Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta offered an interview, or rather a theological and spiritual conversation, to The National Herald explaining and meditating on the sacred events of Holy Week and the Resurrection.

Our conversation started with the simple question of how he planned to celebrate Holy Week and Pascha this year, and he replied by saying, “If one were to interpret this question in a secular way of thinking, one could wonder whether this Holy Week and Easter is going to be like years past, or if something different will happen. Nevertheless, the way that our Orthodox Tradition urges us to receive this blessed period of the year is deeper and esoteric. The purpose of Great Lent is to prepare us for Holy Week; the purpose of Holy Week is to commemorate the Passion of our Lord; and the purpose of commemorating our Lord’s Crucifixion, death, and burial is to prepare us so that we will be able to participate in His Resurrection and the New Creation it brings.

In other words, the way which leads to the light of the Resurrection goes through the hard, uphill path of Golgotha, and the way which leads to eternal life passes through the death of our old sinful existence. We cannot have the one without the other. Forgive me for making this comment, but we have to be honest with ourselves at this point. As Orthodox, we often like to quote the Fathers, or the hymns of the Church, and refer to the ‘Eighth Day of Creation’ or the ‘New Creation’, but somehow, we fail to mention the spiritual exercise (άσκηση) which we ought to practice. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we are always very eager to enjoy the benefits of work we have not done, or to reap the fruits of a seed we have not planted. For the upcoming Holy Week, I am planning not to spend much time dealing with administrative affairs, so that I will have the opportunity to get the most out of the Church Services and the spiritual uplift which this period can grant to the human soul.

TNH:  How many communities are you going to visit?

Metropolitan Alexios: Would it sound like a cliché to say that it is not the quantity but the quality that matters? People within my Metropolis often call me “the flying Bishop”, as they see me always travelling from city to city and state to state, as I strive to visit as many parishes and monasteries as I can. Over the years, I have experienced, and I keep experiencing, the many and various needs that a Church community might have. After all, the so-called flock of the Church is not an abstract collection, but actual people, with certain needs and certain challenges. My ministry as their spiritual father and overseer (επίσκοπος) is to be close to them, and to provide guidance and to support them. Accordingly, I might spend more time with one community over another, always depending on their needs and challenges.

That said, this year, by God’s Grace, the Archdiocese has granted to us Bishop Sevastianos, who, as an Auxiliary Bishop, also travels constantly and enhances the ministry of our Metropolis. So, with no exaggeration at all, we can say that in the Metropolis of Atlanta the number of parishes and Monasteries scheduled for Episcopal visits during Holy Week will be doubled.

TNH: Do you visit different communities every year?

Metr. Alexios: I usually travel and visit different communities on the days of Holy Week up to Holy Thursday. On Holy Friday until Easter Sunday (Easter Vigil and Agape Service), I return to the Cathedral Community in Atlanta. This constitutes only a personal tradition of mine, not the rule, which means that in some past years I have visited other communities and celebrated Easter with them. For this year, His Grace Bishop Sevastianos is going to travel and visit our communities in Florida, whereas I will travel and visit the communities in the Carolinas and I will return to Atlanta for Easter.
TNH:  Do young people participate in the Church Services?
Metr. Alexios: This question, I assume, is not only about Holy Week services, but the entire year. Many things could be said or argued about here. On the one hand the statistics on the percentage of young people that walk away from the Church are terrifying, but on the other we have to acknowledge that there is a great effort and great progress being made by priests, youth directors, Sunday School teachers, and all kinds of volunteers in order to confront this great challenge. As I said, many things could be said, but let us save it for another discussion, which I would love to have with you on this subject.


Holy Week is usually a period during which young people attend Church Services. I will not say that this constitutes an exception from the aforementioned discouraging statistics. I will only say that there is hope. Young people do attend Church Services during Holy Week more frequently and meticulously than the rest of the liturgical year.

Therefore, this could be a great message for us, the Church leaders, to figure out how our Church can be more inviting and appealing for young people to come and attend all year long. Let us always keep in mind that it is the Holy Spirit Who sustains and enhances the Church, and thus we should never see the glass as half empty, but always as half full.

TNH: What do young people ask regarding Holy Week, as well as the Orthodox Church in general?

Metr. Alexios: “O tempore, O mores” (i.e. O, the times! O the customs!). This line is from a speech of the Roman orator Cicero. He used these words in one of his speeches to weep over the immorality of Rome. It is so sad to see that his words have become contemporary once again. Unfortunately, the traditional way of living in both Greek, as well as in American society, where the Church held a significant role in our lives, belongs to the past. Nowadays, our youth is taught at schools, colleges, and universities that everything related to God or religion is anachronistic. The contemporary honnete homme – cultivated man – is the one who has outsmarted God and lives his life in an absolutely secular way. This being the case, we cannot expect youngsters to keep coming to the Church simply because we say so…More than what we say to young people, it matters how much time we spend to listen to what they have to say to us, about their challenges, their hardships. When Christ Himself was challenged with “smart” questions, He outsmarted those who tried to put Him on the spot. But He did not conquer the world because of this. He conquered the world because He loved the world and gave His life for the world’s sake. All the same, following His example, we need to educate our youth and make firm their faith, but mainly and mostly, we need to make our youth understand that the Church is here to love and care for them. If life is like a stormy sea, the Church is like Noah’s Ark, providing a safe shelter for all the faithful.

TNH: What Easter is for you?

Metr. Alexios: The answer to this question can be very predictable. Instead, I would go a step beyond and ask: what can Easter become for us, for each one of us? I believe this is a question that each one of us can answer only on a personal level. From the Tomb of Christ has sprung up life, grace, and forgiveness of sins – it is up to us, however, to choose how hard we will try to reach out for these gifts.