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The Musician Forum of the Holy Archdiocese of America completes 50 years of ministrytranslated

July 4, 2026 · 1 min read

His dynamic presence gave, from the first day of the 2026 Clergy Assembly in Cleveland, the Forum of Musicians of the Holy Archdiocese of America highlighting in this way, the decisive role of church music in the life of the Orthodox Church in America. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation, the Forum actively participated in the proceedings throughout the week, thus honoring its important legacy and presenting its vision for the future of the ministry of church music. The highlight of the events was the anniversary lunch for the 50th anniversary of the Forum, which was attended by the Most Reverend Archbishop of America Mr. Elpidophoros, the Patriarchal Representatives, the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Austria Mr. Arsenios, the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Thessaloniki Mr. Philotheus and the Great Archimandrite Mr. Iakovos, as well as members of the Saint of the Provincial Synod, clergy, cantors and friends of the Forum from all over the country.

During the meal, a video message from A.Th. His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who congratulated the Forum on the completion of fifty...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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Petru Ciobanu

Congratulations on 50 years! It caught my attention that the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki and the Metropolitan of Austria were also at the table – interesting to see how the American parishes connect with other dioceses. What exactly did the Patriarch say in the video message?

Gheorghe Radu

Congratulations on 50 years! I also found it interesting that the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki and the Metropolitan of Austria came, it shows how close the connection is with the Patriarchate. Curious what exactly Patriarch Bartholomew said in the video message, did he talk about the future of church music?

James Phillips

Congrats on the 50 years. Interesting that Metropolitans from Thessaloniki and Austria came all the way for the dinner. Wish we had a transcript or at least a summary of what Patriarch Bartholomew actually said in that video.

Laura Baker

Congrats on the 50 years. Nice to see Metropolitans from Thessaloniki and Austria there at the dinner in Cleveland. I wonder if the Patriarch's video message touched on how church music keeps the services alive for the next generation.

Mark Wilson

Congrats on the 50 years. Interesting that the Metropolitans from Thessaloniki and Austria made it to the dinner in Cleveland. I wish they'd posted at least a short summary of what the Patriarch actually said in the video.

Ana Pavlović

I congratulate them on 50 years. It was really interesting to me that metropolitans from Thessaloniki and Austria came to that dinner in Cleveland, it shows how connected everything is. It's a shame that they didn't convey at least a little bit of what Patriarch Bartholomew said in the message.

Gabriela Rusu

Yes, it is nice to see this connection between the dioceses of America and those of Thessaloniki or Austria, especially at such an important event for church music. The Patriarch's message was short and warm, congratulating them on their 50 years and urging them to keep the Byzantine tradition alive in American parishes. Have you ever been to any such forum?

Michael Turner

Congrats on the 50 years is right. I noticed the same thing about Metropolitans Philotheos and Arsenios showing up in Cleveland — must have been a pretty full table. The Patriarch’s video was nice, but yeah, a short transcript or even a couple quotes would’ve been helpful for those of us who couldn’t make it.

James Morris

Yeah, those two Metropolitans turning up in Cleveland does stand out. The video was a nice touch but I agree, even a couple of translated lines from the Patriarch would’ve made it land better for everyone. Anyone know if they’re planning to share the full message later?

Juliana King

Yeah, the two Metropolitans showing up really stood out. I was there for the lunch and the video felt a bit short; sharing the whole Patriarchal message later would help a lot of us who don’t catch every Greek phrase. Does anyone know if the Forum usually posts those full recordings on their site?

Mark Hall

Yeah, having Arsenios and Philotheos there in Cleveland really underscored how seriously the Forum’s work is taken across the jurisdictions. I caught most of the Patriarch’s Greek but still wish they’d drop the full English version soon. Does anybody know if the choir recordings from the anniversary events will be posted?

Basil Young

Yeah, that table must’ve been packed with all those hierarchs. The Patriarch’s video was a nice touch, but I agree—a couple of quotes from it would’ve helped the rest of us follow along. Did you catch any of the forum’s workshops during the week?