On Thursday, September 20th, the Archbishop has been invited to a gathering in Washington DC organized by USAID of select guests and corporate participants of the BCLC (Business Civic Leadership Center) Corporate Citizenship Conference to discuss amongst other concerns, reconstruction efforts in the wildfire-affected areas in Greece. USAID is interested in fostering public-private alliances targeting reforestation and livelihood restoration and linking the private sector, the environmental NGOs and the Greek American community. The Archdiocese will play a critical and major role in offering whatever assistance is sent to the victims of the fires in Greece by Greek Americans. His Eminence has asked His Grace Bishop Andonios, Coordinator of the Archdiocesan Greek Fire Relief Fund, to represent the Archbishop at this meeting.
Contact:
Bishop Andonios of Phasiane
Department of Philanthropy
Tel.: 212.774-0283
MEDIA ALERT
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA TO COMMEMORATE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ORDINATION TO THE EPISCOPACY OF ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS OF AMERICA SEPTEMBER 15TH AT THE ARCHDIOCESAN CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY TRINITY, NEW YORK CITY
LITURGY TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON TELEVISION AND INTERNET
An Archieratical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of ordination to the Episcopacy of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, on Saturday, September 15th at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (319 E. 74th St.). A reception will follow in the Cathedral Center. The event will also commemorate the 8th Anniversary of Archbishop Demetrios' enthronement as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. The Orthros will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
The Orthros and Liturgy will be broadcast live on the Internet, www.goarch.org from 8:30 a.m. The Liturgy will be broadcast live on Time Warner Digital Channel 509(NGTV) from 10a.m-12 Noon.
Contact: Nikki Stephanopoulos
Tel.: 212.570.3530
Tel: 212-744-2429
Cell: 917-903-1255
As a result of the appeal issued by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios on behalf of the Eparchial Synod of the Holy Archdiocese of America, members of the community have generously responded to the tremendous needs of the victims of the catastrophic fires in Greece. On Monday of this week, His Eminence received a call from one dedicated individual, an Archon and member of both Leadership 100 and Faith Endowment, who informed the Archbishop that he wished to anonymously donate $400,000 to the Greek Fire Relief Fund.
“Time and time again, I have been overwhelmed and deeply moved by the magnanimous generosity of this individual who has always shown himself to be a true Christian steward of the material blessings which he has received from the Almighty. He responds without reservation whenever and wherever a need has arisen and we are especially thankful to our Lord for having blessed our Archdiocese with such a steadfast and faithful communicant,” reflected the Archbishop.
Contributions have also been coming to the Archdiocese from outside the Greek Orthodox community, from fellow Americans who were moved by the devastation they witnessed in the extensive coverage of the calamity by the international media. The Archdiocese has sponsored a national appeal through an ad featuring a dramatic photo of the statue of Nike which had been threatened by the wildfires in Greece. The appeal which ran in the national issue of the New York Times, USA TODAY, the Chicago Tribune and the LA Times, with a combined circulation of close to 9,000,000, has resulted in a dramatic increase in visitations to the website of the Archdiocese and of online donations to the Greek Fire Relief Fund.
Contact:
Bishop Andonios of Phasiane
Department of Philanthropy
Tel.: 212.774-0283
The Department of Religious Education is pleased to release the topics that were approved by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios for the 2008 St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. By releasing the topics at the beginning of the Church school year, teachers can promote the Festival to their students and work with them to prepare a speech.
The Oratorical Festival, now entering its 25th year, provides young people an opportunity to research, to prepare, and to deliver a speech on topics related to their Greek Orthodox faith and heritage. The Junior Division is for students between grades 7-9. The Senior Division is for students between grades 10-12. Parish Festivals are held between January and March. Top speakers then move to District and Metropolis Festivals, which are held between April and May. The National Archdiocese Festival, with the top speakers from each Metropolis, will be held June 6-8, 2008 and will be hosted by the Metropolis of Boston. In a few weeks the "Topic Tips" and bibliography will be ready for release. The topics can also be found on the St John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival website.
St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival
2008 Topics
Junior Division
Grades 7-9
1. The Lord said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8) Discuss the difficulties of being "pure in heart" in the contemporary world where there is corruption, moral impurity, and temptation to yield to conditions that have nothing to do with purity of heart. Further discuss how a person with a pure heart can see God.
2. In a world with war, terrorism, and violence, discuss how Orthodox Christians might observe the following: "The Lord said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'" (Matthew 5:9)
3. The Lord said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16) In what sense is a Christian the light of the world today? In what sense do good works constitute a light to the world? How do the good works of a Christian become a reason for the people who see him or her to glorify God?
4. "For we are lovers of beauty yet with no extravagance and lovers of wisdom yet without weakness. Wealth we employ rather as an opportunity for action than as a subject for boasting; and with us it is not a shame for a man to acknowledge poverty, but the greater shame is for him not to do his best to avoid it." (Thucydides, "Pericles's Funeral Oration," History of the Peloponnesian War, 2:40) Explain why the main ideas in this passage, which describes the civil life of ancient Athenians, constitute an excellent guide for a healthy society.
5. Discuss the struggles Orthodox Christians can face trying to balance private and public lives as described in the following: "To praise virtue in public with brilliant words and with long drawn out speeches, while in private preferring pleasures to temperance, and self-interest to justice, finds an analogy on the stage, for the players frequently appear as kings and rulers, though they are neither, nor perhaps even genuinely free man." (St. Basil the Great, Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature)
Senior Division
Grades 10-12
1. "So every one who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33) Discuss how a Christian today could openly and strongly acknowledge Christ in his or her work, society, and family environment. Explain why denying Christ has the terrible consequences described in this passage.
2. From the following passage, discuss the characteristics of the servant and service (diakonia) that the Lord commands of His followers: "And Jesus called them [the disciples] to Him and said to them, 'You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.'" (Mark 10:42-45)
3. Why is the ancient Platonic definition of virtue and vice, included in the following passage, also valid and desirable for contemporary people? "Virtue
(arçte), then, as it seems, would be a kind of health and beauty and good condition of the soul, and vice (kakía) would be disease, ugliness, and shame." (Plato, The Republic, Book IV, 444d)
4. In our daily lives, we as Orthodox Christians are called to be genuine "imitators of God." Cite cases from the lives of saints exemplifying the highlights of this passage: "If you love Him [God] you will be an imitator of His kindness. And do not wonder that a man may become an imitator of God. He can, if he is willing. For it is not by ruling over his neighbors, or by seeking to hold the supremacy over those that are weaker, or by being rich, and showing violence towards those that are inferior, that happiness is found; nor can any one by these things become an imitator of God. But these things do not at all constitute His majesty. On the contrary he who takes upon himself the burden of his neighbor; he who in whatsoever respect he may be superior, is ready to benefit another who is deficient; he who, whatsoever things he has received from God, by distributing these to the needy, becomes a god to those who receive [his benefits]: he is an imitator of God." (Epistle to Diognetos, 10:4-6, author unknown, second or third century a.d.)
5. "To be pleasing God, this is to be a human being." (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John, PG 59, 36). Why, if a person is "pleasing" God, is he or she truly and fully a human being? How does one really please God? What is the meaning of the phrase "to be pleasing God"?
Contact:
Department of Religious Education
Tel.: 617-850-1218
Email: tvrame@goarch.org
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