Students and families at St. Thomas Hellenic School gathered March 23 to commemorate the start of the 1821 Greek War of Independence and the Feast of the Annunciation. The program began with students entering with flags and singing the Greek and American national anthems as well as the Akathist anthem.
Presiding Priest of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Fr. Avgoustinos Psomas began the program with a prayer, then discussed the religious significance of the Annunciation, emphasizing its importance in faith Orthodox Christian and its connection with Greek culture and identity. He inspired parents and grandparents with the achievements of our ancestors and reminded everyone of the responsibilities they inherited from those who gave their all. He stressed the importance of parents speaking Greek at home with their children and teaching their children to recognize and develop their religious and cultural identity.
Principal Margarita Zografos Vrettos welcomed the Hellenic School families and spoke about the importance of schools and families that actively promote and preserve our freedom, religion and heritage. For 400 years, our ancestors preserved religion, language and traditions and it is now our responsibility to pass them on to future generations.
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Photo source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Tilemahos Efthimiadis
