PERTH, Australia – His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia set out on a pastoral tour to all Australian districts to meet those faithful who couldn’t attend his enthronement ceremony on June 29, and, at the same time, to see the problems and needs of parishes and communities, monasteries and charitable institutions of these areas.

The first destination of his tour was Perth in Western Australia. The main reason for this choice was that Perth was the destination of the Greek immigrants, 2,500 of whom arrived from Greece each time, after a long trip on the ocean liner Patris.

From Perth, most of the population of Greek immigrants then scattered across the continent of Australia.

Archbishop Makarios arrived at the airport of Perth in the afternoon of July 11, where he was welcomed with enthusiasm, joy, and emotion from the clergymen and the monks of the St. John Holy Monastery.

During the Holy Synaxis, the Archbishop stressed the importance of the priestly ministry, asked the priests to pay attention to the programs for the youth, and referred with warm words to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Moreover, Archbishop Makarios announced that Archimandrite Elpidios Karalis will serve as the new Archieratic Commissioner for the Perth region.

It is worth noting that the Perth region has so far been a part of the Adelaide region.

On July 12, Archbishop Makarios and those accompanying him visited the World War II Monument at King’s Park, and then the Churches of Saint Nektarios, where the Archbishop also had the chance to see the works of the new “Basiliada”, St. Constantine and the Annunciation of Virgin Mary.

On Saturday, July 13, the Archbishop held meetings at the Holy Monastery with expatriates and officials of the Archdiocese of Perth, and in the afternoon he returned to his seat in Sydney.

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CATSKILLS, NY – The Northern Chios Society of Pelineon- Agia Markella welcomed hundreds of Greek-Americans on July 13-14 to its annual celebration of the feast day of St. Markella.

The actual feast of the beloved martyr is on July 22, but the Society traditionally holds vespers services and the Divine Liturgy on the Saturday and Sunday before or after the feast day.

This year, the ecclesiastical celebrations were even more distinctive, as His Eminence Metropolitan Markos traveled from Chios to preside over the services and the church is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

According to the organizers’ estimates, around 300 people attended on Saturday evening, while more than 800 people attended the weekend’s events altogether.

“Buses arrived from Brooklyn, Queens, and Pennsylvania. Other friends came with their cars from New Jersey and other areas. The celebration with traditional Chian music on Saturday night ended at 4 in the morning, but we did not go to sleep because three hours later the Sunday program started,” Society President Dimitris Moutafis said.

Metropolitan Markos of Chios presided over the services on Sunday along with Rev. Fr. Vasilios Louros, from St. Demetrios Cathedral of Astoria, who comes from Chios and is the presiding priest of the Church of St. Markella. At the same time, two memorials were held: one in memory of George Leonardos, an active member of the Dafnousion Society, and a second dedicated to all the expatriate Chians who have departed this life in recent years.

“I would like, for all of us, to thank our Metropolitan Markos and Mayor Manolis Vournou and his wife, who kindly accepted our invitation and were here. I want to note that Metropolitan Markos’ speeches, one on Saturday night and one on Sunday morning were moving. His words touched us all. Everyone was tearing up with emotion. It was unbelievable,” said Moutafis.

The Metropolitan of Chios honored Nikos Katsapis and Konstantinos Rallis with the icon of St. Markella, as well as the Society President Moutafis.

At the same time, His Eminence distributed small icons of St. Markella to the whole congregation, and donated to the church a piece of stone from the place where the holy martyrdom of St. Markella occurred in Chios.

At the same time, Moutafis particularly thanked all those who contributed to the success of the events, making special reference to Steve Zervoudis and George Siamboulis, who acted on behalf of Pan Gregorian.

Metropolitan of Chios: Religion is the coherent link

Especially moved about meeting with the Chians of America, Metropolitan Markos of Chios spoke with The National Herald, and thanked the Northern Chios Society of Pelineon- Agia Markella, with whom his pastoral ministry is connected.

“I thank the Chians who invited us, especially the Northern Chios Society of Pelineon- Agia Markella president and the members of the Board of Directors. I would like to say that there, in Spartounta, I presided over my first divine liturgy as a bishop at Christmas,” he said, adding the message of Orthodoxy’s strong role in preserving the morals and customs of the Omogeneia.

“We wanted to give the blessing of St. Markella as proof that religion is the most basic coherent link that has kept our family united from the years of Byzantium to our present day, all over the earth. To enable the tree to spread its branches so far and not be cracked off by the gusts of any wind, its roots must be deep. Our roots are our faith in Christ, the preservation of our national consciousness, our tradition, our language. Our presence here brings this message,” concluded Metropolitan Markos.

The post St. Markella Celebrated in Upstate New York (Vid & Pics) appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Riverside Language Program, New York City’s premiere non-profit language school offers free, full-time English classes to immigrants. Documented, recently-arrived immigrants, asylees, and refugee adults currently living in New York City are eligible to attend.

Riverside Language Program has worked with more than 30,000 newly arrived immigrants since 1979 when the school opened. This unique program is one of the oldest and most respected in New York City offering six weeks of free, full-time English classes led by skilled teachers. Riverside Language Program is rated in the top 5% of all New York State adult education programs and 81% of students achieve measurable gains after six weeks of instruction, five hours a day.

A video of the program in action is available online: https://vimeo.com/235750982 .

The next cycle of free classes begins in August and runs through October. Potential students in the Greek community are asked to contact the school before August 14.

Riverside’s mission is to lift New York City’s newly-arrived, adult, documented immigrants, refugees and asylees from underemployment and poverty to decent jobs and prosperity, helping them gain self-sufficiency by:

• Providing them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to communicate confidently in the English language.
• Enabling them to obtain employment commensurate with their skills and experience or to continue their post-secondary education.
• Helping them to become productive and contributing members of American society.

More information is available online: https://www.riversidelanguage.org.

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BALTIMORE, MD – With an eye to expanding its successful initiatives of recent years, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has renewed its far-reaching Give for Greece program, including a pilot program in vocational training.

Since 2013, Give for Greece has been IOCC’s flagship initiative in that country, addressing both immediate and longer-term needs brought on by Greece’s slow-moving economic crisis, which has affected livelihoods, pensions, and employment levels. In partnership with Apostoli, the philanthropic organization of the Archdiocese of Athens under the Church of Greece, IOCC has reached tens of thousands of people affected by the economic downturn and the simultaneous refugee crisis. Response has comprised in-kind support (e.g., medical supplies to hospitals) worth over $30 million since 2012, which helped leverage additional monetary backing worth over $13 million from individuals and institutions—including generous gifts to IOCC from the Jaharis Family Foundation Inc.; the John L. Santikos Foundation, a fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation; the Order of AHEPA; and the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society.

Boosting the productivity and profitability of agricultural associations and small businesses throughout Greece has been an important focus of IOCC’s work. Since 2015, more than 80 associations and microbusinesses (over 3,000 families) have participated in Give for Greece and received equipment and training. IOCC has provided more than 265 pieces of new production equipment valued at more than $1.3 million and technical services worth $40,000 to help recipients scale up production and improve economic viability.

In 2017, IOCC added business mentoring to the program, connecting participants with experienced professionals who volunteer through KEMEL, a Greek nonprofit dedicated to supporting businesses. The mentors help small enterprises create stronger business plans, improve productivity and marketing, and increase the businesses’ sustainability.

