The archbishop with the camp managers of the Archdiocese of America in Bartholomew Ilia and hundreds of campers celebrated the 50th anniversary of the camps
With the visit to the Ionian Village, the camps of the Archdiocese of America in the area of Bartholomew Ilia, the visit of the archbishop of America, Elpidophoros, to Greece was completed.
The archbishop with the managers of the camps and hundreds of campers celebrated the 50th anniversary of the camps, as they did not open in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Before his visit to the “Ionian Village” he met with the mayor of Gastounis, Andreas Marino, with whom they discussed the ways of cooperation between the Church and the municipality, and also with the Metropolitan of Ilia, Athanasios. With the local metropolitan, they emphasized the importance and impact that the operation of the specific camps has on many generations of Greeks, both in Greece and in the USA, but they also referred to the planned visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch to the region next September.
Afterwards, Archbishop Elpidophoros, together with the US Ambassador to Athens, George Tsounis, who was himself a camper for several summers, visited the “Ionian Village”, where they attended the events organized by the 250 campers hosted this year.
In his speech, the archbishop of America referred to the 20,000 Greek Orthodox campers who traveled from the United States of America and passed the gates of the “Ionian Village” from 1970 until today.
“These young people have not come just for a summer camp, but to experience the real beauty and treasures of Greece,” said the reverend. “They came to learn the language, to live the Greek way of life, to enjoy the Greek nature. Most importantly, they came here to learn about the Orthodox faith, which they know in the camps, but also by visiting the monasteries and churches of the area, worshiping the relics of so many important saints of our Church, they gain experiences that they will keep for the rest of their lives”, he added.
Archbishop Elpidophoros pointed out that it is a great honor that he was able to make this particular visit and expressed his certainty that the “Ionian Village” will continue to contribute to the upbringing of the next generations of Greek Orthodox.
Source: Skai
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