NEW YORK – The Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Andreas Dracopoulos, on Saturday afternoon, October 28, visited the community of Saint Demetrios in Astoria and attended the Greek Afternoon School’s Oxi Day celebration.
The students, teachers, and community leaders greeted him with joy and once again they managed to impress him.
Mr. Dracopoulos enjoyed the songs performed by the school choir under the direction of music teacher Vangelis Chaziroglou , the one-act plays, the poems, and the dances, which were interpreted by the students of all grades.
The Chairman of the School Board, Nick Andriotis, welcomed Dracopoulos, praised his love for the school and Greek education, and at the same time expressed his gratitude for the unprecedented donation given by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
Immediately afterwards, Dracopoulos visited the Elementary School and the Nick A. Andriotis Hall, which was inaugurated about ten days ago, and was impressed by both the project and the building complex which includes Saint Catherine and Saint George Church, the elementary school, and the building that functions as a nursery school.
Also in Astoria, the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, the Ionian Cultural Federation, the Epiros Society “Pyrros” and “Daughters of Epiros”, “Anagenisi” – “Souliotisses”, the Pontian Society Komninoi, the Erikousion Society of America, and the Pan Gregorian of New York on Sunday, October 29, presented a series of events in honor of the 77th anniversary of Oxi Day, October 28th.
The celebrations began with the Divine Liturgy held at Saint Catherine and Saint George Church in Astoria and continued with a parade of the Federation members carrying their banners to the Stathakion Center.
The keynote speaker for the event at the Stathakion was the Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, who referred to the eternal messages of the Epic of 1940.
Greetings were delivered by the Consul General of Cyprus, Vasilios Philippou, the President of the Federation of Hellenic Societies Petros Galatoulas, and the chairmen of the member organizations. Wearing traditional costumes, the dancers of the Pontian Society and the Academy of Hellenic Paideia performed traditional Greek dances.
In Flushing, a vibrant celebration was held for the 77th anniversary of Oxi Day, on Friday, October 27 by the students and teachers of the William Spyropoulos Day School of St. Nicholas Church. The celebration took place in Sarantakos Hall and included a play, poetry, dances, and patriotic songs that praised the incomparable heroism of Greek officers and soldiers in the harsh mountains of Pindos and Northern Epirus. Principal Athena Kromidas spoke with The National Herald and said the children did their best.
“They taught the brightest page of Modern History and at the same time they were taught that the messages of Oxi and the War of 1940 are of a timeless nature. At the same time, they expressed their gratitude to the community, its leaders and benefactors for their sacrifices and their dedication to the preservation of the Greek language and culture,” she said.
“Students and teachers have joined their voices and voiced their own Oxi against assimilation and for the preservation of the Greek language, the customs, the values, and the traditions of our people,” Mrs. Kromidas said.
In Staten Island, at Holy Trinity-Saint Nicholas Church, the community center was renamed the “Katsoris Hellenic Center” in the presence of the family of the late benefactor of the church, George Katsoris, immediately following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 29.
Presiding priest of the parish, Fr. Nicholas Petropoulakos told The National Herald that the late George Katsoris was a very good and kind man who helped the church throughout his life, following the example of his father, Emmanuel, who was also the founder of the church.
“Today,” he said, “we held the memorial for George who died two years ago and we felt obliged to honor him by giving the community hall his name, a building that he and his wife Evangelia with their donation paid the bank the amount that was owed since the church was first built. May his memory be eternal.”
Prior to the renaming ceremony, the celebration of the Greek School of the community for the 28th of October was held in the holy temple, with the participation of students who recited poems.
Fr. Nicholas wished many years to everyone for the Oxi Day anniversary, in which, as he noted, the Greeks once again showed that a small country and a poor people should not be underestimated.
“We must,” he said, “keep alive our traditions, customs, and values, and to recognize the role of the Church and the Word of God in every revolution for the good of the human race.”
The principal, Anastasia Mantas, noted that with the famous “Oxi” that Prime Minister Metaxas said against fascism, we delayed the German forces for many months which resulted in the ultimate victory for the Allies in World War II.
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