By Fotis Kaliampakos, Special to the Hellenic News of America
September marked one year since His Eminence, Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, ascended to the episcopal throne of the highly significant Metropolis of New Jersey for the Greek Orthodox community in the United States. His Eminence was elected on June 24, 2023, as Bishop Metropolitan of New Jersey, by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The grand Enthronement Ceremony took place on September 16, 2023, as extensively reported by the Hellenic News of America, in the presence of a large congregation of faithful, dignitaries, and government officials from Greece, Cyprus, and the United States, at the Cathedral of St. John the Theologian in Tenafly, New Jersey. The Enthronement was followed by an official luncheon attended by numerous dignitaries, distinguished members of the Greek-American community, and state officials, including the Governor of New Jersey himself.
His Eminence, Metropolitan Apostolos, born Evangelos Koufalakis in Rhodes in 1969, studied Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and pursued postgraduate studies in Boston.
His Eminence was already a familiar figure to the faithful of New Jersey, as he had been appointed by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to manage the affairs of the Metropolis during the vacancy of the See. During his Enthronement and on other occasions, His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, has praised the Metropolitan, with whom he shares a long-standing collaboration and close friendship. Metropolitan Apostolos is also well-known within the broader Greek-American community in the United States, having served in the Archdiocese of America for over twenty years, including as the Presiding Priest of St. Demetrios in Astoria, as well as the Chancellor of the Metropolis of San Francisco, during which time he was elected Bishop of Medeia, and, in fact, celebrated the first liturgy celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas at Ground Zero, on December 6, 2022. In that emotional service, he reflected on his journey in the U.S., his relationship with the Greek-American community, and the shock he felt when he first heard the tragic news of September 11th.
Metropolitan Apostolos maintains close relationships with Greek-American institutions and organizations, representatives of the Hellenic Republic, and prominent Greek-Americans in the Metropolis of New Jersey. Despite his undoubtedly busy schedule, he makes tireless efforts to attend as many community events as possible.
Metropolitan Apostolos attended the central event of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of New Jersey this past June, as well as all other events hosted by federations in Philadelphia, Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland, states that fall under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of New Jersey. These regions are bustling with Hellenic life. Apostolos also maintains a close relationship with AHEPA, one of the most important and historically significant organizations, which has already completed a century of life.
Metropolitan Apostolos consistently expresses his desire for justice for Cypriot Hellenism, especially this year, on the somber 50th anniversary of the brutal Attila invasion of Cyprus. He maintains close ties with the Cypriot diaspora, which has a particularly strong presence in the regions under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis, as well as in the aforementioned Greek organizations.
Metropolitan Apostolos also maintains close ties with Pan Gregorian, the dynamic association of Greek restaurateurs who are at the forefront of the philanthropic activities of the Greek-American community and actively support the work of both the Metropolis of New Jersey and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Metropolitan Apostolos could not miss the Hermes Expo, a longstanding event for the Greek-American community, which also took place this past June. He officiated the traditional blessing ceremony, which is a staple at all Greek-American events, and thanked the family of the exhibition’s founder, Paul Kotrotsios, for his contributions to the community over the years through the Expo and the Hellenic News of America. His Eminence toured all the exhibition booths, showed interest in a variety of products and services, conversed with entrepreneurs, and offered advice on which distinguished members of the Greek-American community the younger entrepreneurs could approach. His particular, almost paternal, interest in the Greek-American community—not just entrepreneurs, but especially the youth—and the time he devoted to each business and entrepreneur individually left a strong impression.
Besides his keen interest in the prosperity and well-being of the Greek-American community, His Eminence is above all a man of the Holy Spirit. His primary priority, aside from the dissemination of the ecclesiastical word and the word of God, is the preservation and elevation of Greek identity in the United States. A fundamental aspect of the continuation of Greek identity in future generations is the teaching and cultivation of the Greek language, a topic that not only featured prominently in Metropolitan Apostolos’ Enthronement Address last year, but also remains at the core of his efforts. This is a crucial issue that is inextricably linked to both education and the Church.
The language of the great ancient Greek philosophers, the language of the Gospel, the language of great poets and writers, and our beautiful homeland, the Greece of light, must be supported. “The Greek language connects us with unbreakable and enduring bonds to our Orthodox faith, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and our motherland, Greece, the land of light,” were the inspired words of Metropolitan Apostolos.
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