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