ΝΕΑ ΥΟΡΚΗ. Τις καλές εποχές θύμισε σε όλους η αρχιερατική θεία λειτουργία προεξάρχοντος του Μητροπολίτη Νέας Ιερσέης, κ. Απόστολου που τελέστηκε το πρωί της Κυριακής 26ης Οκτωβρίου 2025, στον εορτάζοντα ναό του Αγίου Δημητρίου στο Άπερ Ντάρμπι Πενισλβάνιας.
Στον περικαλλή ιερό ναό δεν έπεφτε καρφίτσα και τα στιγμιότυπα που απαθανάτισε ο φωτορεπόρτερ της ομογένειας της τριπολιτειακής περιοχής της Νέας Υόρκης, Στέλιος Λάμπρου, μιλούν από μόνα τους.
Στα πρόσωπα των προσκυνητών, των ιεροψαλτών, των ιερέων, των μελών του Τάγματος των Αρχόντων του Τάγματος του Αποστόλου Ανδρέα του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου διακρίνει κανείς τον ενθουσιασμό, την πίστη και την αγάπη τους για την κοινότητα και τον σεβασμό για τον Μητροπολίτη Απόστολο.
Η απόφαση του κ. Αποστόλου να συνδυάσει τον εορτασμό των ονομαστηρίων της μεγαλωνύμου κοινότητας με την εις πρεσβυτέρου χειροτονία του διακόνου Κωνσταντίνου Λούκα, καθώς επίσης και με τις ορκωμοσίες του διοικητικού συμβουλίου της Φιλοπτώχου της Μητροπόλεως και της νέας ηγεσίας της Ομοσπονδίας Ελληνικών Σωματείων Φιλαδέλφειας και Μείζονος Ντελαγουέαρ έκανε την διαφορά και ήρθε να διαμηνύσει σε όλους τους τόνους ότι στην εν λόγω κοινότητα και κατ΄επέκταση στην Μητρόπολη της Νέας Ιερσέης «είναι στο εμείς», που έλεγε και ο στρατηγός Μακρυγιάννης.
Περιττό να αναφέρουμε ότι η εν λόγω απόφαση αυτή προσέδωσε πανομογενειακό χαρακτήρα στην γιορτή.
Μετά το πέρας της χειροτονίας και των ορκωμοσιών το κοινοτικό συμβούλιο και η Φιλόπτωχος Αδελφότητα παρέθεσαν γεύμα, όπου ανταλλάχτηκαν ευχές και σκέψεις για την αναβάθμιση της συνεργασίας της Μητροπόλεως τόσο με την Φιλόπτωχο όσο και με την Ομοσπονδία Ελληνικών Σωματείων Φιλαδέλφειας και Μείζονος Ντελαγουέαρ και την προετοιμασία της ομογένειας για την παρέλαση της 26ης Απριλίου 2026 και γενικότερα τον εορτασμό της 205ης επετείου της Εθνικής Παλιγγενεσίας.
Παραθέτουμε το πλήρες κείμενο της ανακοίνωσης της Μητροπόλεως της Νέας Ιερσέης το οποίο εκδόθηκε στην αγγλική γλώσσα:
On Sunday October 26, 2025, the feast day of St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrh-streamer, His Eminence, welcomed by parish proistamenos Fr. Alexandros Kaitidis, celebrated the Hierarchical Orthros and Divine Liturgy at the community of St. Demetrios in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The church was brimming with faithful from throughout the metropolis as His Eminence ordained his Archdeacon, Fr. Konstantinos Loukas to the priesthood.
In his ordination address (prosphonisi) to His Eminence, Fr. Konstantinos foremost thanked his Eminence for his guidance and love the last three and half years over which he served as his Archdeacon and Metropolis Youth Director.
He shared his immense gratitude for the priceless lessons he learned from observing His Eminence during the years he spent by his side: how to lead with love; how to serve God sincerely during the Divine Services; and how to trust every decision to God through prayer. Fr. Konstantinos thanked all the individuals who guided him to the priesthood from his youth, His parents Jim and Evelyn Loukas, his grandparents, His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver, His spiritual father Fr. Michael Pastrikos, his coworkers at the Metropolis of New Jersey and his home parish of St. Nicholas in Baltimore. Most significantly he thanked his wife Athanasia and his daughter Flora for their love, support and patience.
His Eminence addressed the congregation, welcoming Fr. Konstantinos to the rank of the Priesthood. His Eminence underlined to Fr. Konstantinos the sacrifice that priests and bishops make to serve at the Holy Altar, mirroring Christ’s own sacrifice. He bade Father to imitate Christ, who knew his destiny was to die on the Cross but did not leave his people. His Eminence congratulated Father for his humility, recognizing in their three years together his sincere desire to serve as a priest which was evident in his love for serving at the holy altar and his genuine joy in being with parishioners.
His Eminence directed him to look to his faith and his mentors for support in times of challenge. He asked him to bring young people to the Church, to teach them about Christ, the Virgin Mary and the lives of the saints. His Eminence directed Fr. Konstantinos be a man of peace, collaborating with all the ministries of his parish as coworkers, the Philoptochos, Parish Council and youth directors. Most of all, his eminence bade that he should look to his wife, who will now be his partner in his difficult task of managing his family and parish.
His Eminence congratulated the now Presvytera Athanasia and proclaimed her worthy of her title, recognizing the struggles that they will both inevitably face as Fr. Konstantinos begins his ministry. He thanked him for his dedication over the last three years and especially for his obedience to him and the Church, commencing the sacrament of ordination he directed Fr. Konstantinos to enter the joy of Lord, to obtain the priesthood to bless and sanctify the world with the Holy Spirit.
At the end of the service His Eminence administered the oath of office for the new executive board member of the Metropolis of New Jersey Philoptochos and the executive board members of the Federation of Hellenic-American Societies of Philadelphia and the Greater Delaware Valley. Following the Liturgy, the community hosted a reception, which included a performance by the youth folk dance group, welcoming His Eminence and celebrating Fr. Konstantinos’s ordination to the priesthood.
