New Archdiocesan Council Convenes for Fall Session

Under the Chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Sotirios, the newly constitutedArchdiocesan Council convened on Monday, October 7, 2019, for a full day of meetings at the headquarters of the Archdiocese in Toronto.

The Archbishop, who returned from meetings of the Holy and Sacred Synod in Constantinople on Saturday, conveyed the love and blessing of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to all Council members. The Council session began and concluded with prayers and beautiful Byzantine chanting.

Fr. Panagiotis Avgeropoulos presented on the appointed Bible reading – “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32) – that is also the theme of the Archdiocese for the current Ecclesiastical Year. Following a fruitful discussion on the Gospel passage, and then the election of the Archdiocesan Executive Committee, the Archbishop provided Council members with a comprehensive update on numerous important issues.

Thereafter, more than twenty committee reports were tabled, analyzed, and discussed, with the appropriate and prudent decisions taken. The areas of focus included strategies to engage the youth and young adults of the Archdiocese and improving the communications outreach to all faithful across Canada. Many themes are also scheduled to be discussed at the annual meeting of Clergy that is being held on October 8 to 10, 2019, in Kingston, Ontario.

At the luncheon, the High Commissioner of Cyprus to Canada, the Hon. Pavlos Anastasiades, and the Consul General of Greece in Toronto, the Hon. Victor Maligoudis, each addressed the Archdiocesan Council, bringing greetings and congratulating the Archdiocese and Archbishop for the tremendous progress and growth of the Church in Canada.

Archbishop Sotirios thanked all Archdiocesan Council members and glorified God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon the Church in Canada. Following the closing prayers, all Council prayers chanted the polychronio of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.