Celebrating Greek Independence Day In NYS Capitol

NYS Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, Senator Andrew Gounardes, Sen­ator James Skoufis, Assembly Member Michael Tannousis, and Assembly Member John Lemondes honored Greek Independ­ence at the State Capitol on Wednesday, March 22, welcoming His Eminence Arch­bishop Elpidophoros, who offered invoca­tions before both houses of the state legislature. The anniversary of Greek Inde­pendence was also observed with the pas­sage of a resolution (J.580) proclaiming March as Greek History Month in New York State.

“As the son of Greek immigrants, I hold very close to my heart the Greek-American experience,” said Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris. “This is a perfect time to recognize the sacrifices of those who came before us and to celebrate the Hellenic val­ues that have influenced the rest of the world.”

“It was an honor to welcome His Em­inence Archbishop Elpidophoros to the State Capitol as we honored Greek Inde­pendence this week,” said Senator Gounardes. “As a fourth-generation Greek-American, it is not just the history of Greek independence I am proud to celebrate this month, but also the contributions of the Greek-American community to our nation.”

NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (c.), Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris (r.), Senator Andrew Gounardes (second from l.), Senator James Sk­oufis (l.), and (not pictured) Assembly Member Michael Tannousis and Assembly Mem­ber John Lemondes honored Greek Independence at the State Capitol on Wednesday, March 22, welcoming His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (fourth from l.).

“I am grateful to the Archbishop for his invocation and his leadership, spiritual and otherwise, and to my fellow Greek-American legislators for their partnership,” said Senator Skoufis. “Greek Independence Day allows us to reflect on the many con­tributions – in democracy, science, theater, philosophy, and so many other aspects of our day-to-day lives – of those who came before us. I’ll always be proud of my her­itage.”

“Welcoming His Eminence Arch­bishop Elpidophoros to the Chambers and recognizing the significance of his visit is one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Assembly Member Lemondes. “As a sec­ond generation Greek American, whose grandparents were both direct survivors of the Pontian Greek, Armenian/Assyrian Genocide, I am always conscious of the gift I have been given to be born here, which is a direct result of their survival. I will never forget how important it is for Greek-Amer­icans to keep alive the spirit that our ances­tors wrenched their own freedom with. This is what heavily influenced my decision to serve our country in its military, with fur­ther representative service in government, keeping alive and being motivated by the spirit of philotimo.”

“It was a pleasure to have Archbishop Elpidophoros and members of the Greek-American and Cypriot-American commu­nities with me in the chamber for such a momentous time in the 2023 Legislative Session,” said Assembly Member Tan­nousis. “New York State is home to thou­sands of Greek-Americans who attend their local churches in various parts of the state to practice their religion and to stay con­nected to their culture. I am proud to be a first-generation Cypriot-American and the son of refugees. I am thankful to my parents who left their homeland and came to the land of opportunity to work tremendously hard for the American dream. In honor of Greek Independence Day, we say long live Greece! Zito I Ellas! (..t. . …..!).”

The Senate resolution proclaiming March as Greek History Month highlights the 202nd anniversary of Greek Independ­ence on March 25th. Greek Independence Day commemorates the date when Greece declared independence from the Ottoman Empire and began the Greek War of Inde­pendence in 1821.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpi­dophoros of America, Most Honorable Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is the eighth Archbishop of America elected since the establishment of the Greek Ortho­dox Archdiocese in 1922.