(GOARCH) – On Wednesday, February 3, 2021, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America convened the Holy Eparchial Synod via videoconference for a regularly scheduled meeting. The discussion focused on the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821.
Pertinent to this discussion, the following items of the agenda were reviewed and discussed:
1) A presentation by the esteemed Archon Demetrios Logothetis, Vice-Chairman of the National Coordinating Committee, outlining the Committee’s strategic planning and efforts, as well as the promotion of activities in honor of the historic 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution. The events will focus on the three following areas of interest to all faithful and the entire Omogenia:
a. The provision of resources and promotion of activities, efforts and celebratory events throughout the Archdiocese and, generally, the Hellenic-Christian community.
b. The implementation of an educational program for all ages, whose aim will be to better inform the Archdiocesan faithful of the history of the Greek journey toward independence.
c. The scheduling of events with particular care and respect, so as to honor and celebrate this important anniversary in jubilant fashion, while still properly adhering to the safety measures currently in place due to the pandemic.
2) It was also decided that the hierarchs of the Holy Eparchial Synod would appoint a representative to the National Committee from every Metropolis in order to ensure the most efficient coordination and collaboration of these events.
Following the meeting, His Eminence offered the following comment:
“The hierarchs of the Eparchial Synod are committed to the celebration of this monumental anniversary for the Greek Nation and for us as Greek Americans. Over the course of the year, the Archdiocese will celebrate the 200 years since the Greek Revolution in every State and corner of the country, and we are grateful to Mr. Logothetis and the National Committee for their ongoing work and commitment.”
From The Chief Secretary Of The Holy Eparchial Synod
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Greek Archdiocese Holy Eparchial Synod meeting notes
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My apology to all Greeks but I really don't get it. I get the celebration of the Greek Revolution and the historic connection of the Orthodox Church in Greece to the success of the Revolution but man it is so off putting to barbarians like me coming to the Church especially given all of the insensitivity, ignorance and wrong thinking the GOA has shown to the nature and spirit of the American Revolution.
ReplyDeleteI don't even think an American church should celebrate the anniversary of the American Revolution like this. Maybe a sermon on freedom, so it seems so odd to me as well
ReplyDeleteMichael L. Most of the founders were titular Christians at best. Most were rationalists. The only real freedom is in Christ
ReplyDeleteTrue, exactly what I mean, I don't think either are truly the ideal that we need to cling to. No earthly city and all that.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNot that there isnt beauty in both cultures that is worth celebrating
ReplyDeleteI'm not falling out of my chair over this. The revolt was against rule of the Christian Greek nation by the heathen Ottomans. Christianity is fully entitled to, and should defend, its Christendom. By blood and iron if necessary.
ReplyDeleteBut it underscores the essentially ethno-nationalist nature of the Greek Orthodox Church. And the Patriarch cynically doles out ethnic vicariates so the Greeks don't have to get to know their neighbors and so the Greeks don't have to enthrone non-Greeks.
For some reason, it is only Anglo-European peoples who are not allowed to form a national Church.
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DeleteI'm sympathetic, even partisan in your favor. But that doesn't address the point.
DeleteAG, clearly you are right but this kinda stuff has always irritated me about the Greeks, not just the ecclesiastical Greeks. Arb Iakovos of blessed memory got beyond it and he got fired.
DeleteI'm confident we agree more than we disagree. Greek nationalism won't resonate at all with younger generations who are by now fully American.
DeleteThe antignostic is using logic no one in government is permitted to use. Next thing someone might ask about the “replacement” of the humble church in New York with a bizarre money pit “national shrine”.
ReplyDeleteA clearly misguided effort. Americans of Greek heritage are vaguely knowledgeable of this event as it is not part of our heritage in America. It appears that this is a last ditch effort to unite the Greeks here so as to have political power in government as well as church government. I suggest the leaders devote there time, money and talents to emphasizing true Orthodoxy, which by most accounts seems lacking in large degree especially in high member churches.
ReplyDelete“Get back to the basics” in Orthodox style. Let this be the uniting goal while still remembering our past, maybe make well known the history and heritage we Greeks have in the developing of Christianity.
If you have ears.....
To be fair, there is far greater beauty in the actual Greek culture than America ever thought of. America's "beauty" has nothing of God or the Golden Mean in it.
ReplyDeleteChristianity needs a Christendom.
DeleteNo, AG, real Christianity produces Christendom or its counterpart-martyrdom
DeleteSecularism and faux Greekdom ard the opposite and tend to deny the opportunities for either to most people. But God will not be mock and woe to all if we do not repent and enter into His mercy.
I think most old, dignified Christians just need to find someone to kill them. Preferably a Muslim.
DeleteMy concern is this,,,,greek independence day seems to trip great and holy lent. So it seems that we speak with forked tongue here,,,,observe great and holy lent to its fullest,,,no you cannot celebrate the american institution st patrick's day or in the fall Thanksgiving because of the fast,,,,but wait,,,here is greek independence day, parades, banquets,festivities even prime rib,,,and there leading it all are the bishops,,,,hello? What is wrong about this picture,,,it seems that exceptions can be made on a whim and that the teachings of the church can be trumped by secularism. What is next, the anti abortion greek orthodox bishops, clergy, and laity in bed with the pro abortion democrats? No, that will never happen because church dogma and church teachings must be primary. Are we leading by example as we tumble down the rabbit hole?
ReplyDelete"Christianity needs a Christendom."
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting thought. It is different from your maxim "ecclesia is downstream from culture" in several ways, not the least of which is it is much more 'totalizing'.
If Christianity is always organically synergistic with a culture, can that culture be a sub-culture? The NT is pretty clear about the difference between the Kingdom of God and men, the 'sojourn' ontology of Christians in this world, etc. An absolute requirement of a Christendom for Christianity to exist seems to not take this into account. Historically Christianity has existed outside of Christendom's as well - it certainly started out that way, and we are certainly not in a Christendom now (even if we live and worship among the ruins of one).
If Christianity needs a Christendom, then we have to admit we are not Christians...
Modern Christians are secular first and Christian second.
DeleteRod Dreher and his fans like to imagine they're St. Paul speaking truth to Herod Agrippa. This is a juvenile view. Christians are not persecuted in America. They are merely told to get out of the way, and they gladly oblige.
The autocephalous Churches are the end result of Christianity wedded to a people through inter-generational succession of baptisms, weddings and funerals. After a few hundred years of this, there's your Christendom.
Americans are told, from cradle to grave, that they are not allowed to be a people and the immigrant who touched down 15 minutes ago is every bit as American as him. Really, the rest of the world is just Americans who haven't got here yet. So there really is no American culture to which a Faith can be wed. Orthodoxy is just another creed in the US religious bazaar. So there will never be an autocephalous American Church. There's just no meat on the bones for one.
Jake, actually Christianity is fundamentally counter-cultural but if enough folks adopt it as their faith (not religion) it will take on a cultural tone. However, faith in Jesus Christ is in opposition to "the world". Secularism was invented to dull the prophetic reality and has largely succeeded. The US Constitution was the first major success in that project IMO.
ReplyDeleteNow most of us, including me, are so compromised by comfort and faux societal acceptance that it is difficult to properly bear our Cross.