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DECEMBER 2011
Metropolitan Savas Enthroned in Pittsburgh by Jim Golding
PITTSBURGH – The Metropolis of Pittsburgh entered a new era on Dec. 8 with the enthronement of Metropolitan Savas, the sixth hierarch to head the diocese/metropolis and its first American-born bishop. He succeeds Metropolitan Maximos, who retired in September after 32 years as presiding hierarch. The enthronement service commenced with a large procession down the center aisle of St. Nicholas Cathedral of more than two dozen altar boys and more than 60 priests as hundreds of parishioners and visitors stood to observe the proceedings.. An especially poignant moment occurred as Metropolitan Maximos, walked down the aisle and was greeted by many parishioners and well-wishers. He was escorted by Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit who had been serving as locum tenens the past three months, They and other visiting hierarchs in the procession, including Metropolitan Constantine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, chancellor of the Metropolis of Chicago, who represented Metropolitan Iakovos, sat on one side of the solea. Others attending included HCHC President Fr. Nicholas Triantafilou, Holy Cross Dean the Rev. Dr. Thomas Fitzgerald, Board Vice Chairman Dr. Thomas Lelon and 25 seminarians who chanted the hymns of the doxology, National President Aphrodite Skeadas, Leadership 100 Chairman Constantine Caras, Archons and members of the choir federation who formed part of the choir that sang several hymns. Lastly, Metropolitan Savas entered the cathedral and made his way to the solea where Archbishop Demetrios presented him with the bishop’s staff and declared his enthronement as the new metropolitan. Metropolitan Savas then took his place on the bishop’s throne, flanked by several clergy of the Metropolis. Newly elected Bishop Sevastianos of Zela read the “mega minima” of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announcing the appointment of Metropolitan Savas to the See of Pittsburgh. The hour-long service included several prayers, hymns and a doxology. In his address, Archbishop Demetrios expressed the Ecumenical Patriarch’s “warmest wishes, deepest prayers and love” to the new metropolitan. The Archbishop praised Metropolitan
Photos: Dimitrios Panagos
Archbishop Demetrios installs Metropolitan Savas at St. Nicholas Cathedral as the presiding hierarch of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh and presents him with the staff with which to begin his archpastoral ministry. Maximos for his accomplishments over 32 years as head of the diocese/metropolis. He told Metropolitan Savas that his enthronement was “happening under the best circumstances” and that his life experiences prepared him for his new responsibilities. “You are called to offer love, the love which lifts us, which understands the troubles and visions of the people, the love which supports people in need of support, which heals the wounds,” the Archbishop said. He also called on the new metropolitan to “bring the truth of the Bible, the truth of God…to say the truth in love.” His Eminence also exhorted Metropolitan Savas to “give holiness and sanctity” to his flock and to “ultimately be a reflection of Christ for the people.” Citing the teachings of St. Ignatius, the Archbishop said the faithful should be “Christomorphi,” reflecting the face of Christ. “Help them to be ‘transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord,’ in the likeness and image of Christ, as St. Paul said” (2 Cor. 3:18), Archbishop Demetrios added. Metropolitan Savas expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Demetrios for his guidance and influence, going back to the days when he was His Eminence’s student
Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit, who served as locum tenens of the Μetropolis of three months, escorts Metropolitan Maximos in the procession at the start of the service.
at Holy Cross School of Theology. “I cannot find words to express the debt of gratitude I owe to His Eminence,” he said. “His paternal love and unfailing kindness, his wise counsel, his enormous patience, his academic acumen, his expansive vision coupled with attention to detail, and his calming prayerful presence have been my inspiration and encouragement, “To the extent that I am prepared for the service of leadership that lies ahead, it is due to His Eminence. Whatever strengths I may have are a dim reflection of his strengths; my weaknesses remain my own,” said Metropolitan Savas. He also acknowledged his debt of gratitude to Metropolitan Maximos, who mentored him over the years and encouraged him to accept the position of chancellor of the Archdiocese in 1999. “I count it among the greatest of the gifts God is raining down on me today that I am able to address in the flesh my immediate predecessor on this throne. In your historic 32 years of service, beloved Geronta Maximos, you embodied the ideal of the bishop as the one who is “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) “The Metropolis of Pittsburgh in its presence form came into being during your
pastorate, Your Eminence, and you laid a firm foundation, of which the cornerstone is Jesus Christ Himself. I count on your prayers, therefore, that what I build on this foundation may be likewise firm and of ever-lasting value.” The Metropolitan said “new opportunities lie ahead for the Metropolis of Pittsburgh,” specifically through the use of technology to reach a greater number of people. “In technological terms, there is a wide open door for all of us to bring the love of Christ in new ways to new places and new people,” he said. “Technology, as an element of the material world, is in and of itself neutral, neither good nor evil in its own terms. It is always and only the use to which we put our inventions that gives them their moral value,” he continued. “The Internet, therefore, cannot be shunned or neglected as irrelevant to the Church’s mission. An Orthodox presence on the Internet is vital. There is in the electronic media a capacity to reach the unchurched and to draw them in…in fact, our Archdiocese has been among the first to recognize the incredible potential for outreach and evangelism made possible by the new technologies, and our Internet presence is second to none. The dissemination of information about our faith and activities has never been so wide–ranging. ”As your Metropolitan, I commit myself to exploring with you the possibilities for ‘doing a new thing’ for Christ through the emergent and ever-evolving electronic technologies. The World Wide Web constitutes the modern version of the ‘highways and byways’ of the Parable of the Great Banquet” (Luke 14:15-23). As if to underscore his point, the entire enthronement service, and his first divine liturgy the following day, were live-streamed over the Internet. But the Metropolitan also noted that, “Technology is a marvel, but in this first phase of my arch-pastoral ministry, there can be no substitute for the personal encounter. I want to meet as many of you as possible, and as fast as possible. It is my intention to visit every parish of the Metropolis within my first year, and to meet all the members of your communities in your spiritual homes.” Following the service, several hundred faithful gathered in the church hall for a reception and banquet. Metropolitan Savas celebrated his first Liturgy the following day, Dec. 9, the Feast Day of the Conception of the Virgin Mary.
The venerable Metropolitan Maximos offers his well-wishes to his successor.