Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
With gratitude to God, I write to you for the first time as Dean of Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Your warm welcome has already made me feel at home. I look forward to getting to know you, praying with you, and sharing in the life of this beloved parish.
I am deeply grateful to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for entrusting me with this sacred assignment. His confidence in me is a great honor and an even greater responsibility. I am thankful for his guidance, his encouragement, and his care for Saint Sophia and its people. With his blessing, I begin this ministry with humility, ready to work faithfully alongside you for the progress of our Cathedral Home and the Mother Church.
I offer my heartfelt thanks to Fr. Steven Zorzos for his many years of devoted service. His prayers, pastoral care, and steadfast dedication have helped shape the congregation we are today. The relationships he has built and the faith he has nurtured continue to bear fruit in the life of Saint Sophia. His work remains deeply important to this community, and it is important to me personally as I begin my ministry here. I am grateful for his generous welcome, his support, and the wisdom he has shared with me. I hope we will continue to benefit from his presence, his prayers, and his love for this Cathedral.
I am also grateful to our Parish Council and its president, Mrs. Janice Calomiris, for welcoming me with such warmth and kindness. In the short time I have been here, I have already seen their hard work, their willingness to serve, and their steadfast commitment to the progress of our blessed Cathedral family. Much of what they do happens quietly, but it makes a real difference in the life of this community. I thank them for their dedication and look forward to working alongside them in the years ahead.
A cathedral is made beautiful by more than its walls and icons. Its beauty also lives in the people who gather to worship, care for one another, teach their children the faith, and welcome those who come through its doors. I have already begun to see that beauty in you.
The work before us belongs to all of us, because we are one family in Christ. Our children bring their wonder, our young people their questions and hopes, and our seniors the wisdom of lives shaped by faith. Each person among us carries a gift that only they can offer. Though our stories and gifts are different, we belong to one another as members of the one Body of Christ. When one rejoices, we rejoice together; when one struggles, we draw near. May Saint Sophia be a home where every generation is cherished, every voice is heard, and every heart finds a place to serve. Together, with God’s help, we will discover the work He has placed in our hands.
As we begin this new chapter together, I ask for your love and prayers, and I promise you mine. May we walk together with patience, joy, and love, keeping Christ at the center of all we do. My door and my heart are open to you.
May God bless this new chapter in our life together. May He bless our Holy Archdiocese, our beloved Cathedral, and each and every one of you.
With love in Christ,
Archimandrite Avgoustinos Psomas
Dean, Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Washington, DC
