Nathanael Enthroned as Chicago Metropolitan

CHICAGO, IL – New Metropolitan of Chicago Nathanael was enthroned with enthusiasm in a sacred and historic ceremony on March 24 at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Chicago.

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America officiated at the enthronement ceremony and read the official latter of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, addressing the Metropolis’ clergy and the laity and rendering Nathanael’s establishment as metropolitan canonical and official.

Present at the ceremony were Metropolitan Nicolas of Detroit who served as locum tenens for the period of ten months at the Metropolis of Chicago, Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh, Bishop Makarios of Christoupolis spiritual father of Metropolitan Nathanael, Bishop Athanasios of Kisoumou representative of the Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria, Bishop Sebastian of Zela, Metropolitan Nicholas of the Romanian church in the United States, Roman Catholic cardinal of Chicago Blasé Cupich, and members of other Christian Denominations. Also present was Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, all of the Metropolis’ clergy, and hundreds Greek Orthodox of all ages who acclaiming the new metropolitan “Axios (Worthy).”
In his enthronement speech, Metropolitan Nathanael said “today marks a new day for the Holy Metropolis of Chicago, a new day focused on unity in service of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And to cultivate greater unity and trust among us, we will emphasize fundamental Christian principles of governance and administration, including accountability and transparency.

“I will do all that I can to open those doors that were once shut and be inclusive of everyone in the work of the Church, especially those who were once ignored or marginalized. I beseech each of you to get involved so that together we can serve as God’s left and right hands, thus sharing His hope and love with the world. As I have in my prior ministries, I intend to continue actively working in the community to help those in greatest need, and I will expect the same of our clergy. We must extend the love of God beyond the walls of our churches and into society, particularly to those in greatest need of that love.”

Nathanael assured all that “as your metropolitan and father, I wholeheartedly accept the awesome responsibility and obligation to lead you closer to Christ. It is not adequate when we only focus on finances, administration and on social ties. We must simultaneously pay attention to our spirituality. I do not forget that the primary task of every hierarch is the salvation of souls.”

He said “above all, I give thanks and call to mind with profound respect to our common Father, His All-Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch. I am grateful to His All-Holiness and to the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Church of Constantinople for electing me metropolitan of this God-saved Metropolis of Chicago. As the first among 300 million faithful Orthodox Christians, the Ecumenical Patriarch is uniquely charged with the awesome responsibility of securing our unity. Nonetheless, this broad mission does not prevent him from paying close attention to what occurs locally, a fact that confirms that the Metropolis of Chicago will always be under the protection and care of our Patriarch. We all pray that the Lord our God continues to bless Patriarch Bartholomew, along with the handful of Christians who reside and remain devoted to their ancient homeland of Constantinople, and other regions of Asia-Minor, Pontus, and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos, committed to protecting the gates of Orthodoxy. We must never forget their plight; these brave souls teach us the true meaning of the Cross and the Resurrection”.

Metropolitan Nathanael congratulated his new flock by saying that “as a community of faith, you have made great strides in your pursuit for both spiritual growth and social responsibility. Over the course of history, you not only established parish and monastic communities that offer spiritual refuge for the heavy-hearted, but also founded special ministries and initiatives that have provided the basic needs of our neighbors. I commend you for your dedication to the core principles of our faith—love of God and love of neighbor—and today I invite you to walk with me so that we may apply the principle of love in dynamic new ways.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of young people are taking to the streets of cities and towns around the world; they have even gathered just a short distance from our Cathedral! These young people are marching in the streets because they “demand that their lives and safety become a priority” for those in positions of authority. Ιt is daunting to consider that these young people, our young people, are not marching to Church to find refuge or a place to voice their concerns. They sadly take to the streets because they feel that no one cares about them in their homes, in their schools, and in other familiar places, yes, including the Church.

“I know that we all desire to do the best we can for our youth, but as a unified Metropolis family, we must find new ways to engage them. It is not enough for us to issue invitations and passively wait for them to arrive at our doorsteps. It is our responsibility to go to them, yes, even if it means joining them in the streets. As servants of Christ, our mission, among many others, is to fill the ‘Master’s table’ with all who are invited, especially our youth, by searching for them on the highways and hedges of cities.”

He promised to seek to unify all people in Christ, and said “we cannot allow ourselves to be divided along ideological lines. For too long has “brother betrayed brother, and sisters turned against their own,” as Saint John Chrysostom notes. “Today marks a new day for the Holy Metropolis of Chicago, a new day focused on unity in service of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And to cultivate greater unity and trust among us, we will emphasize fundamental Christian principles of governance and administration, including: accountability and transparency.”

Metropolis of Chicago oversees all Greek Orthodox Parishes within Illinois, Iowa,
Wisconsin and Minnesota as well as eastern Missouri and northwestern Indiana. A luncheon took place at Chicago’s Hilton following the enthronement.

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