Ilias I. Katsos and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

 It was a great honor for me last night to be introduced to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Ecumenical Patriarch Foundation Founders Dinner as a completed Founder at the Hilton Hotel Midtown in Manhattan. When introduced he said to me in the Hellenic with a smile and twinkle “I like your mustache.” I responded “Your-Holiness and I yours.” He responded back “ But yours is thicker.” to which I responded “Perhaps but you also have a beard.” To which we both laughed.

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The photo is by professional photographer and friend Jill Nelson.

Ilias I. Katsos

This weekend will be a busy one for me with Patriarch Bartholomew in New York and the Annual Archon Weekend with many of the events at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan where I am staying. Tonight was the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation Founders Dinner I was invited to being an original completed Founder. The Foundation in a relatively short time has raised $18 million. It was a very nice elegant Black Tie event with some good friends in attendance. My son John flew in from Dubai to be with us for the weekend and added to the moment.

The Raising of the Cross and the ΘΥΡΑΝΟΙΞΙΑ/ Door-Opening Service at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

  

The Raising of the Cross and the ΘΥΡΑΝΟΙΞΙΑ/ Door-Opening Service at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

It was a busy day for me before the event to discuss the construction and what had to be done to get ready for Easter at St. Nicholas and after with Santiago Calatrava and others to go over his thoughts relating to the lighting design within the Church. It was a wonderful day with the raising of the Cross and the ΘΥΡΑΝΟΙΞΙΑ/ Door-Opening Service with his All-Holiness and I was thrilled to be a part of it. I love that the Cross was landing at the top of the St. Nicholas Dome on Pantelic Marble from the same vein as the Parthenon as the rest of the building.

Ilias I. Katsos

The Raising of the Cross and the ΘΥΡΑΝΟΙΞΙΑ/ Door-Opening Service at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

It was a busy day for me before the event to discuss the construction and what had to be done to get ready for Easter at St. Nicholas and after with Santiago Calatrava and others to go over his thoughts relating to the lighting design within the Church. It was a wonderful day with the raising of the Cross and the ΘΥΡΑΝΟΙΞΙΑ/ Door-Opening Service with his All-Holiness and I was thrilled to be a part of it. I love that the Cross was landing at the top of the St. Nicholas Dome on Pantelic Marble from the same vein as the Parthenon as the rest of the building.

Ilias I. Katsos