Metropolitan Methodios Celebrates the Liturgy of St. Basil in Peabody

Thursday, January 01, 2026

Metropolitan Methodios celebrated the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on New Year’s Day at St. Vasilios Church in Peabody, MA, joined by Fr. Christopher Foustoukos and Fr. Yiannis Michaelidis, presiding priests. The faithful gathered to mark the beginning of the year with prayer and thanksgiving, honoring the feast of St. Basil. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence offered the traditional blessing of the vasilopita at the parish reception, extending his pastoral greetings and best wishes for a year filled with God’s grace, peace, and spiritual growth.

In his sermon, Metropolitan Methodios reflected that while the New Year is often seen as a merely secular milestone, for Christians it is a sacred moment for renewed hope, repentance, and purpose. He reminded the faithful that true renewal comes not from the calendar but from a change of heart, as we are called, with God’s help, to “steer rather than drift” and to express our love for God through concrete love for one another. Drawing on the example of St. Basil the Great—whose life of prayer, humility, and tireless charity for the poor, sick, and suffering remains a model for the Church—His Eminence called all to embrace a life of mercy, service, and humility. He also reflected on the Lord’s Circumcision as a sign of Christ’s obedience and humility, encouraging everyone to enter the new year with greater sincerity, integrity, and brotherly love, praying that God’s will may prevail and that the year ahead be marked by peace, justice, and hope for the world.