NEW YORK, NY –
A delegation from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America appointed by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America has traveled to Athens Greece to view firsthand the areas affected by the most recent wildfires earlier this month. The delegation, led by His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod, includes Treasurer of the Archdiocesan Council Elaine Allen and First Vice President of the National Ladies Philoptochos Society Anita Kartalopoulos. The delegation’s mission was to assess the damage and to evaluate the most effective ways to help those who were affected by the most recent wildfires. Fundraising has already begun with the launch of the Greek Fire Relief Fund (www.goarch.org/donate/greecefires).
On Thursday, August 29, the delegation met with His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece who informed them of the many issues and concerns created by the fires, specifically the devastation impacting the infrastructure, including the availability of running water and power, to the Holy Monastery of Axion Esti in Varnavas, Attica. Also affected with similar damages were the “Athanasios Martinos 1 & 2” Protected Living Homes (PLH) for People with Intellectual Disabilities and People with Down Syndrome of the “Maria Kokkori” Foundation, which are housed next to the Monastery. Both institutions belong to the Holy Archdiocese of Athens. During the meeting, His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos also described the extent of damage to all the areas of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens to assist the delegation in prioritizing support.
His Grace Bishop Athenagoras conveyed to His Beatitude the love and greetings from His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros and all the faithful of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who responded immediately to the needs after this natural disaster impacting our beloved “patrida.” In response, His Beatitude asked the delegation to convey to Archbishop Elpidophoros the sincere thanks of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens for the commitment to fund the restoration of the infrastructure supporting the Monastery of Axion Esti and the Athanasios Martinos 1 & 2 PLH for People with Intellectual Disabilities and People with Down Syndrome for their generous support. Also present at the meeting were the Chancellor of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, V. Rev. Archimandrite Varnavas Theoharis, V. Rev. Archimandrite Nikodimos Farmakis, Chief Executive Officer of The Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church Ecclesiastical Central Financial Services and Protopresbyter Rev. Emmanuel Papamikroulis, Secretary of the Synodal Committee on Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations.
On Wednesday, August 28, the delegation visited the areas impacted by the fires including Palia Penteli. There they visited the Holy Monastery of Penteli and met with His Eminence Metropolitan Ioannis of Thermopyles, the Abbot of the Monastery. A focus of the visit was to also meet with the volunteer firefighter corps of Penteli who were the first responders in the area. A needs assessment was conducted with them to identify the firefighting equipment that they lacked during their heroic efforts.
Earlier in the week, the delegation visited the area of Northern Evia, which was devastated by wildfires in 2021. They presented donations of new ambulances and medical equipment to the Health Centers of Istiaia and Mantoudi. The delegation also visited business beneficiaries that received grants to restart their businesses and the affected Monasteries of Osios David and Agios Nicolaos Galataki where the Archdiocese reconstructed water access to the Monastery. In all, more than $1.1 million has been given by the Archdiocese to support individuals and businesses in Northern Evia, that was raised in a similar campaign in 2021. (More info on the 2021 campaign here.)
While in Evia, His Grace Bishop Athenagoras blessed the ambulance in Istiaia in the presence of Deputy Governor of Evia, Giorgos Kelaiditis, who thanked the Archdiocese of America for their generous gifts which have a direct impact on saving lives. His Grace stated that Archbishop Elpidophoros and the Greek Orthodox faithful of America are sensitive to all issues concerning our homeland and “as expatriates we have our feet in America, but our heart and our eyes are in Greece.” Elaine Allen emphasized that “our expatriates in America always give with their hearts to Greece and should be assured that their donations are helping others.” Anita Kartalopoulos expressed the satisfaction of the delegation that the donations of our faithful reached the right people and had essential impact.
Upon their return, the delegation will review the information they gathered and develop a comprehensive plan to determine the most efficient way to distribute the generous donations currently being accepted for the Greek Fire Relief Fund.
Remarking on the unparalleled generosity of the faithful of the Archdiocese, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros said, “I am grateful for the generosity of our faithful, both those who have given in the past and those who continue to give, allowing our Archdiocese to contribute to alleviating the hardship of those affected by the wildfires in Greece.”
Story/Photo: Orthodox Observer
