Candidates must be of the Greek Orthodox faith (with preference to those of Greek descent) and must be high school seniors at time of application or full-time matriculated students committed to serious study in an undergraduate degree program at an accredited college or university.  

Candidates must be firmly planning to commence or continue their studies, full time, at the college or university of their choice in the next academic year.  

Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

Candidates must provide the Scholarship Committee with evidence of their scholastic standing, including transcript records with a grade level of at least a B, 85 percent or 3.0 average.

Candidates who are high school seniors must have achieved and must provide proof of a combined new SAT minimum score of 1500*, or older SAT minimum score of 1000. If the SAT is not administered, another measure used by the academic community, for example the ACT, should be substituted.  College students must also submit both current college as well as high school transcripts, including their testing record of SAT and/or ACT scores.    *NOTE: The new SAT writing section may be waived.

Candidates must submit an application to the Scholarship Committee and be available for an interview at the Committee's discretion. Applications must be filled out in their entirety. The committee will not consider incomplete applications.

Candidates must provide evidence of financial need. Preference will be given to candidates who are orphans and to those who are undertaking studies in the sciences, business and the arts, with one scholarship reserved for a candidate who has chosen to study journalism.

Applications may be requested from the Office of the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese by calling (212) 774-0513, by e-mail at scholarships@goarch.org, or by written request.   Completed applications should be sent to the Gioles Scholarship Fund, c/o Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Office of the Chancellor, 8-10 East 79th Street, New York, NY  10075.  

Scholarships must be postmarked by the April 18, 2008 deadline.

Applications are also available on-line at:
http://www.goarch.org/en/archdiocese/administration/chancellor/gioles2008.pdf

Protocol 10/08

February 6, 2008
Feast of Saint Photios and
Saint Photios National Shrine Day

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On the annual Feast of Saint Photios the Great, we come together in prayer and worship to commemorate one of the great luminaries of our Holy Orthodox Church.  A passionate scholar and person of deep faith, Saint Photios served as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople during the 9th century.  Among his many contributions to the Church, he is remembered for authoring, among many other works, the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, a thorough treatise on the procession of the Holy Spirit, which continues to serve as a basic text in contemporary theological education.  He is also remembered for his extraordinary foresight in advancing the missionary work of the Church, supporting the work of the beloved Saints Cyril and Methodios in their preaching of the Gospel in the Slavic lands.

The legacy of Saint Photios continues to shine with equal brilliance in our current day.  This is testified not only by our commemoration of him on February 6 each year in our Orthodox Church, but also by the active work of the Saint Photios National Shrine built in his honor, a revered institution of our Archdiocese for over 25 years.  This sacred Shrine serves as an important witness to the religious and cultural legacy that was brought to America by the first Greek colonists in the eighteenth century.  They arrived on the shores of Florida in 1768, enduring many struggles as they worked to build a new life in what at that time was known as the colony of New Smyrna.  Just a decade later they relocated to St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the United States. 

Their story in coming to America is one of many economic hardships and struggles, but it is also a story of hope, of courage, and of the paramount importance of freedom, including religious freedom.  Today, the Shrine stands as an active witness to the history and faith of these early immigrants, our ancestors.  On a daily basis, people from all walks of life enter the Shrine and learn about our history.  Over time, the Shrine has become a regular place for educational instruction for young students in the 5th through 8th grades across the state of Florida, who learn firsthand important lessons of early immigration to the United States. Additionally, many of our faithful make an annual pilgrimage to the Shrine, journeying from parishes across our country to pay tribute to the legacy of Saint Photios and to those early Greek settlers, and to pray in the Shrine chapel and experience its tranquility. 

As in past years, this year on Sunday, February 3, our National Ladies Philoptochos Society will be leading us in collecting funds for the continued progress of the ministry of the Saint Photios National Shrine.  Your contributions will directly aid the general operations of the Shrine so that it may continue to actively serve as a beacon of inspiration that gives proper tribute to this Great luminary of our Church, Saint Photios, and preserves the vibrant history of our faith and culture in America, which we generously share with all who visit.  With your support, and by the guiding hand of Almighty God, our Saint Photios National Shrine will continue to shine the light of truth before people so that they may know the Lord Christ, Who said, I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).

May our Lord, through the intercessions of Saint Photios, shine His light within your hearts, and may His blessings be upon you forever.

With paternal love in Christ,
                
+DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America