NEW YORK – The annual “Celebration of The Three Hierarchs and Greek Letters” of the Department of Greek Education was held at the ballroom of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan on January 31.
The celebration commenced when Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos invited the Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir to chant the apolitikion of the Feast of the Three Hierarchs and the doxastikon of the vespers which pay tribute to the lives of the three great saints. They literally set the tone for the evening which included a lecture on the Three Hierarchs and a dazzling musical program by students of the area’s Greek day schools.
Cathedral Dean Fr. John Vlahos introduced the event’s organizer and Emcee, National Director of Greek Education of the Archdiocese Dr. Ioannis Efthymiopoulos, who in turn introduced the featured speaker, Rev. Dr. Stefanos Alexopoulos, Assistant Professor at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Efthymiopoulos noted that from the Three Hierarchs’ “writings you can see how deeply they were affected by classical Greek literature and thought…they enlightened the civilized world with their teachings…working to blend Christian faith with the Hellenic spirit and culture…this union constitutes the greatest achievement of the human spirit and civilization.”
Efthymiopoulos was the first speaker to point out that the terrible events of 2015 provided the background for going beyond their genius to their courage in the face of personal trials including exile and forced resignation from office. It was a time of upheaval and dislocation in the Roman Empire that exacerbated the plight of the poor, prompting the Three Hierarchs to combine spirituality and practicality, including St. Basil’s (Agios Vassilios’) establishment of the “Vassiliada,” which Fr. Alexopoulos called “the first extensive hospital and social care complex in history.”
“The life and work of the Three Hierarchs constituted a hymn to the glory of God…turning the profession Christian faith into praxis,” Efthymiopoulos concluded.
The Vassiliada, which included a hospital, orphanage, and a church, was the concluding image of the Fr. Alexopoulos lecture titled “Is Worship Important? The Contributions of the Three Hierarchs to the Liturgical Life of the Church.”
He declared that “the prayers for the wellbeing of all people…are also a strong call to action, to live out our experience of Christ in our daily life, particularly in our treatment of our fellow human beings…we cannot ourselves build a Vassiliada, but we can live out the Spirt of St. Basil – in our homes through hospitality, in the community with charitable endeavors, in our cities at their soup kitchens and homeless shelters. We can make them our own Vassiliada.” Fr. Alexopoulos then quoted St. John Chrysotom that “the life of every Christian needs to become a liturgy in itself.”
Alexopoulos noted of that Vassiliada that with a church in its midst “worship constituted its center, source, and inspiration.”
Alexopoulos’ lecture highlighted the pivotal role the Three Hierarchs played in the development the Orthodox Church’s rich tapestry of worship services, but he emphasized that for them, the liturgical life of the Church could not be just set of external forms and habits…customs and rituals. He said “The theology of the church is not only expressed in worship, but is also taught in the context of worship, and is a calling to a renewed and transformed life according to the gospel. In the liturgies, the hymns and blessings, during holidays, we experience the pen of the Three Hierarchs, we hear their words and feel their presence.”
In his closing remarks, Archbishop Demetrios congratulated and thanked Alexopoulos for his presentation and noted there is so much more to say about the Three Hierarchs. He thanked Efthymiopoulos both for the event and his supplemental information, to which the archbishop added the seminal role played in the development of Western monasticism of St. Basil’s rules for the monasteries he had established.
He also emphasized that the renown of the Three Hierarchs was not founded on lives of ease that enabled them to write, or the pursuit of fame. Exile and persecution were often their reward.
The reward for those who attended Sunday night’s event, however, was a remarkable concert of classical music and exceptional pieces of modern Greek music, especially that of Manos Hadjidakis.
With piano accompaniment by Areti Giovannou, who shared the music direction with Georgios Argeratos, the students of the Cathedral School and the William Spyropoulos, St. Demetrios of Astoria and A. Fantis Schools thrilled on cello, voice, and violin. The students also excelled as piano soloists and in chorus when joined by Argeratos and noted baritone Stefanos Koroneos.
“Did you expect such music” the Archbishop marveled, “at a Three Hierarchs celebration?” prompting applause, and then noted its appropriateness since St. Gregory of Nyssa, not a Three Hierarch but the distinguished brother of St. Basil, had written famously on music as a universal language and on the music of the spheres.
Among the guests acknowledged by the Archbishop and Efthymiopoulos were, Bishop Sevastianos of Zela, Greek Consul Manos Koubarakis, TNH Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris, and Dr Thaleia Chatzigiannoglou, Head of the Consulate’s Office of Educational Affairs.
The annual celebration of Greek letters and of the three great Saint-Teachers is also a tribute to the community’s educators and the students, as Demetrios and Efthymiopoulos noted.
The night before, the Direct Archdiocesan District Office of Education hosted a special program with the where 52 students were presented with the Three Hierarchs Award of Excellence. They were mainly from New York’s afternoon and day schools but two came from St. Louis, MO.
Makedon and St. Demetrios Cathedral Music Director Evangelos Haziroglou identified songs and poems that illustrated Greece’s contributions to mankind sung by students and recited by adults. Alexopoulos was again the keynote speaker, presenting “Are the Three Hierarchs Relevant Today” to the children.
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