The 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution was celebrated with great brilliance on Thursday, March 25, at the Greek Orthodox College of St John in Preston, Melbourne.
This great historical event, which led to the independence of the Greek people, was at the same time a shocking event for many nations and brought to the fore the demand for freedom and self-determination of many peoples.
The event, in which all the students of the College participated, was honored by the presence of the Archiepiscopal Vicar of Northcote, Archimandrite Fr. Eumenios Vassilopoulos, who represented Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
Fr. Eumenios congratulated the students and all the teachers for the beautiful and successful school celebration. Clearly moved by the rich material and enthusiastic spirit of the students, he pointed out how important the offer of the Heroes of 21′ was and stressed that freedom is a precious privilege.
In his speech, he tried to describe to the children how the events of the Revolution can help us in modern society. He focused on the elements of unity, self-denial, self-sacrifice, and faith, noting that the Heroes of 1821 were heroes precisely because they cared not only for themselves but for all members, for all people, for the whole crew. They were indeed the salt of the earth and the light of the world, he pointed out, because they gave taste and light and character to the whole World. “So we, here in this school”, he urged, “should not live for ourselves, but live for our neighbor, to give taste and light not only to our own lives but also to those around us”.
Fr. Eumenios conveyed also the love and wishes of Archbishop Makarios to all the children and the teaching staff of the College, noting that when they read about Germanos III of Old Patras, about Papaflessas, about Kolokotronis, etc., to know that for the school of Saint John the fighters for the children are the Church, the clergy, the parents, the principal, and the staff. “We are at the forefront of you children,” he said, “to give you a high-quality education, and an excellent school environment so you can give back to society.”
The celebration was attended by students from all grades of primary, secondary, and high school, with interpretations of songs, recitation of poems, narration of historical documents, projection of digital material, and presentation of traditional dances.
Parents and grandparents watched the rich program with great enthusiasm, warmly applauding the children, as well as the school staff and teachers, who contributed to the successful event.