The Elevation of the Holy Cross was celebrated with vespers on Tuesday, September 13 at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Whitestone. Among those present Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras in his first visit to the Whitestone church, Consul Manos Koubarakis, and about 20 priests from churches in the New York area, including presiding priest of Holy Cross Father Dionysios Anagnostopoulos, Father Nektarios Papazafiropoulos, Father Chrysostomos Panos, Deacon Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos, Father George Anastasiou of Transfiguration of Christ Church, Father Paul Palesty of St. Nicholas Church in Flushing, Father Andreas Vithoulkas of the Church of the Holy Resurrection in Brookville, NY, Father Constantine Lazarakis of Kimisis tis Theotokou in the Hamptons, and His Eminence Metropolitan Philotheos of Meloa who spoke eloquently about the meaning of the True Cross for Christians. He noted that many people try to tear down the Cross but it always rises again, observing that the churches of Asia Minor were thought to be lost, but now services are being performed again in Smyrna, where a Metropolitan of Smyrna was just installed on Sunday, and on September 14 they will elevate the Holy Cross again.
