| On April 17, 2021, AHEPA hosted a Greek Bicentennial zoom event with His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I, as guest speaker on “The Diachronic Contribution of the Greek Language to Global Civilization” hosted by AHEPA Constantinople Chapter 601. Chapter President Dimitris N. Samaras, Chapter members Stergios Vagglis and Lefteris Tziolas presented and were gracious hosts. Many other dignitaries provided remarks during this auspicious occasion, including Hellenic Minister of Education Zetta Makri, Hellenic Minister for Diaspora Greeks Konstantinos Vlassis, and Savvas Anastasiadis, Member of European Parliament. Presenters included Professor Emeritus of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki Anna Anastasiadou Symeonidou, Professor of Literature Costas Karamfyllis, Anestis Papakakis and Instructor of Modern Greek at American College of Thessaloniki Maria Kalaitzopoulou. |
 AHEPA Supreme President George G Horiates was also a guest speaker at the event. The Supreme President explained AHEPA’s historic role in starting many of the Greek Afternoon schools of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as well as the continued support AHEPA provides to it today. He spoke of the AHEPA Medal of Scholastic Excellence awarded by chapters throughout the world and its continued support of programs designed to involve our youth, including AHEPA’s Hellenic History Tournament and Journey to Greece programs, as well as the assistance AHEPA gives to its charter school. AHEPA thanks His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew for his wisdom and providing his remarks. AHEPA pledges to continue its support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as it has in the almost 100 years since the Order was formed . AHEPA will be hosting the Biennial Congressional Banquet in honor of His All Holiness, scheduled tentatively for Sunday October 24, 2021 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC in conjunction with the official visit of His Holiness to the United States. More details will be released at a later date. A link to the program in Greek language can be found on the AHEPA Constantinople YouTube channel, linked below. |