Protocol 31/08

March 27, 2008

Three-Year Memorial Encyclical
Upon the Falling Asleep in the Lord of Archbishop Iakovos
Former Archbishop of North and South America
 
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 behalf of our Holy Eparchial Synod, I write to you on the third year anniversary of the passing away of our deeply beloved and respected Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America. Our memory of Archbishop Iakovos remains alive after three years since his falling asleep in the Lord. We remember him for his tireless efforts and intense passion for promoting the truth of the Gospel. He had been a visionary who championed civil liberties and the growth of Christian unity, and a great ecclesiastical leader of our Church and Omogenia for decades.
 
In honor of his life and in honor of his leadership to our Church and our Nation, all parishes of our Holy Archdiocese are hereby directed to conduct a memorial service at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, April 6, 2008.  As we pray for the repose of the soul of our deeply beloved and respected Archbishop Iakovos of blessed memory, let us keep him in our minds and hearts as a source of strength, particularly during this season of Holy Lent, and let us strive toward that standard of virtue that he set as a stalwart servant of Christ and His Holy Church.
 
May his memory be eternal.
 
With paternal love in Christ,
 
+DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Demetrios in noting that this was the eighth consecutive year that   President Bush has invited him to the White House for the celebration of the Anniversary of Greek Independence Day said: "Please accept, Mr. President, our deep appreciation and thankfulness for personally handing over to us, the Greek American community,   your noble declaration honoring the Great Hellenic Revolution of March 25, 1821.... The heroes of 1821, of the war for the independence of Greece, were absolutely convinced that with the help of God they could determine the course of their own history and achieve what otherwise seemed impossible. Their unshakable faith in God and their unwavering determination against a deplorable attitude of passive submission to any blind fate or inescapable chance were their most formidable weapons in a fight that, by normal human standards, seemed doomed to fail.

...Today, however, this very Greek Nation, in a number of sensitive issues, receives by some nations, treatment which is unjust by any standards.  The issues of the reunification of Cyprus and of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are two characteristic examples of this. Therefore, speaking rather boldly on this solemn day, we express our firm conviction that you will certainly exercise your unique authority and leadership in order to facilitate a course of action that will treat sensitive issues related to Greece in a fair and dignified way.  Greece is not seeking special favors or unreasonable deference."  (Complete text attached)

President Bush thanked Archbishop Demetrios for his suggestions, welcoming him again to the White House.  The President also recognized the presence of the Greek Development Minister Christos Folias, the Ambassador of Greece to the United States Alexandros P. Mallias, the Ambassador of Cyprus to the United States Andreas Kakouris and former US Senator Paul Sarbanes. 

The President further stated: "All free people stand on the shoulders of Greece.  In the ancient world where political power usually came from the sword, the people of Athens came together around a radical and untried idea that men were fit to govern themselves.  It was this freedom that allowed them to create one of the most vibrant societies in history.  And that society deeply influenced America's founding fathers when they sought to establish a Free State centuries later." 

"Throughout their history," he continued, "the people of Greece have been committed to liberty.  They've also been committed to the important principle that liberty only survives when brave men and women are ready to come to its defense.  In the years leading up to Greece's war for independence, one of the rallying cries of the Greek people was that it was better to be free for an hour than to be a slave for 40 years.  Those are the kind of folks who had their priorities straight."
 
Following the remarks by President Bush and Archbishop Demetrios the Metropolitan Youth Choir of the Direct Archdiocesan District, under the direction of Maria Kolevas, performed two songs for the President, the Archbishop and the invited guests, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and a popular Greek song.  All the guests were moved as the President personally thanked each child. Earlier in the morning of March 25, Archbishop Demetrios celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Annunciation and Doxology for Greek Independence Day at St. Sophia Cathedral in Washington, DC.

 

 

For the rest of this News Release, visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Names Andrew Manatos Chairman of 39th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress
March 20, 2008

Archbishop Demetrios of America has named Andrew Manatos Chairman of the 39th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to be held July 13-18 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC.


Orthodox Christians Worldwide to Observe Easter April 27
March 19, 2008

Over 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, including some six million in North America, will observe Easter (Pascha) on April 27, 2008. Pascha is the most sacred and holy day of the Orthodox Church’s ecclesiastical year.