Honouring volunteers of community and church
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
The contributions of Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) volunteers were celebrated in a special gathering hosted by GCM Secretary Nickos Koukouvitakis.
The GCM awarded and honoured individuals, who dedicate their time and effort to support the Community and its parishes.
“The event underscored the enduring spirit of volunteerism that has been at the heart of the Community since its inception in 1897” said President of the GCM Bill Papastergiadis.
“Our volunteers are the backbone of our Community. We deeply appreciate everything they do to support our parishes and the communities that form part of the parishes.”
Awards were presented to volunteers from Evangelismos Church, St Dimitrios Church, St Eleftherios Church, St George Church, and Holy Trinity Church.
Those awarded:
Haralambos Galetakis, Sapfo Karidis, Sophia Rider and Vasilios Vithoulkas from Evangelismos Church.
Stavros Georgiadis, Eleni Kaltsi, George Katsifolis and Nafsika Koutsouki from St Dimitrios.
Angela Dalianis, Spiridoula Karagiaouris, Alexandra Karasavidis and Trifonas Nikolopoulos from St Eleftherios.
Odysseas Grekos, Dimitra Koulos, Ioannis Koulos, Andreas Mylonas and Serafim Papadopoulos from St George.
Anthimos Arvanitis, Ourania Giota, Con Hatzis, Anna Kasti and Eleni Xasterouli from Holy Trinity.
St George Church volunteer Andreas Mylonas shared his personal perspective on the evening.
“We do whatever we can to support our Community and the church. Everything we do stays within the Greek Community of Melbourne and the church, and we’ll keep giving our best every day. We thank the GCM for supporting every step we take and acknowledging our efforts. For that, we feel grateful,” he said.
The evening also served as a reminder of the Community’s legacy, which began in 1897 and shortly after the establishment of Melbourne’s first Greek church, the Annunciation of Our Lady.
The first official priest, Father Athanasios Kantopoulos, arrived in Melbourne with his family on June 22, 1898, after a request from the Greek Community of Melbourne to the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Damianos, for a priest to serve the religious needs of Orthodox residents.
Prior to his arrival, the Church operated under Archimandrite Dorotheos “Samios” Bakalarios, a visiting priest who arrived in Melbourne in August 1897.
This historical foundation continues to inspire the ongoing efforts of volunteers who help keep traditions and values alive.
Bishop Evmenios was present at the event and spoke about the role of the GCM.
“The Greek Community of Melbourne brings together the values of faith, culture, and education. Its contributions are truly appreciated,” he said.
“The real light of our churches is their volunteers. These are the people who set the foundation of our churches. Many times, their efforts are unseen, but they are the ones who hold our churches together.”
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
