Published by The National Herald, February 4, 2005

Archdiocese should let go

Call us old-fashioned, if you would, or call us forward-looking, but in this era of globalization, we will stand firm in our belief that knowledge of the Greek language enhances the quality of one’s life; brings one closer to his roots, and therefore to himself or herself; and could be immeasurably useful in the practical sense of everyday life.

There are thousands - perhaps tens of thousands - of Greek Americans whose knowledge of Greek has helped them in different ways; among them, securing a job either in the United States or in Greece. In this very issue, for example, in our classified section on page 8, a Greek American Executive is seeking an Executive Assistant who, among other qualifications, should possess a "good command of the Greek language, in both written and verbal form."

Now, of course, the best way to learn to speak the language is to speak Greek at home; or to take summer-long vacations in Greece starting from a young age; or to go to a Greek parochial school, if you are fortunate enough to live near one of the few (23 to be exact) which exist, where you can learn to speak, read and write Greek.

From the beginning, our parochial educational system was set up to be part of our ecclesiastical system.

It becomes ever more clear, however, that the Archdiocese, for whatever reason, is less and less enthusiastic about its role as the authority in charge of Hellenic Education in America.

It has been established for decades that, on the feast day of the Three Hierarchs - Saints Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian (three of the greatest Church Fathers and champions of the Greek language and culture) - that Greek Letters would be celebrated in every community with a school to underscore the importance of the language and encourage students and parents to preserve its use in everyday life.

The celebration organized by the Archdiocese a few days ago, unfortunately, was a fiasco.

It has thus become painfully obvious that, every year, less is done than the year before, and that it is done to silence critics rather than because it is something vital which the Archdiocese genuinely believes in.

This does not mean that individual communities, as well as individual people, do not do their utmost to bring the spirit home. On the contrary, many among our community are very sincere about it.

Nonetheless, the long Archdiocesan shadow of half-measures and half-heartedness is cast on the entire system, signaling to all that there is at least the perception of indifference about this crucial matter. So the question arises:

If the Archdiocese does not care to continue its role as the central promoter of Greek education in America, should not this responsibility be transferred directly to local communities, or even to a new organization which is truly empowered to run our educational system?



Volume 7 Number 6 - Tuesday, February 8th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY