Historic pilgrimage of Greek-Americans to Nicaea in Bithynia

The pilgrims, including seniors from the Theological School of the Holy Cross in Boston, and their professor, Archimandrite Bartholomew Mercado, visited the sacred center of Orthodoxy, the Mother Church of Constantinople, and received the blessing of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

During the hearing, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America expressed the dedication and commitment of the Archdiocese of America and the Theological School to the cruciform ministry of the Primate of Orthodoxy and Mother Church.

On behalf of the graduating students, their representative, George Miller, thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch for his unique example of pastoral leadership, moral determination, and fatherly love, which, he said, is an inspiration for their future ministry. At the same time, he thanked Archbishop Elpidophoros for the love, support, and care he offers to the students and to the Theological School of Holy Cross as a whole.

The Ecumenical Patriarch congratulated the students on the completion of their studies and referred to the particularly dynamic and successful ministry of the Archbishop of America, which, as he noted, is also reflected in the progress of the Theological School.

As part of the pilgrimage, they visited places of religious and cultural importance in Constantinople, as well as excursions to the Holy Trinity Monastery at the Theological School of Chalki and to the ancient city of Nicaea in Bithynia to get to know firsthand the most sacred place that was decisive for the consolidation of the Christian faith. In Nicaea, after all, the fundamental principles of the Orthodox Christian faith were proclaimed for the first time and the Archbishop of America read to the graduating students and the other pilgrims the Creed, the first form of which was formulated there. In fact, the Archbishop of America made references to the early Christian Church, the necessity of convening a Council, the importance of the First Ecumenical Council and its decisions, and the enduring legacy it has left in the life of the Church.

This historic visit to the place where the Church first raised its united voice in defense of the unity of the faith served not only as a powerful educational experience, but above all as a profound spiritual experience for all who participated and a source of inspiration, especially for the senior students of the Theological School of Holy Cross, for a life of ministry in the Orthodox Church.