GOARCH: Synodal Archierarchical Divine Liturgy united Congress attendees in prayer

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over the Synodal Archierarchical Divine Liturgy on the morning of July 1 during the 48th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Divine Liturgy, celebrated with the full gathering of the Church’s hierarchs, clergy, and lay delegates, reflected the Congress’s grounding in the theme “Rise & Build”—affirming that all deliberations and planning flow first from the Church’s shared life of worship.

“There is something wonderful about this incarnation of the Ecclesia, though we celebrate in a setting that is not one of our many, glorious Temples. We still adorn the space with icons and candles and incense, but the main characteristic of this temporary tabernacle is you–the human element,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said in his homily. “The truth is we need no sacred space to be the Church, for we are, like the Mother of God, ἡ Χώρα τοῦ Αχώρητου, the Container of the Uncontainable. Our hearts are the habilitation of God. We have come together as the Body of Christ here in Cleveland, to manifest the Church in all Her fullness.” (Read His Eminence’s full remarks).

Host Metropolitan Savas also offered remarks, welcoming Orthodox…