By Amelia Antzoulatos
On Thomas Sunday, May 1, 2022, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America visited the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England in Boston where he concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, and Annunciation Cathedral Dean Fr. Thomas Chininis, and proceeded to the Boston Greek Independence Parade immediately after.
In his remarks, the Archbishop stated that “What we celebrate today is truly in accord with our Paschal affirmations. We call the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Άνάστασις,” which literally means “to stand again.” For the dead are laid to rest supine, lying flat in the earth. But to rise again and stand upright, my dear friends is truly a miracle.
“And this is exactly what happened in 1821. The Greek People stood tall again and commenced the long battle back to the integrity of their faith, their culture, their language, and their territory.”
Also present for the Liturgy were Greek Minister of Justice Kostas Tsiaras, who offered remarks at the conclusion of the service, Deputy of Thessaloniki Dimitrios Kouvelas, Mayor of Kalamata Athanasios Vasilopoulos, and Consul General of Greece Stratos Efthymiou.
During a brief reception at the Cathedral, Mayor Vasilopoulos presented the Archbishop with a hand-crafted, commemorative Medal for the Bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, as well as the medal seal of the City of Kalamata featuring the Church of the Holy Apostles, where the Greek Revolution was first declared in 1821. Mr. Vasilopoulos also announced that the Archbishop would receive honorary citizenship of Kalamata on February 2, 2023, during the city’s annual celebration of the Panagia Ypapanti. Previous honorees include President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou (2022) and the late composer Mikis Theodorakis (2021).
In the afternoon, sunny skies and warm weather heralded the parade, and lively onlookers gathered along Boylston Street to cheer on the bands and the creative floats, the Evzones of the Federation, and participants from across New England. In addition to Metropolitan Methodios, Bishop Athenagoras, and the esteemed dignitaries from Greece, attendees included Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu, Governor Michael Dukakis, and Senator Leonidas Raptakis from Rhode Island.
The celebration culminated at the Boston Commons, where the Omogeneia and parkgoers enjoyed music and traditional dance performances by seven different Greek troupes from New England.
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America