Weekly Message April 17, 2026

Christ is Risen!

Beloved brothers and sisters,

What an extraordinary Holy Week and Pascha we have just experienced together.

In every service, from the beginning of Holy Week through the Resurrection, our church was filled—more people than we have seen in a long time. And this is not just a moment. It is a sign.

It is a sign that our community is growing.

More and more Orthodox Christian and Greek families are finding their way here, both through A. Fantis and beyond it. As the Greek Orthodox population around us continues to grow, from right here in Brooklyn Heights and even north toward Greenpoint, people are searching for something deeper. They are not looking for a place to simply attend. They are looking for a spiritual home. They are looking for community.

And they are finding it here.

That is something to be grateful for—but it is also something that calls us to respond.

Because growth brings responsibility. It asks something of us. It challenges us to think: how do we meet this moment? How do we grow as our community grows?

That may mean expanding physically.

It may mean doing things differently than we have done them for years.

It will certainly mean thinking beyond what is comfortable or familiar.

We have already begun. Last week, we launched our Parish Engagement Program (PEP) at the school, an intentional effort to connect families more meaningfully to the life of the Church—helping them move from simply attending to truly belonging, participating, and growing in faith.

But there is so much more to do. And it will not happen on its own.

If we want stronger youth ministries, we need people to step forward.

If we want more opportunities for young adults, it requires involvement.

If we want to care for our senior members, we must be present.

If we want athletics, outreach, fellowship—it all begins with people saying yes.

This is our moment.

A growing, vibrant community is a blessing—but it is also a calling. We are being asked to rise to meet it, to build, to serve, and to shape what this community will become for the next generation.

Christ is Risen—and because of that, we do not stand still.

We move. We build. We respond.

With love in the Risen Christ,