The 102nd Order of AHEPA Supreme Convention opened for the first time in Cyprus in a show of solidarity to mark the 50th dark anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus.
On July 22, 2024, the official opening took place in Limassol, Cyprus with a concert showcasing traditional Cypriot and Greek music welcomed attendees in celebrating Cypriot culture in the spirit of uplifting Cyprus and looking forward for a free future for this beautiful island nation.
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America attended the ceremony, which opened with an Oratorio entitled “The Bells will Ring Again” by Marios Joannou Elia. This production was commissioned by the Holy Archbishopic of Cyprus for the Official Opening Ceremony of the AHEPA Supreme Convention supported by the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus and in collaboration with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation and the “Aris” Limassol Choir.
Also present were President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, Archbishop George of Neas Ioustinis and all Cyprus, Supreme President of the Order of AHEPA Savvas Tsivicos, and other members of AHEPA.
“I am proud that AHEPA contributes significantly, pressuring the powerful of the land to find a fair solution and I take this opportunity to repeat that the request of Cyprus for the reunification of the island is a request not only of the Cypriots, but also of the Holy Archdiocese of America and of the entire Diaspora. My fellow Cypriots we are with you, we love you and we feel you! Hand in hand, heart in heart, with you and the brothers of the wider AHEPA family and with every Greek everywhere on earth, we came here to shout it out and let our voice be heard everywhere in the whole world, that ‘fifty years, half a century , for our finding a fair solution for the reunification of the martyred island is too much! We can’t wait any longer!'” Archbishop Elpidophoros remarked.
The AHEPA 2024 Archbishop Iakovos Award was awarded to His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios and the AHEPA 2024 Inaugural Holy Cross Scholarship was awarded to Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
Archbishop Elpidophoros established the creation of a permanent committee at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America composed of prominent members of the Cypriot Community for the purpose of overseeing and coordinating teach training and educational materials for the Greek-American community so that our children and all Americans may learn and love the history and culture of Cyprus. A program similar to this was recently completed. The Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus, under the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth (MOESY), organized a training program for Greek-American teachers from the community schools of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The program took place from July 9 to July 19, 2024.
His Eminence thanked President Christodoulides and the AHEPA community for their ongoing support of educational programs like this and the Holy Cross School of Theology in Massachusetts.
Photo: GOARCH/Dimitrios Panagos
