Our Farewells to Archbishop Iakovos

Published by the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Musicians, April 17, 2005

Our Farewells to Archbishop Iakovos

Upon my return from the funeral of His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, I thought to share some of the sights and sounds surrounding the event for those of you unable to be there.

It was most truly a sad time, but also beautiful, and filled with hope and refuge. Even the environment seemed fitting for saying goodbye to His Eminence. It was one of those beautiful New York spring days, sunshiny, slightly warm, with white-blossomed trees just beginning to

bloom and daffodils, tulips, and other spring flowers that had sprung up to cheer the passageways and doorsteps along the streets of New York.

As you entered the interior of the solemn golden Cathedral of the Holy Trinity during the viewing periods on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday, there was His Eminence lying in his casket on the solea, facing the faithful, dressed in his gold and white hierarchical robes

with the golden crown upon his head periodically glinting from the rays of sunlight that streamed through the church. A beautiful gold-encrusted Gospel Book rested in his hands, and those who passed by to pay their last respects kissed it, his hand, and some, his face and crown. Though

he looked much older and whiter than many of us likely remember him, there was also a peaceful countenance about his face.

Throughout the viewings on Tuesday night, all day Wednesday, and early Thursday, priests alternated a continuous intoning the passages of the New Testament, as is customary in our Church. An honor guard of two NYPD officers stood at attention behind the coffin, changing every half hour. Father Elias Villas and His Grace Bishop Andonios oversaw all the preparations and arrangements, attending to every detail with loving care.

Later Wednesday afternoon, the Royal Evzones from Greece arrived and four of them at a time, one at each corner of the casket, stood immutable and inscrutable until the end of the funeral service on Thursday. They had just marched in New York's Greek Independence Day parade, and stayed on to provide their tribute to His Eminence. Their size, towering strength, and stillness lent to the majesty of the scene on the solea.

Following a quiet and solemn Pre-Sanctified Liturgy on Thursday morning, the funeral service began. There in front of the iconostasion prayed Archbishop Demetrios and our Metropolitans. Poignantly, on either side of the casket near His Eminence's head, two of his oldest and dearest

friends and fellow clergymen stood watching over him: Father Peter Kyriakos of Tarrytown, NY and Father George Poulos of Stamford, CT. Joining them, and at His Eminence's feet, were Father Elias Villas, pastor of the Church of Our Savior in Rye, NY, His Eminence's home parish since his retirement, and Father Robert Stephanopoulos, Dean of the Cathedral His Eminence headed while he was Archbishop. Special guests were seated on the solea: Archbishop Christodoulou from Greece and the Patriarchal delegation, consisting of Metropolitan Kyrilos of Imvros of the Patriarchal Synod and Archbishop Gregory of Thyateira and Great Britain.

On either side of the solea, facing inward towards the casket, were the reserved seats for clergy. To the right were several hundred priests and deacons who had traveled to New York for the service, most all of whom had been ordained by His Eminence. In fact, during his 37-year tenure, he must have ordained more than 300 of our priests today. To the left of the solea were our other Auxiliary and Retired Bishops, Metropolitans Tarasios of Buenos Aires and Athenagoras of Panama, hierarchs and representatives of all our Orthodox jurisdictions in America, and representatives of other faiths --- three Catholic monsignors, a rabbi, three Episcopal clergy, a black minister, and other invited clerical guests.

The rest of the church was filled with lay people, with standing room only on the sides. Paulette Poulos, Nikki Calle, and other of the Archbishop's closest family and friends sat in the front rows. Other rows included members of the Archdiocesan Council, Archons, Archdiocesan staff, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, Senator Paul Sarbanes, His Eminence's three devoted nurses, the current and past mayors of New York (Blumberg, Giuliani, Koch, and Dinkins), and many, many "ordinary" parishioners of Holy Trinity and other area churches, old and young, who came to pay tribute and express their love.

It seemed to me that surrounding Archbishop Iakovos's body was our entire church in all its beauty, and also in all its outreach. Eleni Huzagh from Portland, OR and an Archdiocesan Council member captured the scene beautifully as she noted that there was not a person present who had not been touched in some way by Archbishop Iakovos --- through the touch of his hand, through receiving Holy Communion, through ordination, through his blessings, and in many other ways. Each person there cherished memories of their personal experiences and work with him. Each sensed that an era had ended, that a chapter in our lives had closed. It was something we all knew would eventually happen, but hated to see as the time actually arrived. But also, there in the Cathedral, we saw the Church carrying on with the leadership of our hierarchs and clergy and lay people. And we also saw among them, new leadership arising to carry on the visions and faith grown and exemplified by Archbishop Iakovos.

