Tradition

Published by The National Herald, February 25, 2005

A Tradition of Edifying Programs

NEW YORK – "At the Cathedral Center, we’ve been developing and enriching a variety of cultural programs, based on our vision to turn the Center into an important institution for the Greek American community," said Rev. Dr. Robert Stephanopoulos, longtime Dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan, in a recent interview with The National Herald.

The Cathedral’s Fellowship and its Cultural Committee, which co-organize the Center’s projects, have recently instituted several Greek language and traditional dance classes, which are taught with dynamic modern teaching methods, he said.

The Cathedral’s Parents & Teachers Association is also making a significant contribution by organizing events jointly with the Fellowship and Cultural Committee, Rev. Stephanopoulos added.

The programs’ objective is to promote the presence of Hellenism in America and enjoy both a devoted Greek and non-Greek audience. Twice a year, Cathedral Choir Conductor Dino Anagnost presents concerts with a steady non-Greek following. "The American viewers’ percentage in our concerts reaches 85 percent of the audience," said Rev. Stephanopoulos, who has been Dean of the Cathedral since September 1982.

The Cathedral’s Greek dance classes, which are held once a week at the Cathedral Center since January, and will continue through April 14, are also a success, he said. "These classes are designed for very active persons between the ages of 25 and 40."

Among the organizers of these programs and events are several prominent professors and politicians, Greek and American, he added. Events are often supported by the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce, the Greek Consulate in New York and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, among other organizations. Recent events have included lectures on Greek foreign issues and Greek music.

Yesterday evening, a major book presentation, "A Century of Greek Poetry: 1900-2000," with a panel of prominent scholars and translators, attracted scores of visitors to the Cathedral Center’s main hall. The panelists were Edmund Keeley, the foremost translator of Greek poetry in English, Columbia University Professor Karen Van Dyck, Dartmouth College Professor Emeritus Peter Bien and award-winning author Peter Constantine.

Tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 PM, Rev. Dr. Demetrios J. Constantelos, renowned Greek Orthodox Scholar and Professor Emeritus at Stockton College in New Jersey, is scheduled to discuss philanthropy in the Hellenic and Orthodox ecclesiastical traditions. "Father Constantelos is very well-known, and we are very proud to have him," Rev. Stephanopoulos said.

Other upcoming events will include, lectures on angels in the Orthodox faith (March 2, 7 and 16); and the PTA’s and Fellowship’s respective annual Apokreatika Glendia (Mardi Gras) held on March 4 and March 11, respectively, at 8 PM; a lecture by Dr. Costas Stratakis of the National Institutes of Health on April 3 at 5:30 PM; a lecture by Mother Agapia Stepanopoulos (Rev. Stephanopoulos’ daughter), chief administrator of the Saint Mary Magdalene Convent in Gethsemane’s theological school in Bethany, discussing the current situation in the Holy Land on April 7 at 7 PM.

On the evening of the First Friday of Great Lent this March 18, after the first segment of the Akathist Hymn (which venerates the Virgin Mary’s role in humanity’s salvation) – traditionally presided over by the Archbishop of America at the Cathedral – there will be a Lenten dinner held by the Cathedral Philoptochos.

On March 22 at 7 PM, Dr. John Brademas, the first Greek American elected to the United States Congress, will speak at the Center about the Greek Fight for Independence, a lecture organized jointly by the Cultural Committee, the HACC and the Greek Consulate. "We always commemorate Greek Independence Day with a special event," Rev. Stephanopoulos said.

An event commemorating the Asia Minor Catastrophe is also scheduled for the end of this coming September, he added, citing his satisfaction with the programs’ growing success over the years, as well as the need for greater financial support from the community.

"I’m very pleased with these programs," Rev. Stephanopoulos said. "I hope they will lay the groundwork for what can be a great tradition. We have a big hall and an even bigger desire to create a real center for Hellenism in New York. I understand, of course, that our effort will need significant funding, but we hope to achieve a lot more in the future with the help of other organizations, both Greek and American."



Volume 7 Number 9 - Tuesday, March 1st, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY