Greek Metropolis Appoints New Priest to Oakland Cathedral

A. Makris
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Rev. Father Thomas J. Zaferes will become Proistamenos of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension in Oakland, California. His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos announced that Father Tom’s first Divine Liturgy in Oakland will be on Sunday, September 13, 2009.

For the past 12 years, Father Tom served as proistamenos at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Syracuse, NY. Father Tom led two Bible Study programs each week, a Men’s Study Group, and coordinated a Sunday Night Lecture Series featuring local Orthodox Clergy. The youth ministry at the parish included GOYA, JOY, Sunday School, Greek School, and an OCF chapter at Syracuse University.

Just prior to moving to Syracuse in 1991, Father Tom led a mission to Ghana where his team constructed a residence and offices for the church in the capital city of Accra. Upon his return, he continued his ministry at the parish of Saint Sophia in San Antonio, Texas, which was blessed with over 50 converts in a three-year period. Father Tom also served at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Chattanooga, TN, during which time the parish tripled in size from 36 to 115 steward families. Father Tom’s ministry began in the Metropolis of San Francisco in the summer of 1983 at Saint Nicholas in Northridge, California. While at Saint Nicholas, Father Tom worked with the GOYA, dance groups, youth basketball league, YAL, taught religion in the parochial school, and supervised building maintenance, in addition to his liturgical and sacramental responsibilities.

“I am excited to be returning to the west coast and am humbled to be following in the footsteps of Father [Thomas J.] Paris, who had a remarkable ministry in Oakland for so many years. The Parish Council and I share the vision and desire to continue accomplishing the work of the Church, bringing people closer to Christ and ultimately to salvation in Him,” stated Father Tom. “I am especially blessed to be serving under His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, whom I met when I first arrived at the Seminary. He was always a joyful person, who we turned to for guidance and insight on our path to the Holy Priesthood. I know that I can continue to rely upon His Eminence as a spiritual father and mentor as I begin this new chapter in my ministry.”

Father Tom graduated from Holy Cross School of Theology in 1983, after completing his undergraduate studies in 1978 with a Composite Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Theology from Hanover College in southeastern Indiana. He is blessed with a talented and loving wife, Presvytera Julie (Hourdakis), who is a registered nurse, and also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University – Northridge in Religious Studies. Father Tom and Presvytera Julie have four children – Demetri, Katerina, and twins Melissa and Christopher. Father Tom is an amateur photographer, football fan, and enjoys reading novels and biographies.

(August 7, 2009, press release of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco)

In the depths of Aghia Sophia

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Documentary specialist, Gkioksel Gulensoi, two divers and 4 speliologists, attempting to reach the myths and secrets of 1700 years under the church of Aghia Sophia managed to reach areas that until now, no one had ever managed to reach, according to the Turkish press.
The most impressive find of this “tour” in the tunnels 283 meters in depth, were the remains that are said to belong to canonized children buried there before the 13th century as well as Patriarch Athanasios who was buried at the same are 200 years later.
The divers and specialists explored the connection of the basins underneath Aghia Sophia with the aqueduct and the palace of Top Kapi. In addition they attempted to locate the secret tunnels from Tekfour Palace to the Islands.
The documentary, whose shooting began in 1998, was just recently completed due to budget difficulties, the required number of permits necessary and the works that are underway at the Museum of Aghia Sophia.
The 50-minute documentary “In the depts. Of Aghia Sophia” will officially begin participating in various international festivals in the fall.
source: voice of greece

Taste of the Danforth: North America’s Largest Greek Festival

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Toronto’s favourite street festival has a whole new way to celebrate the fun and flavours of Greece and summer in the city. Every year in August, the city of Toronto flocks to GreekTown on the Danforth. Celebrating its 16th year, the Pilaros Taste of the Danforth is Canada’s largest street festival, welcoming well over a million visitors. A Decima Research poll indicated that 90% of respondents identified “The Taste” as their favourite GTA festival event — beating out such iconic events as the Toronto International Film Festival, Caribana and Pride Week.

The GTA lays claim to more than 200,000 residents of Greek ancestry, the third largest Hellenic community outside of Greece, and between August 7th and August 9th, 2009, everyone who comes to the Danforth gets to be Greek for the day.

Singer and Aspiring Actor Sakis Rouvas Stars in “Duress”

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Singer and Aspiring Actor Sakis Rouvas Stars in “Duress”

Sakis Rouvas, the biggest pop singer in Greece, travels between Athens and Los Angeles with one goal; to see if he can act as well as he can sing. Rouvas took acting lessons and already has an agent in the entertainment capital of the world. He is trying to make the transition from being a singer in Greece to becoming an international actor. In his second acting attempt–his first was in the Greek production “Alter Ego”–he plays a killer in “Duress”. The thriller was shot in LA and premieres in US theaters on September 1st.

The story is about a parent, Richard, who is haunted by nightmares of his wife’s recent suicide and struggling to mend the relationship with his only daughter, who is caught as a witness to the violence of Abner Solvie. He finds himself at the mercy of the charismatic killer and plagued by his involvement in the city’s recent murders. As Abner’s new found protégé, Richard is forced to adopt the mind of his sociopathic mentor in order to protect the one he loves. Richard must decide if he’s willing to kill in order to keep his daughter alive.

Watch the trailer:

[youtube]B0U6K89_Byo[/youtube]

(With information from IMDB)

Rita Wilson on Greek Orthodox Faith

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Rita Wilson on Greek Orthodox Faith

In a video interview with Sally Quinn, producer of “On Faith” at The Washington Post, actress and producer Rita Wilson shares why she loves the Greek Orthodox faith (“I love my church. I find the Greek Orthodox Church a sort of a wonderfully moderate, accepting faith.”), her brief period as a reborn Christian during her teenage years, and what gives her life the most meaning. She explains how her faith shaped projects like Mamma Mia! and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Some highlights from the interview include:

When you were growing up, were you always a believer?
I’ve always been a believer. I always have been.

What do you pray for or about?
I always start my prayers with a prayer of gratitude for all the blessings in my life because without those, you can’t really think about anything else.

What is the divine for you?
I sense the divine in the goodness that I see in people–their acts of kindness, their acts of selflessness; those people inspire me.

Watch the video interview below:

[youtube]rSbC__sAGJA[/youtube]

Hellenic cultural festival “Odyssey” program

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The Hellenic cultural festival, “Odyssey”, organised by the Greek-Orthodox Community of South Australia, will open this year with the revival of the Greek Film Festival, starting on October 1. It will close on October 31, with a symphony orchestra concert.
The following main events have been scheduled:
Oct. 1-5: Greek Film Festival
Oct. 2: Art exhibition
Oct. 11: From Italy to Australia
Oct. 17-18: Theatre performance “Alex & Eva”
Oct. 25: “Odyssey” by Niki Aitken
Oct. 25: Young talent show
Oct. 31: Symphony orchestra concert/Greek food & wine

Greek Virtuoso Leonidas Kavakos Performs at the Hollywood Bowl

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Greek Virtuoso Leonidas Kavakos Performs at the Hollywood Bowl

Leonidas Kavakos, a Greek violinist performs at the Hollywood Bowl on 4th and 6th of August participating at the “Classical Tuesday and Thursday” event. The amazing Greek virtuoso performs Tchaikovsky while Russian violinist Vadim Repin reels off Brahms all under the baton of Leonard Slatkin.

Kavakos has established himself as one of the most sought after young virtuoso violinists and appears regularly with leading orchestras and in recitals throughout the world. He was born in Athens in 1967. He made his concert debut at the Athens Festival in 1984 and his United States debut in 1986. Kavakos has performed with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Saint Louis, and Montreal as well as the Minnesota Orchestra and Washington’s National Symphony in North America. In Europe, he works with the London Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the NDR Symphony Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Sinfonie-Orchester, the Stockholm Philharmonic, and the Munich Philharmonic. In 1991, Kavakos won the Gramophone Concerto Award for his world premiere release of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in both its final and original 1903/04 version

"Looming the Memory" of Greece in West Village

A. Makris
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"Looming the Memory" of Greece in West Village

From the 22nd to the 29th of August, “Looming the Memory”, an award-winning solo show exploring the challenge of having two homelands comes to New York as part of the New York International Fringe Festival which will take place in West Village.

The show is about a Greek who grows up in Australia, with memories that don’t make sense, and journeys back to Greece to visit his family, and to seek out whether the memories reside there in this village where he spent some time as a child.

Along the way, he learns about the politics of life in a dying Greek village, including encounters with an old woman who can put a curse on him, a young cousin who urges him to leave to the big city as he has, a bitter and jealous uncle who refuses to speak to him, and an old man who remembers better days when the village was full of life.

He also discovers the darkness of his family’s history, revealed by past and present family members and ultimately is forced to confront his concept of what home means and where he actually belongs.

For more information and tickets visit www.loomingthememory.com

The play is written by Thomas Papathanasiou, a Greek-Australian who also performs in it. Thomas completed his training in all aspects of theatre at Curtin University (Theatre Arts/Literature) and WAAPA (Music Theatre), and has since performed in numerous theatre productions as well as TV and short film appearances including the Australasian touring production of Chicago – The Musical. He has also been Head of Drama at a Summer Program in Upstate New York, a guest acting teacher/director at Charles Sturt University, and is a freelance drama tutor, director and choreographer, working recently at the VCA, St Martin’s Youth Arts Centre, Barking Gecko Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Company.

In July 2006, Thomas travelled to Greece on a scholarship to study the rehearsal and production processes of the National Theatre of Greece as they prepared for the summer season at the world heritage listed ancient amphitheatre of Epidaurus.

His self-devised solo show Looming the Memory, which examines identity, memory and displacement, has been performed to successful seasons in the 2006 Adelaide Fringe Festival, and Perth, where it has won him Best Actor (2006 WA Guild Equity Awards) and Best Production (2007 Blue Room Theatre Awards) In 2009.

(Photo credit: Mark Coddington)

(With information from http://www.loomingthememory.com)

Expatriate vote “returns” to the forefront

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The government by June 2010 will present for discussion a new proposal on the right of the Greek expatriates to vote from their places of residence and until then a new round of dialogue will take place with the political parties, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos announced.
The interior minister’s statement brings up again the issue of the Greek expatriate vote that “froze” after the relevant draft law was rejected by most of the opposition political parties when it was presented in Parliament last April.
The interior minister in statements he made after the meeting of the Kefallonia and Ithaki expatriates clarified that the new draft law will be within the framework of voting participation and not representation as suggested by PASOK, SYRIZA and SAE. The government proposes the inclusion of three representatives of the Omogenia in each party’s ballot with candidates that do not receive a cross of preference in order to be elected (epikratias). Their placement at the top places of the list, which will ensure their election, is not mandatory.
Main opposition MP Michalis Chrisochoidis, who attended the meeting on Kefallonia, stressed that PASOK supports the voting rights of the Greek expatriates but under preconditions which were not met by the government.
On behalf of SYRIZA, MP Grigoris Psarianos stated that his party is positive toward the voting rights of the expatriates but he requested setting specific electoral districts while suggesting the election of specific number of local candidates.
The interior minister praised the stance adopted by SAE stressing that “the expatriate organization supports the voting of the draft law presented, realizing that it will make the relevant command of the Constitution a reality, regardless of the fact that it had expressed and continues to support a different position from those included in the draft law.”

New PADEE Presidium

A. Makris
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The 7th General Assembly of PADEE that took place from July 29-August 2nd concluded with the election of the new Board of Directors. Parliament President Dimitris Sioufas met with the new Presidium of PADEE and honored the outgoing president of the organization Connecticut State Representative Demetrios Giannaros, who served for eight years. The new PADEE Presidium is made up of President John Pantazopoulos (State of Victoria MP, Australia), 1st Vice-President Leonidas Raptakis (Rhode Island State Senator, USA), 2nd Vice-President Jorgo Chatzimarkakis (MEP, Germany), Nikos Papadopoulos (MP, Sweden), John Cannis (MP, Canada), Olga Kovitidi (MP, Crimea, Ukraine), Thomas Katsiantonis (New Hampshire State Representative, USA), Mike Keokas (Georgia State Representative, USA) and George Souris (New South Wales MP, Australia).
Parliament President Dimitris Sioufas in a meeting he had with the members of the newly elected and the outgoing PADEE Presidiums stressed, among others, that they should have a systematic cooperation with SAE.
On his part, Giannaros thanked the parliament president and underlined that “we struggle for Greece and Cyprus and the Greek ideals. A Greek flame is still burning inside us showing us the way toward what’s best for our culture, Greece, Cyprus and the Greek expatriates.” He also congratulated the new PADEE Presidium members and the new president and wished them success to their efforts.

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