Governor Officially Welcomes New Archbishop of America, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros to New York – See Photos Here
Church Project Will Resume Under the Leadership of 13-Member ‘Friends of St. Nicholas’ Board Now in Place to Oversee Financing and Construction of Major Effort
NEW YORK – Earlier today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo officially welcomed Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to New York and announced plans to resume the rebuilding of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center. This was the Governor’s first meeting with His Eminence since the Archbishop was elected by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as Archbishop of America to succeed Archbishop Demetrios in May. The project will be driven by a new non-profit organization with an independent, 13-member board – the Friends of St. Nicholas. The new entity has been formed to ensure that the sacred space is completed as expeditiously as possible and can begin welcoming visitors from around the world. The Friends of St. Nicholas will aim to resume construction with a two-year target to complete the church.
“The rebuilding of St. Nicholas Church that was destroyed on September 11 is a moment of coming together and healing not only for the Greek Orthodox community but for all New Yorkers who lived through that horrific day,” Governor Cuomo said. “This house of worship will serve as a reminder that our collective faith is something we can always count on to move past our painful memories and build a better tomorrow.”
Cover Photo:
H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros welcomed to The Archdiocese NY State Andrew Cuomo and discussed the future building of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine Church at Ground Zero.
PHOTOS: © GOA/DIMITRIOS PANAGOS
See Archbishop Elpidophoros’ Remarks here and photos
B-ROLL of the Governor’s visit is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
PHOTOS of the Governor’s visit will be available on the Governor’s Flickr page.
