NEW YORK – Christmas is a very special time of year for the entire Greek Orthodox Church including the historic community of St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Washington Heights.
Although much has changed since it was officially founded in 1931 in upper Manhattan, the church’s dedication to the community remains unchanged.
“It is a time of giving, a time to strengthen our relations with our families and to welcome Christ into our lives,” Father Nicolas Kazarian, PhD, told The National Herald.
With this in mind, a series of events was held at St. Spyridon beginning with the Christmas Concerto, which took place on 2 December. The event featured a string quartet from the Children’s School of Music.
As an introduction to the concert, the Sunday School students and the Girl Scouts of the community sang. After the concert, a reception was held, in order for the church to thank the community for its support. “It was very important for us to show our community that we appreciate their dedication, love, but also their support for the renovation of our church,” said Fr. Kazarian.
A remarkable fundraiser organized by the church until December 16 was the Coat Drive fundraiser in association with the One Warm Coat organization. Through this, the community has been able to donate coats that will keep those in need warm this winter.
The third project is the Christmas Pageant, which took place on December 23 with the pupils of Sunday Greek School narrating in their own unique way the story of Christmas. The scenario is entirely created by the children and leaves childhood imagination and collaboration to discover that the message of the feast is still alive in our time.
It should not be forgotten that the community of St. Spyridon continues to support the mission of Emmaus House in Harlem. Through this collaboration with Emmaus House, Christmas gifts were provided to children, and before Thanksgiving, 45 turkeys were distributed to needy families associated with the Emmaus House.
The priority for Fr. Kazarian is to include the children in the life of the church and much more now during the holidays. “The meaning of Christmas is not the consumption we see in our days, but contributing,” said Fr. Kazarian.
More information about St. Spyridon Church, the holiday and operational schedule, is available online: saintspyridon.net.
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