The feast day of St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrh-streamer, was celebrated on October 26 in Upper Darby, PA, with His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, welcomed by the community’s presiding priest Fr. Alexandros Kaitidis. Photo: Courtesy of St. Demetrios Upper Darby, PAUPPER DARBY, PA – The feast day of St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrh-streamer, was celebrated on October 26 with His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, welcomed by presiding priest Fr. Alexandros Kaitidis, presiding ov...
The feast day of St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrh-streamer, was celebrated on October 26 in Upper Darby, PA, with His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, welcomed by the community’s presiding priest Fr. Alexandros Kaitidis. Photo: Courtesy of St. Demetrios Upper Darby, PA
UPPER DARBY, PA – The feast day of St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrh-streamer, was celebrated on October 26 with His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, welcomed by presiding priest Fr. Alexandros Kaitidis, presiding over the Hierarchical Orthros and Divine Liturgy at the community of St. Demetrios in Upper Darby. 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 Loukas 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. Loukas 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.
Metropolitan Apostolos addressed the congregation, welcoming Fr. Loukas to the rank of the Priesthood. His Eminence underlined to Fr. Loukas the sacrifice that priests and bishops make to serve at the Holy Altar, mirroring Christ’s own sacrifice. He bade Fr. Loukas to imitate Christ, who knew His destiny was to die on the Cross but did not leave His people. His Eminence congratulated Fr. Loukas 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. Loukas to 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, Metropolitan Apostolos 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. Loukas 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. Loukas 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 of the Metropolis of New Jersey Philoptochos and the Executive Board 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. Loukas’ ordination to the priesthood.