“You woke us up from dreaming about success and helped us … take real actions,” said Athina, a small-business owner in Athens who participated in the business-mentoring program.

The newest phase of Give for Greece adds a pilot program in vocational training to prepare Greek and asylum-seeker participants who meet certain language criteria to work in the growing caregiving sector. Participants will complete train in both theory and practice with a certified trainer in this field, learning skills they need to enter the caregiving profession. Once they’ve completed the curriculum, trainees will be placed in workplaces and matched with healthcare professionals who will also receive training in how to work with novices (“training of trainers”). In all, the project offers training and practical experience in an in-demand profession.

IOCC’s history in Greece begins with the Athens field office, a regional hub 1993–2009. Since 2012, IOCC has worked closely with Apostoli, responding to the extensive financial crisis with more than $43 million in monetary and in-kind support. Other IOCC assistance to Greece includes prepaid grocery cards so families can shop for Greek-produced food, including vegetables, fruit, dairy, and chicken. IOCC has also offered aid to refugees and migrants arriving in Greece since 2015, addressing emergency needs in shelters on islands and the mainland. In addition to Give for Greece, IOCC responded with emergency assistance after the wildfires of July 2018, helping families who lost their only home.

To support IOCC’s work in Greece with a financial gift, please contact IOCC online (iocc.org/greece) or by phone: 877-803-4622.

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ASTORIA – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America was welcomed on Sunday, July 14, when he presided over his first Archieratical Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Demetrios in Astoria.

His Eminence, assisted by His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia and the parish priest, Archimandrite Nektarios Papazafiropoulos, had the opportunity to reach out to the members of the community, some of whom had attended his recent enthronement.

This was the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Synod, with Archbishop Elpidophoros referring to the events and its decisions, as well as to the Churches that did not accept its decisions (Copts, Armenian, etc.) stressing, however, that we should love and respect our Christian brothers, whether or not our Churches are in communion.

The Archbishop of America was welcomed to the parish by Fr. Nektarios Papazafiropoulos, who along with the flock exclaimed “Axios,” while he did not hide his emotion when he mentioned the day was also his mother’s 40-day memorial.

“It is our honor that, even in the summer, with this heat, you came here to bless us with your presence. We all want to say ‘Axios’ because, from the first moment you came, you gave examples of love and humility, and you are an example to all of us. You are our spiritual father and we expect in your pastoral service to get to know you even better. The day is special to me, as it is my mother’s 40-day memorial today,” said Fr. Papazafiropoulos, unable to hold back his tears.

In reply, Archbishop Elpidophoros, having noted that he fully understands Fr. Papazafiropoulos’ emotional response, spoke about the importance of the St. Demetrios community, but also of Hellenism in Astoria, in general.

“I understand the emotion of Fr. Nektarios. I would like to thank him for this warm welcome, but also all of you. I will visit the parish in the winter. Know that Astoria is not just in the heart of the Archdiocese. It is the heart of the Archbishop. Astoria keeps the traditions. Astoria keeps education. Astoria keeps the language. Astoria keeps Orthodoxy. Astoria holds the heart of the Archbishop,” His Eminence said.

He then spoke about the loss of a parent, referring to Fr. Papazafiropoulos’ loss. “I realize the pain is great. I lost my father, relatively recently. Whatever your age, when you lose your father or mother, you are an orphan,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.

Thereafter, the Archbishop praised Bishop Apostolos, who is inextricably linked to the St. Demetrios community of Astoria.

Among the many present were many members of the community, the Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, and the former president of the Greek American Homeowners Association George Kitsios.

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NEW YORK – The illegal invasion of Cyprus began on July 20, 1974. In the 45 years that have passed since that day, the struggle for justice for Cyprus continues. PSEKA President Philip Christopher recently sent out a statement reminding everyone “that 36% of Cyprus is still under occupation and has become the first modern Islamic Fundamentalist conquest of the West.”

The Federation of Cypriot American Organizations in collaboration with International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) and the Consulate General of Greece in New York invited the community to attend the memorial service to commemorate the 45^th anniversary and to pay tribute to those who lost their lives. The service takes place on Sunday, July 21 at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, 100 Fairway Drive in Port Washington, NY, 9:30 AM. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America will be officiating. A short program and makaria will follow the service in the Church community center.

AHI CONGRESSIONAL BREAKFAST

In commemoration of the 45th Anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the American Hellenic Institute and the Hellenic Caucus will host a Breakfast and Briefing enriched by the Remarks of Congressional Members on July 24, 8-10 AM at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2043, in Washington, DC. RSVP to Elias Gerasoulis via email: elias@ahiworld.org.

As many have noted, the unity of Hellenism worldwide on Cyprus and the Greek national issues is the key for the future and for justice for Cyprus.

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WASHINGTON, DC – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America met with U.S. President Donald Trump today. The Archbishop was warmly greeted by President Trump in the Oval Office at the White House. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Fr. Alexander Karloutsos were also present for the visit.

More details to follow.

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WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Order of St. Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, addressed guests at the dinner they hosted in honor of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros in Washington. The text of his speech follows:

Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Your Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, Fr. Alex Karloutsos, Order of St. Andrew Spiritual Advisor and Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese,

Reverend Fathers and Presbyteres, Congressman Bilirakis, Members of the President Trump Administration, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished guests and Brother Archons of the Great Church of Christ,

Good evening and welcome to the Order of St. Andrew dinner honoring our newly enthroned and beloved Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as we gather here in Washington to participate in the U.S. State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. How appropriate it is for the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which has been the victim of religious persecution for centuries, to participate and speak at this ministerial, having served the Mother Church for over 25 years and who has witnessed first-hand the Martyria of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

We are especially honored this evening with the presence of His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, where the very birthplace of Christianity is being threatened with the complete asphyxiation of the Christian Community.

Whether you look at the Middle East, or Africa, or Asia, the countries of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey, Yemen, China, Pakistan, India…it’s horrific that Christians are persecuted globally.  According to our own State Department, Christians face persecution in more than 60 countries around the world, that’s more than one out of every three countries in existence today. Stated another way, although Christians comprise only 30% of the world’s population, 80 percent of all acts of religious discrimination are directed at Christians. The Order of St. Andrew commends President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Brownback for organizing this Ministerial in which over 1000 individuals representing 130 countries are participating to focus attention on religious persecution and deliberating on the ways and means this evil can be contained and ultimately overcome.

Your Eminence, we are among friends this evening. Members of the Administration past and present, Distinguished Members of Congress, leaders of Hellenic American organizations, our local and beloved Clergy and Presbyteres and Brother Archons, whose collective desire is to seek the complete and unfettered religious freedom of the Holy and Great Mother Church of Constantinople.

Representing the Order of AHEPA is newly elected Supreme President Archon George Horiates and Supreme Treasurer Archon Savas Tsivicos, who is also the Honorary Chair of the Cyprus Children’s Fund.  We are honored to have AHEPA Executive Director Archon Basil Mossaides here with us. Representing the American Hellenic Institute is its President, Archon Nick Larigakis. The Hellenic Initiative is represented by Archon George Stamas, its president, The National Hellenic Society by its Executive Director Art Dimopoulos, The American Hellenic Leadership Council by its Executive Director Endy Zemenides, The Hellenic American Women’s Council by its cofounder Theodora Hancock, the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes by Archon Andy Manatos and the Western Policy Center by Archon John Sitilides.

