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Published by The National Herald, September 16, 2005

Alabama Parish to Donate All its Festival Proceeds to Hurricane Katrina Relief

BOSTON – The Greek Orthodox parish of Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama unanimously agreed to donate all the proceeds of its annual Greek Festival to provide humanitarian relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The three-day festival is expected to conclude this Saturday, September 17.

In a telephone interview with the National Herald, Rev. Paul Costopoulos, Dean of the Cathedral, said that the community traditionally donates 15-20 percent of its festival’s proceeds to charity.

"But in light of the great need in the Gulf Coast created by the biggest catastrophe that has ever hit our country, we felt that regardless of what our needs may be, they can not be compared to the needs of the people who lived in the stricken areas," Father Costopoulos said. "We are praying for this year’s festival to be as successful as it has been in the past. We hope to make anywhere between $160-190 thousand, which will all go to hurricane relief," he added.

Father Costopoulos, who has completed nine years of ministry at Holy Trinity Cathedral told the Herald that 30-40 percent of the Church’s budget comes from the proceeds of the community’s annual festival, but that the community is moving towards keeping the festival separate from the Church’s operating budget. "In the past two to three years, we have used the festival’s proceeds for maintenance and various improvements in our buildings, as well as for charity donations. But this year, many people have indicated that, in support of our decision to donate all the proceeds to hurricane relief efforts, they are going to be more generous," he said.

The idea to donate all the monies to the victims of the devastating hurricane originated from Father Costopoulos. Parish lay officials acted on their priest’s suggestion immediately.

"We discussed the option with the president of the parish council, Alex Contos, as well as the festival chairman. I indicated to both that, in light of the tremendous needs in the Gulf Coast, we needed to give more to charity than we had given in the past. I stated very clearly that I would be very happy if we donated all of it. I am so proud of the parish council and the festival committee for having recognized the importance and urgency of this donation," Father Costopoulos said.

Asked through which medium the monies would be channeled, Father Costopoulos said the parish is going to identify relief agencies providing immediate relief to the stricken areas, most notably the American Red Cross.

"We will also give a percentage to the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities), as well as to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese," he added, "but we are not going to limit the donation to Church-related agencies. We will also support other agencies involved in the relief effort."

The donation of the annual festival’s proceeds aside, the church’s parish council is involved in assistance to hurricane victims through its Hurricane Relief Committee, which was established in order to assess all possible ways of practical and monetary assistance, Father Costopoulos explained. Part of the Committee’s work will be to identify families who have expressed the desire to offer hospitality to hurricane victims.

"Several families have approached me and expressed their wish to offer hospitality to victims. We are hoping to start a collaboration with Greek Orthodox parishes in New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi in order to help with the recovery of affected Greek Orthodox families," he said.

The priest also told the Herald that the church is establishing an ongoing hurricane relief fund to assist refugees who come to Birmingham.

"Presently, there are 8,000 refugees in our city out of a total of 37,000 in the entire state of Alabama, and that’s refugees of any extraction, not only Greek Orthodox. We anticipate that even more will be knocking on our door soon. Our Church is located in downtown Birmingham, and we already have people coming to us. We assist them in any way we can, either by giving them food or money. We also refer them to social agencies where they can get help," he said.

The Cathedral membership consists of about 400 families who support the church. "As in many other communities, there are people who do not support our Church, but our doors are open to everyone," Father Costopoulos said.

The Holy Trinity parish community in Birmingham was founded in 1906 by Greek immigrants, who came to the United States primarily from the Peloponnese. Today, 15 percent of the parish’s members are Greek-born, 50 percent are American-born, and 25 percent are converts to the Orthodox faith, according to Father Costopoulos.

"We have a lot of businessmen in our community, mainly restaurant owners, as well as a significant number of professionals," he said, praising the festival’s volunteers and expressing his wish that this year’s event will once again unite the parish.

"Even those who do not support us financially will come to the festival, and we are grateful for that because we need all the help we can get. Every year, during the three days that our festival lasts, we manage to feed 15-20 thousand people," he said.

In reference to the dynamics of the festival, Father Costopoulos said it serves as a means to transmit Greek culture and heritage to the entire city of Birmingham. "That’s our primary objective, and people respond to it because they like the food, the music and being around festive Greeks," he said.

Father Costopoulos also said he is proud of one of the festival’s main accomplishments: the establishment of a Hellenic Scholar’s Library at Sanford University through festival proceeds. "The University has provided us with a room," he said. "So far, we have approximately 1,500 Greek and English volumes on Byzantine and Ancient Greek history, our culture, and our language."



Volume 7 Number 38 - Tuesday, September 20th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY