Weekly Message September 18, 2026

Beloved brothers and sisters,

Last night, we welcomed our parents back into A. Fantis for Curriculum Night and the beginning of another exciting school year. It was wonderful to see the building filled again with parents, teachers, and the energy that comes with a new year and new possibilities.

I spoke to our parents about the journey we are on together as a school community, and especially about the importance of investing in our children's education. Sometimes the work can seem like a lot. The expectations are high. There is homework, studying, projects, activities, commitments, and all of the other things that come with raising and educating our children.

But I encouraged our parents to trust the program and trust the journey.

We know where that journey can lead. Year after year, our students graduate from A. Fantis prepared to succeed at some of the very best high schools throughout the New York metropolitan area. We see the fruits of the work because we have invested in our children, in their education, and in the values we are trying to instill in them.

And I think there is a lesson here for all of us beyond the walls of our school.

The same principle applies to our life in the Church.

Our spiritual lives require investment. Our community requires investment. Faith does not grow simply because we attend church occasionally. Relationships do not deepen simply because we know someone's name. A community does not become stronger simply because we belong to it.

We have to invest.

We have to give our time. We have to participate. We have to pray. We have to serve. We have to bring our children. We have to support our ministries. We have to make the effort to know one another and, through one another, to know Christ more deeply.

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Brooklyn is more than just the place where we come to church on Sunday.

This is our spiritual home.

It should be one of the centers of our lives, a place where our families grow, where our children learn what it means to be Orthodox Christians, where friendships become community, where we find support in difficult moments, and where we gather together around Christ.

A new school year gives us an opportunity to reorient ourselves. To think about what we are investing in and what we want those investments to produce.

So this year, I encourage each of us to make an intentional investment in our parish, in our ministries, and in our spiritual lives. Trust the journey. Do the work. Be present.

Because what we invest in today shapes the community we will have tomorrow.

And our goal is not simply to build a successful school or a vibrant parish. Our goal is to become a community that brings us closer to one another and, through that community, closer to Christ.

This is our spiritual home. This is our community. And this is where we grow together in Christ.

With love in Christ,
Fr. Evagoras