The Funeral Service was beautifully chanted by the clergy and the choir of seminarians from Holy Cross, led by Mr. Fotios Ketzetzis, mostly in Greek but also with some English --- they sang the hymns of the 119^th Psalm, the Evloghitaria, and St. John Damascus's Funeral Troparia. Perhaps some of the most striking and meaningful moments came when the entire church was filled with the soaring sound of hundreds of voices, mostly male but also female, singing the messages of the kontakion Meta Ton Aghion, the prokeimenon Makaria I Odos, and the dismissal hymn Aionia I Mnimi . . . Among Your Saints, O Christ, give rest to the soul of Your servant in a place where there is no more pain, sorrow, or suffering, but life everlasting . . . Blessed is the way you walk today, for there is prepared for you a place of rest . . . May your memory be eternal. It was truly congregational, many-voiced, resounding, and inspirational!

There were moving eulogies from Archbishop Christodoulou whose voice quavered with emotion as he spoke of the kind of man Archbishop Iakovos was, from Archbishop Gregory who delivered his words in English, and from Metropolitan Kyrilos who brought dirt from Imvros, the Archbishop's birthplace, and placed it in His Eminence's casket at the end of his remarks.

Archbishop Demetrios read letters from Patriarch Bartholomew and the Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, and delivered his own moving address, speaking of His Eminence's last hours and his last words, "I thank you all and I love you all." Then he focused on what was His Eminence's actual final "word," the gesture of the sign of the cross blessing the faithful, so appropriate for a Christ-filled man. Other eulogies were delivered by Mayor Michael Blumberg, Senator Paul

Sarbanes, Archon Commander Anthony Limberakis, and diplomats. Bishop Andonios read two very personal letters of condolence from former President George Bush and Coretta Scott King. The eulogies can be heard on the Archdiocesan website: http://www.goarch.org/en/archbishop/iakovos/live-broadcast2.asp .

The three-hour funeral service ended after the hierarchs gave their Final Kiss to His Eminence. A phalanx of black-garbed priests moved forward, raised the casket, and quickly carried His Eminence through the congregation to a waiting hearse. As happened with the Pope, the congregation broke out into applause, signifying St. Matthew's words in their final farewell: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

The hearse and many of the hierarchs, clergy, and Archdiocesan staff drove the four hours to Boston, where His Eminence was met at the lower entrance of Holy Cross and Hellenic College by nearly 100 seminarians and students waiting for him in front of his Library. Led by Father Nick Triantafilou, President of the School, they walked alongside the hearse up the winding road to the top of the hill and to the Chapel of Holy Cross, singing a mournful Aghios O Theos. Following a Trisaghion, Archbishop Iakovos lay in state Thursday evening in the Chapel, and similar to New York, many faithful from the Boston area moved through the Chapel to pay their final respects.

On Friday morning, once again a lovely spring day, there was another Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, and then Archbishop Demetrios and our Hierarchs completed the funeral service that had begun in New York with the anointing of His Eminence and his interment. As His Eminence was carried out of the Chapel to his burial place, area clergy in their priest's robes formed an "honor guard" on either side of the Chapel's center aisle and the walkway around it to the back. Each mourner received a white carnation to place on the grave, and as the Archbishop gave the final blessing and the casket was lowered, the Hierarchs tossed myriads of red rose petals over the gravesite, surely a magnificent site as they fluttered to the ground in the bright sunlight.

Archbishop Iakovos's grave sits behind the chapel, opposite the altar, near Bishop Gerasimos and Metropolitan Silas, also of blessed memory. His final resting place overlooks his beloved campus and the city of Boston. The School plans to construct a pavilion or similar outdoor memorial structure to highlight the burial grounds.

And so, that is how we said our goodbye's to His Eminence and how, in recalling his life and accomplishments, we rekindled our own convictions and understandings of our faith. Perhaps it is most appropriate to end this summary with the words of Archbishop Iakovos himself, which he wrote in his book, "Faith for a Lifetime," and which appeared in the Commemorative Booklet for his funeral:

"Occasionally, I'll imagine myself dead. In my mind's eye, I'll see my funeral ceremony taking place, with people passing by to pay their last respects. I know that most, if not all, of them will be generous to me as my body is lying there before them. Yet, in a way, I find these daydreams funny. I see myself smiling up from my coffin at my well-wishers, thanking them for their generosity, but urging them gently to be a little more honest.

I'm well aware that it's not human judgments that count at such a moment, but rather the judgment of God. I can almost hear God chuckling as He listens to the unqualified praises showered upon a person who was far from perfect.

. . . My intimacy with Christ helps me know, beyond any doubt, that death is not the end. I have no fear of death whatsoever. Even when I'm confronted with the death of others, my first thought is usually not of the deceased, but of those who are still living.

When I'm hearing someone express grief over the loss of a loved one and I realize all I can do is respond with words, I feel something deep inside that's closely akin to pain . . . To respond to their concerns, I find I must rely not on mere words, but on God. Only His Spirit can project into the hearts of others comforting messages that are beyond my poor powers of oratory . . . What these survivors need most is to feel Christ's love in their lives. That is the only way that the fears nagging at them can be banished and true hope for the future can become a reality."



Volume 7 Number 16 - Tuesday, April 19th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY