Tue@2
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We Are Privileged to Hold the True Light on behalf of our Lord, Jesus Christ
My dear Brother Clergy,
With the above words of my title in mind, on behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos, I humbly remind you of the awesome responsibility we have as clergy holding the Light of Christ to let it so shine in our pastoral ministry as to attract people from darkness to His Light.
In today's world, many things are being posted on the Internet and social media that oftentimes confuse and divide our Lord's Holy Church. This time last year, at the Clergy-Laity Assembly in San Diego, our Archbishop mentioned this very fact in his Clergy Breakfast Remarks: “…I am not saying that we cannot use the technological toolkits that are available to us. In fact, we have to use them, but use them in ways that are consistent with our theology, with the Holy Fathers, with the canonical order of the Church, and with Holy Tradition.” Following up on this wise thought, we also need to be on guard, carefully examining which social media posts and blogs are really ways for the Evil One to cause discord in Orthodoxy.
For this reason, I'm asking you to prayerfully consider what you write—not only in your sermons, but also on social media, and on blogs belonging to other individuals. If we consider all these media different teaching opportunities, we need to be sure that whatever we preach lifts the light of Christ and does not cause darkness or diffusion.
I encourage you with our Lord's assurance: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
Faithfully yours with brotherly love,
Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor, Metropolis of Atlanta -
July 8, 2025 Reminders for Wedding PlanningMy dear Brother Clergy,
Thank you for sending in your wedding paperwork to our Registry Office at least four weeks in advance of the sacrament. Some clergy report they have difficulties with this and to help, we recommend they not confirm the date of the wedding with the bridal couple until the ecclesiastical paperwork is completed, just as they are used to doing when they reserve and make deposits for their reception venue.
Also, our Registry Office has been receiving calls related to planning delays as follows:
1) If an Orthodox is getting married abroad, the "Freedom to Marry Form" must be affirmed by our Metropolitan well in advance to ensure the destination clergy fulfill their local ecclesiastical obligations.
2) Our parishioners planning a re-marriage after a Civil Divorce need your help in obtaining an Ecclesiastical Divorce before any wedding dates are confirmed for a subsequent marriage. Proactively educating your parishioners that our Orthodox practice is that every parishioner who has received a Civil Divorce should not wait until re-marriage, but immediately begin seeking to return to be in good ecclesiastical standing. (This last point is unknown by many and we can help our faithful by offering our help much earlier.)
This message's aim is to support and remind our clergy that the Registry Office seeks to issue "Episcopal Licenses to Marry" quickly and efficiently. Your help with the above further assists this goal. We thank you.
For ongoing questions, feel free to contact JoAnne Mertzanis, jmertzanis@atlanta.goarch.org, who oversees the Registry Office. You also can email me if needed.
Faithfully yours,
+Fr. George Tsahakis
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Urgent Prayer Update - May 13, 2026
Dear Reverend Fathers,
Christ is risen!
I write to offer a brief update on Fr. Eudokimos-Martin Harding and to ask your continued prayers on his behalf. By God’s mercy, he has come out of his coma. His sedation has been reduced, and the breathing tube has been removed. While his eyes are now open at times, he is not yet recognizing those around him or consistently following instructions from the medical staff. We are told that this is expected as his body gradually clears the remaining sedatives and stabilizes.
There is still a journey ahead, but thanks be to God, his progress is moving in a hopeful direction. Please continue to lift him up in your prayers for strength, healing, patience, and full restoration. We also commend his family and watchful brother, Neil, who is pro
With love in the Risen Christ,
+Very Rev. Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor
Dear Brother Priests,
Christ is risen!
I write to you with pastoral concern to share that our beloved brother, Fr. Eudokimos Harding, who is presently in Great Britain visiting his family, is seriously ill and in a diabetic coma.
During this radiant Paschal season, when we proclaim with faith and hope that Christ is Risen and that death and suffering do not have the final word, I write on behalf of His Eminence to ask that you and your parishioners fervently lift Fr. Eudokimos up in prayer. We implore God’s abundant mercy and loving compassion for his healing, his recovery, and his safe return to his parish of Saints Constantine and Helen in Monroe, Louisiana.
Fr. Eudokimos is a priest with a giant heart, overflowing with love and joy for the Lord and His people. Our prayer is that, through the mercy of the Risen Christ, he may return safely to his flock, renewed in strength, and continue to reflect God’s boundless mercy and love to all whom he serves.
With gratitude for your prayers and brotherly support, and with unwavering hope in the victorious mercy of our Lord,
With love in the Risen Christ,
Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor
Metropolis of Atlanta
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May 5, 2026 - Part 1 of 3
My dear Brothers in the Lord,
I pray this message finds you well..
The following forms have been updated. Please discontinue using the ones sent in February and replace with these:- Freedom to Marry: Click here for the Freedom to Marry Transcript, in English
and Click Here for the Freedom to Marry Transcript, in Greek
- Baptism: Click here for the Baptismal Transcript, in English
and Click Here for the Baptismal Transcript, in Greek
- Certificate of Marriage: Click Here for the Marriage Certificate Transcript, in English
and Click Here for the of Marriage Certificate Transcript, in Greek
As of today all official requests for Certificates of Marriage, Baptism, or Freedom to Marry must comply with these standard templates--otherwise we will be unable to process the request.
May our Lord bless and keep your families during the Great Lenten Fast
Faithfully yours,+Very Rev. Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor - Freedom to Marry: Click here for the Freedom to Marry Transcript, in English
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May 5, 2026 - Part 2 of 3
n Important Update from the Metropolis Finance Committee
Dear Clergy,
Christos Anesti!
The Metropolis office issued the 2027 parish-specific TC Allocation forms by email during the week of February 4th. The committee extends its appreciation to the 66 parishes that have submitted their data thus far.
Submission status as of April 30TH:
- 66 parishes have submitted
- 48 parishes reviewed and approved
- The 6 parishes who have not submitted are as follows:
- Holy Transfiguration - Florence, SC
- St. Demetrios - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- St. George - Hollywood, FL
- St. Andrew - Miami, FL
- Sts. Constantine & Helen - Monroe, LA
- St. John the Theologian - Panama City, FL
April 30th was the deadline to submit without penalty. Now, a 5% late fee will be assessed for all forms submitted until May 31st. A 10% late fee will be assessed for all forms submitted after May 31st.
Helpful Notes:
- Email ALL INFORMATION to: gdonkar@comcast.net for review and approval.
- A COPY OF THE ALLOCATION MANUAL IS AVAILABLE ON THE MOA WEBSITE. CLICK ON PARISHES AND THEN CHOOSE “PARISH FORMS”. YOU WILL SEE THE MANUAL LISTED.
- DO NOT CHANGE OR DELETE THE FORMULAS THAT HAVE BEEN ENTERED ON PAGES 1 AND 4.
- YOUR PARISH SHOULD ONLY ENTER 2025 DATA ON PAGE 4 AND SUBMIT DOCUMENTS SUPPORTING THE 2025 DATA.
- ALL FILES THAT YOU SUBMIT TO SUPPORT YOUR 2027 TC ALLOCATION INCLUDING THE ALLOCATION FORM MUST BE IN EXCEL FORMAT. PDF files are acceptable for copies of checks, invoices, etc. that support deductions.
- MAIL A HARD COPY OF THE ALLOCATION FORM TO THE METROPOLIS ONCE IT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE MOA FINANCE COMMITTEE.
- CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE EMAIL ADDRESS: COI@goarch.org
Please address any questions about the process to the undersigned at gdonkar@comcast.net or cell phone 912-695-7761.
In His service,
Please address any questions about the process to the undersigned at gdonkar@comcast.net or cell phone 912-695-7761.
George N. Donkar,
Metropolis Finance Committee
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May 5, 2026, Part 3 of 3
Christ is risen!
The above table is in follow-up on last week's email concerning the calls His Eminence & Fr. George placed to our Metropolis clergy, We are thankful to the 33 active clergymen who confirmed with Nick Kostopoulos that the message from our Metropolis was in fact received.
It is important that all Clergy of our 75 parishes, both Proistamenoi and Ephemeroi are able to receive the Metropolis's communication. If your name does not appear above, please email Nick Kostopoulos to confirm your address is working. On behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos, I thank you and your parishes for helping with our ARC ministry. We are deeply grateful.
Faithfully yours,
+Very Rev. Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor -
Chancellor's Update for 4.28.26 - Part 1 of 2 partsMy dear Brothers in the Lord,
Christ is risen!
His Eminence and I just completed our calls to our Metropolis clergy thanking them for using the ARC candles and offering a portion of your Greek Festival/fundraising proceeds in follow-up to the Metropolis of Atlanta Clergy Laity Initiative more than ten years go.
In addition, His Eminence and I reviewed your progress with helping us achieve the half-million dollar goal to complete Panagia Chapel as a retirement gift to honor our former Metropolitan, His Eminence Alexios. We commend our clergy who have already completed this task and we thank those currently working on it. For those who have not, we agreed on a time schedule which will be monitored to ensure 100 percent participation.
Time to send in your donations is of the essence, inasmuch as our Greek artisans are busily completing the dome of the Panagia Chapel and these funds will help us succeed.
Remember, make your checks payble to the Alexios Retreat Center with a memo line indicating it for Panagia Chapel. Your donations can be sent to the ARC or Metropolis (and we will forward to ARC in your behalf).
There were several clergy who are traveling, so you will have a message to call His Eminence and myself upon your return.
Vicars, please ensure that your clergy are aware of the Metropolis Clergy webpage and our Tue@2 and liturgical protocols pages. We discovered full-time clergy who were unaware and we want to support everyone with these updates.
Finally, I am sending this message by email to every active clergyman serving a parish. More than one clergyman reported they have not been receiving any emails from our office via Nick Kostopoulos. Kindly reply to his email so that he can confirm your email is working. We will follow-up next week by sharing the list of clergy who replied to ensure our clergy are receiving our emails.
On behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos, I thank you and your parishes for helping with our ARC ministry. We are deeply grateful.
Faithfully yours,
+Very Rev. Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor -
Chancellor's Update for 4.28.26 - Part 2 of 2 partsMy dear Brothers in the Lord,
Christ is risen!
His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos has approved new protocols and services to ensure respect and order for our liturgical practices. It is the responsibility of all clergy of our Holy Metropolis to read and follow them.
If you have questions, please seek help from our Chancellor, your Vicar, or Fr. Christos Mars, Metropolis Typikaris, who kindly compiled them collectively and individually for easy and regular use.
If you feel an exception to a particular protocol should be considered, kindly make your request to the Chancellor or His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos. Ultimately, it is our Hierarch's decision to grant the blessing, and not us as clergy.
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Check back next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.
Every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., this page is updated to remind clergy of pending requests from Metropolitan Sevastianos and our Metropolis Office. check this page once per week after Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. to ensure you are aware of important notice asking for your help.
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Chancellor's Survey, 2.10.26Metropolis of Atlanta Clergy, please complete this survey following our Clergy Zoom Meeting on 2.10.26. If you missed the meeting, I still ask you to complete the survey. Your answers will be shared with His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos to help him understand your level of commitment. Thank you.
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