In a very emotional mood, memorial events marking the 97th anniversary of the Asia Minor catastrophe and genocide of the Greeks of Asia Minor were held at the Metropolis of Demetrias on September 14 and 15.
The focal point of the events was the refugee Church of Evangelistria of N. Ionia, where the memory of the hieromartyr Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna and of the rest of the clergy and lay people who died during the Asia Minor catastrophe was honoured.
On Saturday, September 14, the Vespers was celebrated and officiated by Archimandrite Damaskinos Kiametis, Protosyncellus of the Metropolis of Demetrias, who preached the Divine Word.
On Sunday, September 15, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Metropolitan Ignatius of Demetrias. At the end of the Liturgy, a commemoration for the victims was held by Associations and an official Memorial Service took place immediately, on the Asia Minor Catastrophe Remembrance Day.
In his speech, the Metropolitan noted, among other things, that “today is a day of remembrance, which is combined with the feast of the hieromartyr Chrysostomos of Smyrna, who, along with priests and lay people, was sacrificed in the Asia Minor catastrophe and they were all canonized by our Church. It is a day we must all remember and never forget that our ancestors were sacrificed due to our own division and the western Allies’ indolence to meet the needs of the time… We will never forget these homelands. We must keep our Greekness and Orthodoxy alive, which is the quintessence of our historical life, in order to be able to face similar situations in the future.”
