LYNN — St. George Greek Orthodox Church commemorated 200 years of Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire during a celebration Sunday at the church.
Rev. Father George Tsoukalas said that although there is a pandemic and the state’s guidelines had to be enforced, members and staff of the South Common Street church were happy to be able to safely celebrate the freedom of their people after 400 years of slavery.
“We just tried to put a little something together to give significance to the day,” he said.
The outside of the Church was lined with Greek flags, which Fr. Tsoukalas said he displayed to try to uplift the spirits of the people, who, he said, need to continue to think positively after the tough year that the pandemic has presented.
The ceremony consisted of American and Greek National Anthems sung by the entire congregation, poems recited by Marios Sofronas, Chysoula Sofronas and Dimos Thanos who are students and graduates of the Greek language school, and reflections of Greek’s history and the events that led to the country’s independence.
“This is a positive celebration of freedom,” Fr. Tsoukalas said. “It’s very, very meaningful and we are doing the best we can here in the city to lift up the spirits and celebrate this important milestone in the life of the Greek nation.”
Mayor Thomas M. McGee attended, and read a proclamation to honor the bicentennial anniversary of Greek independence and the close connection between Lynn and the Greek community. McGee said that he was very happy to be involved in the celebration and to have officially declared March 25 Greek Independence Day in Lynn.
Costas Sideridis, a member of the church, said that this celebration is significant because it celebrates the 400 years of tyranny and oppression, as well as the fighting spirit of the Greek people.
“If you look at the percentage of Greeks in the U.S., there’s only a few million or so,” Sideridis said. “We want to make sure we continue the values and the spirit of Greek Americans. This is significant because there are so many parallels between the small nation of Greece and the U.S., so it’s a huge moment of celebration for us.”
Fr. Tsoukalas acknowledged how many Greek Americans moved to Lynn, originally residing in the areas surrounding the church. He said that the church and it’s members really care for the City of Lynn and provide a lot of support to the people in it, such as hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners, a Santa Fund and providing food and donations.
“It’s great, this is what it’s all about,” he said. “Brotherhood and caring about one another.”
Costas Speliakos, a former parish president, said that the roots of the Greek community in the City of Lynn goes back so many years.
“They kept the traditions, were involved, and melted into the United States,” Speliakos said.
He also said that slavery is a struggle that so many cultures went through, and for the Greeks, it meant the prevention of religious freedom, the abduction of children to be indoctrinated into the Ottoman Empire, and erased birth certifcates and lineage for 400 years.
“Think about that,” Speliakos said. “Greece passed the torch to this country, which is the perfect democratic experiment.”
Speliakos said that the Greek community must lead as an example in the U.S.
“We must take those examples and sacrifices from Greece and from other countries and say freedom is it,” he said. “We hold it true, we may not have been born in Greece, but Greece is born in us.”
Father Tsoukalas said that the Greek community is very blessed, and advised his congregation to work hard and believe in themselves.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected]