We are all working together so that Halki may once again function as the luminary seminary it once was and the worldwide ministry of His All-Holiness will be free of the interference of the government of Turkey. I believe this day will come and that ultimately the bells of freedom will peal from the St. George Patriarchal Cathedral at the Phanar pronouncing once and for all, that Religious Freedom has come to the Great Church of Christ! Amen!

At this time, as we begin our meal, allow me to recognize Archon George Stamas and his beloved wife Georgia, who serve as our sponsors this evening at this beautiful private club which is for the exclusive use of its members. Archon George we are very grateful!

We recognize the great efforts of the father/son Manatos Team… Well actually, it is a grandfather/father/son Team beginning with the late great Presidential Aid to JFK and LBJ Mike Manatos, for their invaluable assistance in the organization and execution of this evening’s dinner and tomorrow’s State Department Archon Sidebar at the Capitol.

A special word of thanks to Liz Fagan of Manatos team and our own outstanding Archons at the National Office, Archon Andrew Veniopoulos and Archon John Mindala. Thank you all so much!

Now please enjoy your dinner!

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CHERRY HILL, NJ – On Sunday, July 14, the Parish of Saint Thomas in Cherry Hill honored the new Supreme President of AHEPA, George Horiates, who was born and raised in the community and has been serving the parish since his teenage years. He has served as Parish Council President and has been an active member of the council to the present day.

It should be noted that his election took place at the annual AHEPA Convention held in Chicago this year from July 1-6.

While St. Thomas Church is currently being completely renovated, all the services are being held in the Community Hall, where all Parish Council members congratulated Horiates on his great honor. The V. Rev. Archimandrite Christoforos Oikonomidis, presiding priest of the St. Thomas community, presented Horiates, noting that “we all know his love for St. Thomas and his dedication to Hellenism and our national affairs. He has been actively involved with AHEPA, wanting to work hard to contribute his best in the struggle of this Organization to preserve, promote, and protect our Greek heritage, history, and traditions, not only in America, but internationally. After hard work, with dedication and many sacrifices, he managed to reach the highest level of AHEPA, and from this position to work even harder and more committed to the cause. The election and promotion of Mr. Horiates to the position of Supreme President of AHEPA, is an honor and point of pride for all of us, the Parish of St. Thomas, his family and, of course, his beloved ancestors and especially his late father. We all express our congratulations and love to Mr. Horiates, as well as his family, his wife Liza and his children Stavroula and George, who support him in every way, especially his beloved mother Stavroula Horiates who taught him his love for Greece and Orthodoxy. Axios!”

Thereafter, Parish Council President Anastasios Efstratiadis, took the floor, who conveyed the best wishes and congratulations of all the members of the Council to Horiates, the new Supreme President of AHEPA, who then warmly thanked everyone for their wishes and kind words, and promised that he would make every effort to honor the trust of all those who elected him to this high position for the sake of the Omogeneia.

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NEW YORK — About a third of New York City’s subway lines were suspended for more than an hour during Friday’s hot evening commute, and the head of the city’s Transit Authority acknowledged that the agency “did not know exactly where our trains were.”

A computer system failure that resulted in the snafu stranded some passengers underground and sent others searching for alternate ways home.

The stoppage affected the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 trains that serve swaths of Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn. It also halted the S shuttle train that links Grand Central Terminal and Times Square — two of the city’s busiest stations.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority warned that there would still be “extensive delays” in the system, which serves more than 5 million people per day, even after service began to resume Friday night.

The agency blamed the suspension on a failure in the computer system that powers the signals on those lines. Spokesman Tim Minton said in an emailed statement that there is no indication the stoppage was related to a loss of power or to the heat.

The president of the New York City Transit Authority, Andy Byford, later told reporters that the signal failure meant “we did not know exactly where our trains were, so for safety reasons, we had to ask all trains, to instruct all trains to stop where they were, to maintain their positions while we ascertained what exactly was going on such that we could safely move trains out.”

Once the servers were rebooted, he said, the signals gradually came back, along with a “phased restart” of trains.

The temperature above ground was still above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) when trains stopped at around 6 p.m. Friday, though meteorologists estimated that it felt like 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Minton said it did not appear that trains lost power during the stoppage.

The breakdown came as the city geared up for scorching temperatures throughout the weekend, but it generally did not result in chaos. Passengers were directed to other subway lines and the bus system — and many may have escaped the city early to get a start to the weekend.

At the World Trade Center No. 1 line station, a clerk issued refund tickets and directed people to other nearby lines. Passengers — many of them visitors to New York — seemed to take the developments in stride.

“It’s about what I expected,” said Derek Lloyd, who’s from Hanover, Massachusetts, near Boston and its MBTA transit system. “I don’t know that ours is much better,” he said with a smile.

On a line that was running, passengers packed into one car that didn’t appear to have air conditioning. Sweat glistened on riders’ skin as they sought relief, fanning themselves and one another.

“This is dangerous,” one woman noted.

It was the second time in the past week that New York subway riders got stuck underground. Last Saturday, a power outage that stretched across 30 Manhattan blocks from the Upper West Side to Times Square left passengers stranded till trains were manually moved into stations and doors opened. The outage was blamed on a system that failed to isolate a faulty distribution cable.

By: Verena Dobnik, Associated Press

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NEW YORK – In the elevator on the way up to the sixth floor, I wonder, what will I ask her? The truth is that I wanted to meet her for a very long time. The door opens and her “guardian angel,” Stavroula Toska, welcomes me with a smile. She is so friendly that I feel at home. “Come in, Olympia is eager to meet you,” she says.

Dressed in purple, regal and yet unpretentious, Olympia Dukakis welcomes me.

All three of us sit together. They offer delicious Greek biscuits and bars. Dukakis asks, “Do you smoke? Can I smoke while you are here?” “Oh, a cigarette would be fine, for the company” I answer and she gives a satisfied smile.

Toska and Dukakis met nine years ago. From that moment Olympia was a mentor and a friend to Stavroula. They then worked together on the award-winning documentary Beneath the Olive Tree.

Last December, Stavroula received a phone call from Olympia’s then assistant, Haley, who told her that Olympia was in the hospital. “I went to visit her and I thought, ‘This is it, we’re losing her.’ I then talked to her family, and after she was finally released from the hospital, we said I would stay for a couple of days to watch her, to hang out with her.

“Oh, that’s it, I got stuck here and she tormented me every day. She doesn’t listen to me, she makes fun of me all the time, but I still let her think I controlling her,” Stavroula said jokingly.

She adds, “We were talking to her agent about the possibility of making a comedy about everything that’s happening here in this loft. I have already begun writing something, and her brother Apollo will be it in, too.”

Olympia said, “My brother was the reason I became an actor. I remember, he wanted to become an actor since he was six years old. And it affected me. When I was in college, I was chosen along with another girl to perform in a production for a project. The class decided it. And after this performance I discovered that I loved participating in productions and writing.

“So I started a company in Boston. It was the 1950s. At some point, however, the others began to leave for New York. I built a theater in a building belonging to the mafia. I was sitting on the balcony and noticing the owner doing business with the people who took care of the buildings. He took packets of money from his pockets and handed them over so they would do what he wanted without bothering him.”

When asked what made her leave and come to New York, she replied after considering the question for a moment, “Yes, they were all gone. Everyone was leaving Boston. There was no one to perform.”

About her arrival in New York, Olympia said, “I remember standing outside the Manhattan library and thinking, ‘Now what are you going to do?'”

She shared an apartment with two other girls. She started working at the Phoenix Theater, “at the offices, however, as a secretary. A friend of mine, John, helped me find the job.”

She tells me about friend, an actor. She loved Olympia and helped her. Trying to remember her name with no effect, she tells me her story. She married, divorced, and then started drinking. She became an alcoholic and eventually passed away. Recalling the past and the fond memories she shared with her friend, Dukakis sighed, “Ach, mana mou.”

“At some point, I realized I would become known as an ‘ethnic actress’ because of my name,” Dukakis said as the conversation turned to her Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress for Moonstruck in 1987.

When asked how it felt when she heard her name, she replied, “I said ‘I got it, I got it, I got it.’ You could see it in my face. I had no idea I would get it. Although the producer of the film believed in me and considered it to be a given.”

It was the time when her cousin Michael Dukakis was a candidate for President of the United States. Two children of immigrants, one running for President and the other winning an Oscar.

“He called to congratulate me. He was so excited and proud. But I was, too, for him, who came so close to becoming a world leader.”

It’s Friday. In a little while Olympia has a lesson.

“Every Friday she teaches advanced acting lessons to professional actors who come to her loft,” Toska said.

“She teaches the four chairs method, based on the four emotions. We think we’re going further, not just for actors. I think it is interesting not only for actors but also for everyone because at the end of the day we talk about human nature, how we communicate with each other, how we understand the people around us, how we love.”

Our conversation returns to the comedy that the two are planning, based on their daily experiences in the loft.

“We are thinking about doing this because what I have been aware of all these years in America is that we Greeks and other ethnicities have grown up differently in the way we respect our parents and grandparents.

“In this country, when you grow old, they automatically consider you garbage. You’re just taking up space. So we have the ability to do something and we will do it. Olympia is a woman who is respected as a woman and as an actor. This will send a message. It will be fun, it will be funny, but always sending the message about how we behave toward one another,” says Stavroula.

During our discussion in Olympia’s living room, overlooking the beautiful potted plants opposite us, a little further on a worker silently goes about his business.

Shortly before I arrived for the interview, Olympia tells me that she was trying to persuade him to be interviewed. “Come on Dan, it’s time. Two seconds,” she called out. “Think of it as a job,” Olympia insisted. “I’m fine, thank you,” Dan shouted from within.

Switch

“Switch” means change. Change in conversation but also the title of a unique story.

It started off as a documentary idea and evolved into a series. The idea was Stavroula’s and at this point the conversation is of particular interest since it is a real-life story that few people know about.

“A few years ago, I had dinner with a very good friend and I heard the word ‘dominatrix’ for the first time. In Greece, what we call ‘afentra’ (mistress). My friend, then, told me that there are many men who pay a great deal of money for women to treat them in a certain way, to slap them around a bit. I was listening and I was shocked. And I thought, ‘I’ve been asleep all my life? How can this happen in our society and no one knows about it?’

“That night I went home and searched on the computer all night to see who these people were. The research lasted for a year and a half and I had decided that this would be my next documentary. I started reading books and searching for everything on this subject.

“One of the things I was impressed with was that most videos and books and articles I read were on the surface. They are freaks, weirdos, sick people. And as I read, I was telling myself how it is possible for these people, family men… to do such things? What is it that leads them to this place?

“So, I said, I will make a documentary that will go below the surface, it will do a deeper search to see what will come out. I decided to talk to psychologists and women doing this job but also their clients.

“I started calling the women who did this job, to ask if they would talk to me on camera. Everyone said no. I insisted. ‘I want to understand their psychology, I do not care how many slaps you give per day.’ At one point, a woman told me ‘no one will do it, even if they talk to you they will want to cover their faces on camera and you will not be allowed by anyone to follow them home, to their family, work, when they go in the dungeon.’

“And then I said to myself that a year and a half of research was wasted. Then I began to ask myself what is it that pulls me into this world? What was it that I was so excited about and I was obsessed with?”

Stavroula then made the big decision. She got into this “world” herself to see up close what is going on.

“I went and found such a dungeon near Bryant Park where they were hiring. The ad said, ‘We are recruiting young girls, you do not have to have experience, come for an interview, legal work, not prostitution.’ I called them and told them that I was looking for a job, and lied that a friend of mine years ago did this job and I thought it was something I could do.

“The manager told me ‘come in.’ I remember it was Friday and the 13th and I thought it was a very bad sign, it was December, it was raining. And… I was afraid. I would go there, I would lie. Within five minutes, she offered me the job. ‘You will do well here, customers will love you. You will be the Greek goddess, the Amazon,’ she told me.

“It’s crazy. When I think about it now, how did I come in with the lies, the tape recorder in my pocket… So I thought if they gave me the job I would go for training for two weeks, I would meet some people, write everything I can, and then I’ll go do some project.

“On Monday I got a job. The name I chose for myself was ‘Mistress Cassandra’ and from that moment the transformation began. It was so simple. From the first day you start training and learn how to crack the whip, how to handle the electric chair, etc. Each room had its own character.”

Olympia interrupts. “I think it’s time to smoke that cigarette we talked about.”

“You are a bad influence Olympia, I haven’t smoked in a long time,” says Stavroula and continues, “The manager threw me into the deep end on the first day of work. She sent me to meet with clients, which was against the rules. She believed I could handle it. There was a Chinese guy, a white guy, and a black guy. So, I got a picture of what’s going on inside, what each person is looking for. Indeed, there were many Greek customers. The tough guy, the patriarchy did not exist behind those doors.”

“It’s like playing a role,” says Olympia.

“I remember when I left the job and went out on the street, I suddenly saw the world with new eyes. I had woken up in another reality. I was 34 years old and I had no idea what’s happening in this world, what everybody is looking for, what he’s suffering, what’s happening in our mind and soul, what we’re carrying. There was a lot of pain in the dungeons.

“The rich, poor, every nationality and status, and the same with the girls, everyone can do this job. It has to do with behavior and not with the show as Hollywood has depicted it.

“I lasted two months. The owners I remember were an Argentine and a couple of Greeks. I would leave the job, go home, and write everything, details, feelings, on the computer.

“The owner suggested I become a manager when I wanted to leave. Then I thought that if I did, I would learn from inside how the whole system works and I said yes. The other manager learned about it and fired me on a day when the other wasn’t there because she was blackmailing him with customer information.

“That she would reveal their names. We had clients who were powerful, public figures. Someone was coming in at 2 o’clock that night and that morning I had seen him on TV.

“So, I said to myself, ‘Stavroula, gather your things and go, you overstayed your welcome.’ But I wanted to continue my research. So, I started working alone, I became the boss. I rented a space in another dungeon called ‘Parthenon.’ One of the owners there is also Greek.

“This was my Ithaca, the discovery of myself. I ended up doing this work for five and a half years. And then I wondered, ‘Will I do this work forever or will I go tell this story to the world?’ So I talked to Olympia about working together. I wrote Switch, based on real events and Olympia is starring in the series.

Olympia said, “This story must be told. And to be said in such a way that the public does not reject it. Like I did. I understand what this is about. Society needs to recognize things for women.”

Switch consists of eight short episodes and is a total of 86 minutes. Stavroula said, “My goal is to go to HBO or Hulu and become a regular series with one hour episodes.”

Apart from Stavroula and Olympia, many other Greeks are also part of the production, including cast members Stephanos Stephanou and Eleni Yiovas, as well as Vassilea Terzaki, Peter Giannakas, Viktor Koen, Tao Zervas, who composed the music, and Leonidas Eracleous who has also written music for the series.

“Leonidas is a very talented young man and a great musician. It gave me great joy and pride to work with so many talented Greeks,” says Stavroula.

When asked about her loved ones reaction to the show, Stavroula said, “The truth is that they were very impressed when they saw the series, they had no idea. My mom, of course, is still trying to figure out how I got into this place. She is 80 years old, from a different time. She wants her daughter to marry, to have children, to live near her in Sindos, Thessaloniki. She does not want her daughter to be in New York, on the other side of the world. I came here 18 years ago to study and I stayed. And, of course, I want to find my partner, to have a child. But I’m crazy about my job and I want to have balance with my personal life.”

The series is available on the Internet and has won eleven awards so far. Among them, two from New York Women in Film & Television (the largest organization of women producers, screenwriters, and directors) for best series and best actress, Best Web Series from Global Shorts, Los Angeles, Best Television / Pilot Program from the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, and Best Story at the Santa Fe Film Festival.

The series is available online: www.switchtheseries.com.

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Demetrios Kastanis was born in New York, however, when he was four years old his family decided to move to his father’s paternal birthplace, Mistras, a historic section of the Peloponnesos. Demetrios stayed there until he was 16 years old at which point he returned to New York and attended St. Demetrios High School in Astoria for the last two grades of high school. Thereafter he went on to complete a joint Bachelors and MBA program in Finance at Pace University. Demetrios has extensive experience in banking with over 15 years of experience and held positions at several Greek-American banks that operated in New York such as Alma Bank and Quontic Bank. He is now a Senior Vice President with TriState Capital Bank.

The National Herald: How did you first get involved in Finance?
DK: I got involved in the Finance field by chance. I graduated in 2001 from Pace University with an economy already in bad shape and which deteriorated further after 9/11. Prior to graduation, I had accepted a job as an associate at KPMG Consulting, specifically the non-profit division. With the economy in trouble, the non-profit organizations that were the clients of the group started terminating their contracts with KPMG and things looked bleak. I had only been there for six months but my then-boss, with whom I had become good friends, came to my rescue. He managed to get me a job as a Finance Analyst at the City University of New York Department of Construction.

I still remember to this day that I was at a large career event taking place at a school auditorium when I received the call that I got the position at CUNY. It was a great relief since the career event I was attending seemed hopeless at that time. Until this day I still keep in touch with my old boss.

TNH: How did you transition to banking?
DK: I stayed at CUNY for 3 years and it was a great job but not very fulfilling. A close friend of mine at that time that was working at Citibank mentioned that a local Greek-American bank in Astoria, Marathon Bank, was looking for an analyst with construction experience. He felt I would be a great choice for the position and he could set up the interview.

I ended up going to the interview and the manager was trying to convince me to take a residential loan analyst position they also had available instead of the construction analyst job. I told him that I would think about it and get back shortly. Later that night I had a drink with the friend that had set up the interview and asked for his advice. He told me to call Marathon Bank and insist on the construction analyst position, and if he thinks I am not a good option for it I should continue looking elsewhere for a commercial job. It worked and I got the job and in retrospect, it was one of the best career moves I ever made. The commercial banking field has so many more possibilities than residential/consumer finance.

Even though my family, mainly through my maternal grandmother, was active in commercial real estate this position was great training and opened my mind to the overall industry to the point that I also started investing personally in commercial real estate assets.

TNH: How do you define creativity in your field?

DK: I must admit that commercial real estate is not one of the most creative of finance fields. Other than some IT breakthroughs, commercial banking is not so different from the time of Medici in Renaissance Italy. I act as a middleman trying to find a compromise between keeping the bank’s and in a larger sense depositors’ money safe while at the same time providing financing solutions that make sense for the end borrower/client. I take pleasure when I help a real estate investor develop his first large project or helping a business reach the next level. In a way, it is a great feeling when you have helped someone achieve his American dream.

TNH: How do you spend your free time?
DK: In my spare time, I also teach two courses at NYU. One is Introduction to Finance for undergraduates and the second one is Commercial Real Estate Finance for graduate students. I take pride being a mentor and guiding the students in my class on how to navigate the finance field.
I serve on the advisory board of Safe Horizon, the largest victim assistance agency in the United States and once a quarter I instruct a financial literary workshop in a battered woman shelter. It is sad when you see the women in the shelter that have been deceived financially by their prior husbands and boyfriends. I would encourage everyone in the finance industry to dedicate some of their time during the year to mentoring high school students or volunteering at a non-profit or a church.

TNH: What is your recommendation for someone just starting out in Finance?

DK: I would also recommend to someone that would be interested in getting involved in finance that they start from an analyst and associate position and take it one step at a time. If they don’t enjoy the field they can always pivot into something different. It is not easy starting from a sales position in today’s financial environment. It is a saturated industry with slow to stable growth at this stage and everyone seems to offer the same financial solutions and products. You need to have developed significant contacts over the years and also be able to work out solutions on your own. Having started as an analyst gave me such an advantage when I transitioned to a sales position.

Your name is everything in this business. It is your foundation and guiding principle. I see myself more of a consultant than a salesperson. Numerous times clients have approached me, and I let them know that maybe I don’t have the best product or solution for them, but I know someone that does. Offering honest advice goes a long way in this industry in building goodwill.

You also need to be relentless and always develop new business relationships and clients. An old wise boss once told me that it takes 10 years to build a new relationship and 5 minutes to destroy it!

Although I enjoy my job very much, Commercial Finance can be emotionally and physically draining. You are really on call seven days a week all day. I put a lot of work into writing credit memos or discussing deals with clients over the weekend.
Carving out some personal time when you find the opportunity is important. At the same time, you can’t be complacent or detach yourself from your business environment. When I first started in this business I lost plenty of deals for not making a phone call on a weekend and acting like I am a 9 to 5 weekday employee. A finance deal will not wait for you, but at the same time, you have to draw the lines and prioritize your time and not get bogged down with the trivial.
As for advice to anyone that would like to follow my career, I am a big believer in networking and interpersonal relationships and not a big fan of online job platforms or recruiters. Almost all the positions I got in my lifetime where through an introduction by my network. Learn how to network, follow up on all promising leads and be persistent.

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ATHENS – President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopios Pavlopoulos on Monday received Deputy Foreign Minister for Expatriate Greeks Antonis Diamataris at the presidential mansion, stressing the importance of his mission.

“Greeks abroad are a form of national capital. To handle the fate of expatriate Greeks is a national mission,” he said, noting that the diaspora has always but especially in recent years helped Greece “greatly exceed its borders” so that Greece was now “everywhere”.

While Greeks abroad had supported Greece at crucial moments, the Greek State had not done as much for them, Pavlopoulos added, and he stressed the need to bring young expatriate Greeks “closer to Greece, its history and language”.

The deputy minister, himself a Greek-American, noted that he had served the Greek community in the United States for decades and had chosen to have his meeting with Pavlopoulos because “I am aware of your love and sensitivity to those of us of the diaspora and know that we will deepen and reinforce the relations of the mother country with overseas Greeks.”

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WASHINGTON, DC – The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) remembers the solemn 45th anniversary of NATO member Turkey’s brutal invasion of the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union.

For 45 years, the Republic of Cyprus and its people have endured an illegal occupation by 40,000 Turkish troops, and massive violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by Turkey. AHI calls for the immediate removal of all Turkish troops that occupy the Republic of Cyprus. Also, during the occupation, Turkey continues to violate U.S. law on an ongoing basis by transferring American-made weapons from mainland Turkey to Turkish-occupied Cyprus.  Congress must put a stop to this illegal transfer of weapons or otherwise it is complicit in breaking its own laws. Additionally, Turkey’s illegal occupation of Cyprus has had an impact upon The Committee on Missing Persons’s ability to access certain Turkish military installations on Cyprus to excavate the remains of Cypriots missing since the tragic events that occurred on the island for proper identification.  Approximately 926 Greek Cypriots, including four American citizens, remain missing and a large majority of these cases remain unresolved.

Turkey’s threats and acts of aggression toward Cyprus continue to this very day.  They are unacceptable and clearly demonstrate Turkey is a force of instability in the Eastern Mediterranean.  In addition to the Turkish troops illegally occupying the Republic of Cyprus, the presence in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of two Turkish drill ships and one seismic research vessel (with a second one on its way), which are accompanied by Turkish naval vessels, is a violation of Cyprus’ sovereignty and international law.  Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades termed Turkey’s bid to drill a “second invasion.”

The U.S. must publicly state that Turkey must remove its troops from Cyprus.  The withdrawal of Turkish troops would be a significant confidence building measure in the peace process. As such, any positive resolution cannot be foreseen until United States policymakers press Turkey to forgo its intransigence, which was on full display at 2017’s Conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. There, Turkey’s insistence to maintain the Treaty of Guarantee, which would allow for future unilateral Turkish military interventions, was completely unacceptable and contradicted the governing principals of a European Union member state. AHI maintains the Cypriots themselves should have ownership of the settlement process and the solution should be by the Cypriot people for the Cypriot people. Advancing these positions will underscore support for the rule of law and respect for international law. It will demonstrate the United States’ dedication to solving the Cyprus problem.

Moreover, this is not the Cyprus of 45 years ago. Cyprus has made tremendous strides and is viewed today by the United States as a strategic partner because of its commitment to counterterrorism and security as evidenced by 2018’s Statement of Intent agreement with the United States. Cyprus is a signatory to the United States’ Proliferation Security Initiative. Cyprus also has strengthened relations with Israel, bilaterally, and as part of the trilateral partnership with Greece; a partnership that recently included the participation of the United States at the Sixth Trilateral Summit held in March 2019. Turkey’s aggression in Cyprus’ EEZ and its gunboat diplomacy only serve to hinder Cyprus’s further development as key contributor to security in the Eastern Mediterranean, the broader region, and Europe. Therefore, in the context of the United States’ enhanced relations with the Republic of Cyprus and as a participant at the Sixth Trilateral Summit, AHI calls on the United States to condemn strongly Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in Cyprus’ EEZ, and further, place sanctions upon Turkey for such illegal activities.

Background

On July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded the Republic of Cyprus with the illegal use of U.S.-supplied arms and equipment in violation of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the United Nations Charter, the NATO Treaty, and customary international law. Turkey occupied about four percent of Cyprus during the initial phase of its invasion. Furthermore, on August 14, 1974, three weeks after the legitimate government of Cyprus was restored, Turkey launched the second phase of its invasion of Cyprus, grabbing 37 percent of Cyprus’s sovereign territory, killed innocent civilians, forced 170,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes and properties, and committed mass destruction of Cyprus’ cultural and religious heritage, including an estimated 500 churches and religious sites belonging to Christian and Jewish communities.

Since 1974, AHI has advocated the U.S. government must:

• support a settlement of the Cyprus problem through negotiations based on a bi-zonal, bi communal federation in a state with a single sovereignty and international personality, incorporating the norms of a constitutional democracy embracing key American principles, the EU acquis communautaire and EU Founding Treaty, UN resolutions on Cyprus, the pertinent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and of other European Courts — as is the best interests of the United States;

• call for the immediate withdrawal of Turkey’s 40,000 occupation troops illegally in Cyprus;
•   call for the return of the estimated at least 200,000 illegal Turkish colonists/settlers in Cyprus to Turkey and for a halt to the illegal bringing of more colonists/settlers from Turkey to occupied Cyprus to illegally change the demographics of the island and of the Turkish Cypriot community, all of which is in violation of the Geneva Convention of 1949;

• call for the return of the sealed-off section of Famagusta to its lawful inhabitants by Turkey as noted in UN Security Council resolutions 550 (1984) and 789 (1992) and the 1979 High Level Agreement between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, which stated that priority should be given to the resettlement of Famagusta under the UN auspices.  This position has been reaffirmed by the European Parliament in written declarations;

•  call for the restoration of property illegally taken in the northern-occupied area of Cyprus to their rightful owners, and payment by Turkey to the owners for deprivation of the use of their property;
•   direct Turkey to tear down the green line barbed wire fence across the face of Cyprus that makes Nicosia the last divided capital in Europe; and

call on Ankara to normalize relations with the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union (a body to which Turkey aspires to join).

The post AHI Issues Statement on 45th Anniversary of Invasion of Cyprus appeared first on The National Herald.

PORT WASINGTON, NY – The commemoration of the tragic 45^th anniversary of the invasion of Cyprus began with the memorial service following the Divine Liturgy at the Archangel Michael Church in Port Washington presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America on July 21. The event, organized by the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations (FCAO) in collaboration with International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) and the Consulate General of Greece in New York, sent a clear message that the end of the illegal occupation of 36% of Cyprus is long overdue.

Among those present were the representatives of the Greek and Cypriot diplomatic corps, association leaders, as well as many members of the Greek-American community. The unjust and brutal nature of the Turkish invasion which began on July 20, 1974 was again highlighted on the occasion of the 45th anniversary and the fact that in the 45 years that have passed since that day, the struggle for justice for Cyprus continues.

The event also marked the first visit of His Eminence to the Archangel Michael community since his enthronement one month ago.

Archbishop Elpidophoros noted that the memorial service was “for the souls of those who gave their lives defending their homeland, but also for the innocent souls who were unjustly lost by a barbarity which, for our people, certainly is not unprecedented.”

Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus, Alexis Phedonos-Vadet, referred to the victims of the Turkish invasion, as well as the open wound of the missing persons, whose fate remains unknown to this day.

“Among the victims were women and children, elderly people and even the disabled. Of our fallen soldiers, the majority were young men who, despite knowing the overwhelming numbers of the Turkish army and the immense inequality in the battlefield, did not hesitate to respond to the call of the homeland and to give what was most precious: their life. We do not forget either the missing, who from 20,000 in 1974 there remain about 300 today,” said Mr. Phedonos, who also reminded us of the victims of the illegal Turkish occupation since 1974, including seven members of the National Guard, and Solomos Solomou, Tassos Isaac, and Petros Kakoulis.

Also present at the event and among the speakers at the reception which followed were Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN Ambassador Maria Theofili, her counterpart from the Republic of Cyprus Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis, Consul of Greece Lana Zochiou, PSEKA President Philip Christopher, and Federation of Cypriot American Organizations (FCAO) President Kyriacos Papastylianou.

“We Do Not Forget 1974”

Immediately following the memorial service, a special event was held in the Archangel Michael community center, which began with welcoming remarks by FCAO Vice President of Culture Despina Axiotakis, who served as Master of Ceremonies. A video was then screened with photos from the invasion of the Turkish troops, the Greek Cypriot prisoners of war, refugees young and old, the looting of houses, and the desecration of the churches and monuments in the occupied area, moving many in the audience to tears.

“The Cyprus issue has cost us all very dearly and we are all concerned,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said, speaking from the heart as a Greek of Constantinople.

“The Cypriot people themselves, of course, paid the price first and the most of everyone, for the Cyprus issue. But, I cannot forget my experience as a young child in Constantinople, how this whole event of the Turkish troops in Cyprus was experienced by the Hellenism of Constantinople, our churches, our Patriarchate, the hierarchs of Constantinople, Imvros and Tenedos. The Hellenism of Greece also paid for it dearly. Therefore, there should be no Greek who considers the Cyprus question as a matter only for Cypriot Greeks,” His Eminence said.

PSEKA President Philip Christopher has repeatedly focused on the dynamics of the U.S. Cypriots as American citizens and expressed his optimism that based on the latest developments in Turkish-U.S. relations the circumstances may be more favorable now more than ever.

“My friends, we are all Americans and America should contribute to making Cyprus free. We need to ensure that the current administration will support us. F-35s should not be sold to Turkey, sanctions should be imposed and, possibly, such sanctions could bring Cyprus’ freedom. It is up to us, as American citizens, we are a strong group. Always inform your representatives and senators,” Christopher said in his speech.

Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Maria Theofili, noted that “Greece will never accept the consequences of the Turkish invasion,” while Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis said that “the people of my own generation and the older have gone through life trying to put an end to the occupation. We will not give up, I assure you. We have a responsibility to continue this battle until Cyprus is liberated.”

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CONSTANTINOPLE – A delegation of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, headed by Archbishop Hilarion of Rivne, recently visited His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

This visit of the Ukrainian Orthodox leader was a pilgrimage made in order to pay respects to Saint Euphemia, who in a miraculous way led the Fathers of the Orthodox Church make correct decisions during the Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon. In addition to dogmatic definitions, the Council of Chalcedon also decided that the Archbishop of Constantinople had the responsibility to hear appeals filed either by the clergy or the lay persons from every Church, and established his extraterritorial jurisdiction and responsibility which today is known as ekliton.

At the official audience Archbishop Hilarion of Rivne expressed the gratitude of the Autocephalous Ukrainian Church to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and professed their love to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Archbishop Hilarion said, “we came here to pay our respects to St. Euphemia for her miracle and our filial love for the Ecumenical Patriarch. We believe that the day that the Church celebrates the miracle of St. Euphemia is also a feast for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”

The Ecumenical Patriarch warmly welcomed Archbishop Hilarion and the delegation, as well as the Consul General of Ukraine in Constantinople Oleksandr Gaman, who attended the meeting, and said that it was a blessing that the Ecumenical Patriarchate preserved the holy relic of Saint Euphemia.

Speaking about the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine, Patriarch Bartholomew said that “we simply did our duty as the Mother Church of Constantinople, to the Ukrainian People, no more and no less.” He added that “you received what was yours, and we gave you what we had the right and the duty, as the Mother Church of Constantinople, to give you.”

The Patriarch also said that “the new status would have been accepted by all other sister Churches if there were no political expediencies and pressures against this action” and he added that “sooner or later, the recognition of your Autocephalous Church will come, and the first sister Church to do so will be the Church of Greece.” He informed them that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will send an official delegation, led by Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, to celebrate the commemoration of Saint Vladimir and the anniversary of Baptism of the Rus on July 28. The delegation will bring a fragment of the relic of St. Andrew.

Then the Patriarch pointed out that the sacred historical ties between Constantinople and Kiev “were strengthened quite recently through the decision of the Holy Synod of our Patriarchate to canonize your great compatriot, Saint Luke of Simferopol.”

Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria spoke about St. Luke the Physician, Archbishop of Simferopol, his life and miracles attributed to him and the great respect and reverence with which the faithful of his Metropolis have for St. Luke the Physician.

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia on the occasion of the tragic 45th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus presided over the Divine Liturgy on July 21 at the Annunciation Cathedral of the Theotokos in Sydney. At the end of the Liturgy a Service was offered for the repose of the souls of all those who lost their lives during the invasion and for the healing of the victims of the Turkish army’s atrocities.

In attendance were the Cypriot Presidential Commissioner Fotis Fotiou, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia Martha Mavrommati, and the Ambassador of Greece to Australia Ekaterini Xagorari.

Archbishop Makarios in his sermon made reference to the tragedy of Cyprus and declared that even with the passage of time the injustice which was carried out in Cyprus will not be forgotten.

The Archbishop mentioned with respect and compassion the 200,000 refugees who were forced to leave their homelands, and he also commemorated the late Archbishop and President of Cyprus Makarios III, the 4,000 dead, and the 1,619 missing.

Last but not least, the Archbishop urged the attendees not to forget the pain of the people who lost not only their relatives and friends, but also their homes and their land.

The post Αrchbishop Makarios of Australia Urges: Never Forget Our Cyprus appeared first on The National Herald.

MILFORD. John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Christopher J. Sakelarakis, 35, of Milford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for an investment scheme that defrauded an elderly victim of $60,000.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Sakelarakis held himself out as having the necessary qualifications, experience and abilities to provide investment services to an elderly victim-investor.  Sakelarakis falsely represented to the victim that he had a number of investment clients, that he was making a substantial profit including by day trading, and that he had a contact in an investment firm who provided him with stock tips.  Sakelarakis also represented that he would invest in stocks, options and other financial instruments on behalf of the victim and that his compensation would be a commission on 10 percent of the profits.

In October 2017, the victim provided Sakelarakis with a $60,000 check.  The funds were more than half of what the victim had saved for retirement.  Within days after receiving and depositing the check, Sakelarakis withdrew $30,000 in cash, and then made additional cash withdrawals, including several large withdrawals at ATMs.  Sakelarakis spent a portion of the funds at stores such as Armani Exchange, Foot Locker, Macy’s and Gamestop.  In October and November 2017, Sakelarakis made several false representations in e-mails to the victim-investor relating to the status of the “investments” and the victim’s account.  No funds were ever returned to the victim.

Judge Hall ordered Sakelarakis to pay full restitution, plus interest, to the victim.

Sakelarakis was arrested on October 15, 2018.  On December 27, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

Sakelarakis, who is released on a $60,000 bond, is required to report to prison on September 4, 2019.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wilton Police Department and Greenwich Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Banking.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry and Law Student Intern Evan Marlow.

U.S. Attorney Durham noted that this case has been brought as part of the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative (EJI).  To learn more about EJI, please visit www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

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NEW YORK – Greek-American Andrea Catsimatidis was profiled in New York Magazine for its July 22 issue. The daughter of billionaire, philanthropist, and former candidate for New York City Mayor, John Catsimatidis, she is making a name for herself as the chair of the Manhattan Republican Party, a position she has held since 2017.

Catsimatidis, 29, met with New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi at Avra Madison in Midtown Manhattan for the discussion on how she became a Republican, and “a rising GOP star,” as the New York Post’s Jon Levine called her in a recent article.

She told New York Magazine that “she became a Republican as soon as she learned what it meant.”

Her father is well-known as a bipartisan donor but ran for mayor as a Republican, though Andrea Catsimatidis had thought he was a Democrat since the family had a “close relationship” with the Clintons. “I still have great admiration for them, just ’cause I’ve known them since I was 2 years old,” she told New York Magazine, adding that her father running as a Republican confused her.

She continued, “I looked up what it meant to be a Republican, and I saw that being a Republican stood for freedom and opportunity for all, and I was like, ‘Of course I’m a Republican!’”

“To me it just made more sense. It’s just your definition of what you believe is inequality: Do you believe in equal opportunity or equal outcomes? And to me, I believe in equal opportunity,” she told New York Magazine which noted that she “went on to lead the NYU College Republicans.”

The article also pointed out that Catsimatidis studied business at NYU and has nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram where recent posts feature her on the beach in various locations including South Beach, the Hamptons, and Mykonos.

Of the comments following her appearance on CNN when she commented on the government shutdown, she said, “When people want to be mean, they’ll just make fun of my appearance because that’s the petty default that people have. They usually tend to complain about my feminine anatomy…The Democrats started attacking my breasts, and the Republicans were defending them, and then I thought to myself, ‘I didn’t realize that my breasts were so partisan,’” New York Magazine reported.

Catsimatidis married Christopher Nixon Cox, Richard Nixon’s grandson, in 2011. The marriage was announced in the New York Times which noted that the couple met when Catsimatidis, “five days shy of her 18th birthday,” was a senior at the Hewitt School and Cox, then 29, was on the staff of the late John McCain’s presidential campaign.

Though the marriage ended in 2014, Catsimatidis does not regret the elaborate wedding, and she and Cox remain friends, New York Magazine reported.

“We had so many people to celebrate with us. Hillary Clinton was at my wedding. We had Henry Kissinger, we had Rudy Giuliani, we had Chuck Schumer. It was a beautiful, bipartisan wedding – everyone had an amazing time,” she told New York Magazine which added that “Trump once told the couple he persuaded her father to pay for the expensive affair.”

Of the overwhelming odds against the Republicans in Manhattan where the ratio is eight-to-one in favor of Democrats, Catsimatidis told New York Magazine that “the ratio against her interests doesn’t bother her too much, but she was frightened when party headquarters was vandalized by Antifa.”

For those unfamiliar with Antifa, it is the movement comprised of left-wing autonomous, militant anti-fascist groups and individuals in the United States. Activists involved in the movement focus on fighting far-right and white supremacist ideologies directly, rather than through electoral means.

“They threw bricks at the windows and spray-painted our doors,” Catsimatidis told New York Magazine, but she remained undaunted and continued her work as Manhattan GOP chair which includes attending fund-raisers, finding candidates, and helping them get on the ballot.

While Republicans in Manhattan may not share the exact positions on issues as Republicans elsewhere in the U.S., Catsimatidis “sees her job, in part, as reflecting what her constituents want as much as what she personally believes,” including her open support for LGBTQ rights, New York Magazine reported.

Concerning abortion, “My belief is, I’m pro-life, but at the same time, as Manhattan GOP chair, I’m doing my best to fulfill the role that represents our Manhattan Republican Party, and our Manhattan Republican Party is pro-choice, all of our candidates are pro-choice, all of our candidates are pro-gay marriage, all of our candidates are very socially liberal. So I feel like I’m acting in the interest of what our constituency is. That’s what I’m going to do,” she told New York Magazine.

Catsimatidis noted that “the Upper East Side is very welcoming and Republican, but if you go downtown, say, where the registration is seven-to-one, then people get a little bit more hostile,” New York Magazine reported.

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Two months after a mother of five vanished from a tony Connecticut town, authorities say they’re still following up on more than 1,200 tips and leads.

But Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance remains a mystery. The 50-year-old New Canaan woman went missing on May 24 after dropping her children off at school.

Police later arrested Fotis Dulos, her estranged husband, and Michelle Troconis, his girlfriend, on charges of evidence tampering and hindering prosecution. Both have pleaded not guilty, and both are free on $500,000 bond.

The five children, who range in age from 8 to 13 and include two sets of twins, have been staying with a grandmother in New York City.

“It’s still an active investigation,” New Canaan police Lt. Jason Ferraro said. “We’re over 1,200 tips at this time. It’s a tremendous amount of information” to sort through.

A closer look at the case:

CONTENTIOUS DIVORCE, LAWSUIT

The Duloses have been embroiled in a contentious divorce and child custody case for the past two years.

According to court documents filed in the divorce case, Jennifer Dulos feared that Fotis Dulos would harm her in some way in retaliation for her filing for divorce.

Jennifer Dulos is the daughter of Gloria Farber and the late Hilliard Farber, who ran Chase Manhattan Bank’s bond trading desk before founding his own brokerage firm in 1975.

Fotis Dulos, a developer of expensive homes, is also involved in a lawsuit filed by Gloria Farber, acting as executor of the estate of Hilliard Farber, for not being able to repay back $1.7 million in loans.

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DEFENSE STRATEGY

Norman Pattis, Fotis Dulos’ lawyer, has argued that Jennifer Dulos is not the victim of foul play and has suggested a couple of alternate explanations for her disappearance. Patrick McKenna, who has helped win high-profile acquittals for O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony, is also on his defense team.

Pattis told the New York Post in June that Jennifer Dulos once wrote a manuscript similar to the popular book-turned-movie “Gone Girl” about a woman who stages her own disappearance to frame her husband for murder. Pattis has also put forward a revenge-suicide hypothesis as an explanation for Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance.

A Dulos family spokeswoman called the “Gone Girl” theory “false and irresponsible.”

Fotis Dulos, meanwhile, has said he misses his kids.

“I just want to tell my children that they’re constantly on my mind and that I love them and I miss them very much,” he said last month.

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SEARCHES AND TIPS

Law enforcement officials have searched several locations for evidence, including Fotis Dulos’ home, several bodies of water in the Avon and Farmington area and a Hartford trash-to-energy plant where police sifted through trash bags containing clothing and other items with Jennifer Dulos’ blood found on them.

Investigators say blood splatter and evidence of cleanup attempts were also found at Jennifer Dulos’ home.

Authorities also allege that Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend discarded the bags that ended up in the trash plant, citing surveillance videos showing two people resembling them dumping bags there.

A website has been set up to help bring in further tips.

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WHAT’S NEXT?

Michelle Troconis is scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 19. Fotis Dulos’ next court date is scheduled for Aug. 2.

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By CHRIS EHRMANN Associated Press

Chris Ehrmann is a corps member for Report for America , a nonprofit organization that supports local news coverage, in a partnership with The Associated Press for Connecticut. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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