Archbishop Iakovos Laid to Rest at
Hellenic College/Holy Cross
(HCS) After a solemn and moving Pre-sanctified Liturgy and Trisagion service, packed with hundreds of Orthodox faithful, students, clergy, and hierarchs, the former spiritual leader of millions of American Christians, Archbishop Iakovos was laid to rest on the school grounds behind the apse of Holy Cross Chapel. Photographers and reporters from national and foreign news services snapped images of the rites, as worshippers queued tearfully and patiently to pay their last respects before the hierarch's interment, undeterred by Boston's chilly weather.
This service at Holy Cross Chapel was the final in a series of events marking the death of the former Archbishop of North and South America. Earlier this week, his body remained in state at the Cathedral in New York so that Orthodox faithful could pay their respects. Archbishop Demetrios, the current hierarch of the Archdiocese of America, conducted a funeral service in New York yesterday. The body of Archbishop Iakovos was then flown to Boston for final services and interment.
Holy Cross Chapel resounded for several hours with the sounds of Byzantine hymns and chants, intoned by hundreds of faithful, a soul-filled farewell for a former archbishop who was respected and loved by many. At his wish, he would join two others also buried there, one of them his predecessor and mentor, Archbishop Athenagoras, as Metropolitan Methodios of Boston explained to worshippers during his eulogy following the Pre-sanctified Liturgy. Archbishop Iakovos loved the school and visited as often as he could, taking every opportunity to meet and speak with students and theologians, many of whom were among those attending services for the former hierarch. The library and learning center there are named after him. His dynamism and inspiration were legendary, leaving indelible marks upon all who knew him, clergy and lay people alike. Metropolitan Methodios recounted several personal anecdotes about the former archbishop, recalling how he had first met him as an altar boy many years ago. A representative of the Imvriots in Athens, an association of expatriots from the island Imvros at the head of the Dardanelles, echoed these sentiments and bid the fellow islander farewell on behalf of the entire organization and his childhood friends. A member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Boston, at whose church Archbishop Iakovos had served as parish priest before his enthronement, described the awe-inspiring nature of the former archbishop. Solemn farewells from others, including Archbishop Christodoulou of Athens and a representative of the Patriarchate in Constantinople, added to the plethora of tributes.
Following the eulogy and tributes, Archbishop Demetrios led a Trisagion service for the departed archbishop. Seated about the open casket were hierarchs and noted elders of the lay community, both men and women, who joined in the funerary hymns, praying that his memory would be eternal. A deep sadness hung in the air as faithful, even young children, processed outdoors behind the body and filed past the casket a final time, in order to toss their white flowers. With the interment of the former archbishop, a significant era for the Greek Orthodox Church in America came to a close.
Orthodox faithful and others who wish to make a donation in loving memory of the archbishop may send a check to The Archbishop Iakovos Chair of Orthodox Theology, Office of the President, Hellenic College and Holy Cross, 50 Goddard Ave., Brookline, MA 02445, along with their name, address, telephone number, and home parish. Contributions to this institution are tax-deductible; Hellenic College, Inc. is exempt under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue code.
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