NEW YORK, NY – GNUSA [Photos: GANP/ Dimitrios Panagos]
The bitter cold did little to deter the Greek‑American and Cypriot‑American community from filling Chiotes Hall at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on January 30, where the annual joint Vasilopita cutting brought together 26 organizations for one of the most anticipated gatherings of the year.
This year’s celebration, held under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in New York and coordinated by the Hellenic‑American Chamber of Commerce (HACC), highlighted the unity, continuity, and cultural vitality of the Hellenic diaspora. Representatives from business, professional, cultural, educational, civic, youth, and student groups were in attendance, demonstrating the community’s extensive network and their commitment to preserving and honoring their heritage.
Greece’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis, honored the event with his presence, along with Secretary General for the Hellenes Abroad, Maira Myrogianni, Ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus to the U.N. Aglaia Balta and Maria Mihail, respectively, and Consul General of Greece in New York, Ifigenia Kanara.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros presided at the annual blessing and cutting of the Vasilopita assisted by Archimandrite Chrysostomos Gilbert, Dean of the Cathedral, and Deacon Jeremiah Mandoras, and extended warm wishes for a productive and hopeful new year.
Eftihia Pylarinou – Piper, President of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the distinguished guests in attendance, and thanked John Catsimatidis, the Vice Chairman of the Archdiocesan Council, for his continued support of Greek organizations throughout the year.
Kostas Tsourakis, Director of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Choir, performed the National Anthems.
The event was co- organized by HACC and an exceptional coalition of organizations, represented by their leadership:
Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce (HACC) (Eftihia Pylarinou-Piper, President), Cyprus U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Demetri Comodromos, President), Leadership 100 (Paulette Poulos, Executive Director), AHEPA – (Paul Pavlakos, President AHEPA 25), Hellenic American Association for Professionals in Finance (HABA) – (Costas Kellas, Chair), Hellenic American Leadership Council -HALC (Tasos Pardalis, Vice Chair), Hellenic Lawyers Association -HLA (George Zapantis, Chairman), Hellenic Medical Society of New York -HMSNY (Dr. Antonios Gasparis, President), East Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance -EMBCA (Lou Katsos, President), Federation of Cypriot American Organizations (Despina Axiotakis, Vice President), Federation of Greek-American Educators (Stella Kokolis, President), Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York (Lou Katsos, Parade Committee Chairman), Hellenic American Cultural Foundation -HACF (Nick Kouridis, Chairman), Hellenic Congress of America (Nick Tavantzis, President), Hellenic Federation of New Jersey (Panos Stavrianidis, Ph.D., President), Hellenic Professional Women -HPW (Dr. Evelyn Bilias-Lolis, President), Hermes Expo International (Paul Kotrotsios, President), National Hellenic Society- NHS (Art Dimopoulos, Executive Director), International Coordinating Committee – Justice for Cyprus -PSEKA (Philip Christopher, President), Pan Gregorian Enterprises of Metro New York and Long Island (Demetri Kafchitsas, President), NYPD St. Paul’s Society (Dina Bantounas, Vice President), HACC Innovators (Alexander Constantin, President), Cypriot Young Professionals (Maria Christodoulou, President), National Hellenic Student Association -NHSA (Kostas Ouranitsas, Chairman), Intercollegiate Hellenic Society Global -IHSG (Margarita Skourlis, Chair) & Philo4Thought (Chris Salboudis, Founding CEO).
In her welcoming remarks, HACC President Eftihia Pylarinou-Piper emphasized that this gathering serves as a special opportunity to come together as a community, honor shared traditions, and look ahead to a year filled with hope, health, and success.
Following her remarks, each participating organization had the opportunity to extend its New Year wishes through pre-recorded messages played during the event.
In his address, Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis thanked the organizers for bringing together such a broad spectrum of Greek-American and Cypriot organizations and youth groups, noting that unity is a source of strength.
“I am especially proud to be here with you today, and even more proud because Greeks from Greece and Cyprus are gathered here together so that we may celebrate the Vasilopita,” he said, stressing that the day holds particular significance for three reasons.
Firstly, because of the feast of the Three Hierarchs, a day that symbolizes the Greek Letters, knowledge, and science—values of which Greeks are deeply proud, he said.
As a second point, he called the renewal of the UNFICYP peacekeeping mission’s mandate in Cyprus earlier that day as decisive, saying that “Cyprus remains the top priority of our national foreign policy, and we will spare no effort to see the island united again on the basis of the United Nations resolutions”.
And lastly, because of the bill on postal voting for Greeks abroad, which will give them the opportunity to vote from their homes and be represented by three members of Parliament in the Hellenic Parliament.
Gerapetritis also addressed the excellent level of Greek–American relations, which was reaffirmed in a recent conversation he had with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier that day, stressing that he is “very optimistic that in the period ahead Greek–American relations will see even greater growth for the benefit of both countries and both peoples”.
During the event, Parade Committee Chairman, Lou Katsos, announced the Grand Marshals of the 2026 Greek Independence Day Parade, who are John Catsimatidis, Founder and Chairman of the Red Apple Group, Dr. Nicholas Tsakos, Founder and CEO of TEN Ltd. (Tsakos Energy Navigation), the Hellenic Initiative (THI) and Capital Link.
The hosts extended their sincere appreciation to sponsors Alma Bank and Flagstar Bank, represented by Yiannis Stroubakis and Maria Kalamidas, respectively, for their support of this event. The HACC also thanked Greek Express, Pan Gregorian, Pie Bakery, Zagori, and Mylos Entertainment for their valued contributions and for bringing true kefi to the celebration.
The evening concluded with a very successful and a fun Young Innovators After-Party, reinforcing HACC’s commitment to engaging and empowering the next generation of leaders.
The Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce thanked all participating organizations, their representatives, sponsors, and guests for making Vasilopita 2026 a meaningful and memorable start to the new year.
