Each year, on the first Sunday in October (on or after the Feast of St. Romanos the Melodist, the patron saint of church musicians), parishes across the Archdiocese of America celebrate NATIONAL CHURCH MUSIC SUNDAY. This commemoration was inaugurated by Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America in 1982 and has been re-affirmed by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
NATIONAL CHURCH MUSIC SUNDAY is a day we set aside particularly to honour the contributions of local choir members, psalter, and music educators who serve their churches through the hymnology of our Orthodox Church.
In addition, it is a day when we recognize the work of the diocesan choir federations as well as the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians, who through their music ministry, strive to enhance the development of church choirs, church musicians, and liturgical music at diocesan and archdiocesan levels.
To these ends, the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians encourages local parishes to use NATIONAL CHURCH MUSIC SUNDAY to recognize the contributions of church musicians.
SOURCE: Archdiocese of America
