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Published
by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America,
November 4, 2005
Encyclical
of Archbishop Demetrios for the Feast of the
Holy Archangels - November 8, 2005
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Protocol
113/05
November 8, 2005
Feast of the Synaxis of
The Holy Archangels
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend
Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the
Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of
the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Day,
Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos
Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic
Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox
Family in America
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On the Feast of the Synaxis of the Holy
Archangels we reflect upon the love of God
revealed in the ministry of the Archangels
Michael and Gabriel and all the heavenly,
bodiless powers who serve as holy messengers,
guardians and protectors. Archangel Michael, is
known as a protector of our holy Orthodox Faith.
The Archangel Gabriel serves as the messenger of
God, most notably as the bearer of the Good News
of the Annunciation.
Holy Scripture and tradition teach us that the
angels are “ministering spirits” (Hebrews
1:14) who throughout history have come to the
aid of the faithful. A direct and continuing
example of this is at our baptism, when the
priest celebrant prays that an angel of light
might be joined to our life to protect us. In
this same spirit of protection, a faithful
service of care has been the ongoing mission of
our Holy Archdiocese through the ministry of
Saint Michael's Home, our senior adult home in
New York, which is named after the Archangel
Michael.
As we commemorate the Feast of the Archangels
and their ministry in our world, we ask that you
also remember the important ministry of our
Archdiocese carried out in Saint Michael's Home,
which for more than 40 years has provided a
Christ-centered sanctuary of ministry, care and
respect for people from throughout the United
States. St. Michaels depends largely on the
generous support of Orthodox faithful to meet
the operating budget of its vital ministry. For
this reason, in annual observance, our parishes
will be passing a special tray for St. Michael's
Home on Sunday, November 13. Your financial
contributions will benefit not only the current
residents of Saint Michael's Home, but will
ensure the continued growth of this ministry for
generations to come. Additional contributions
that you would like to offer may be made payable
to Saint Michael's Home and sent to the Office
of the Archbishop at the Archdiocese.
On this Feast of the Holy Archangels, I ask that
you keep not only the residents, but also the
families, directors, board, staff, and
volunteers of St. Michael's Home in your
prayers, as their work in providing care to the
elderly is an important affirmation of the
sacredness and dignity of human life at all
ages. May the divine protection of the Holy
Archangels be with us always, and may they
inspire us to grow in our worship of God and in
our commitment to minister unto others who are
in need of His love and saving grace.
With paternal love in Christ,
+DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America
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