, but was not destroyed by that hatred. For love is stronger than hate, and even stronger than death.”

His Holiness admonished the faithful not to give up their faith in the human family, their hope in the goodness of the human heart, and to not give up the love that binds us together in times of light and in moments of darkness.

“Dear friends, when we first came to Ground Zero on March 9, 2002, with then-Archbishop Demetrios, when the devastation was ubiquitous, and we trembled in prayer for those who had perished, it was nearly unimaginable that such a glorious rebuilding of the World Trade Center site could be possible. But the resilience, determination and fortitude of the American people is a marvelous thing to behold. You have excelled every expectation and every hope for new beginnings… May God bless you all with His grace-filled benediction, and grant us to see days wherein His purposes are manifest, where love, compassion, and mercy reign here upon this good earth of ours as it is in heaven.”

Previously, UOJ reported on Patriarch Bartholomew’s visit to our nation’s capital.