Under his leadership Archbishop of Australia and the High Minister of the Interior of Greece took place the grand parade at the Sydney Opera House.

With the Greek colors, blue and white, the central streets of Sydney were “flooded” on Sunday, March 24. On this day, Greek Ethnicity of the Australian metropolis celebrated massively and solemnly the National Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821. The anniversary events culminated in front of the emblematic building of the Sydney Opera House, after a Doxology was previously held in the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, a Memorial Mass was sung and wreaths were laid to in honor of the Heroes of ’21 at the Martin Place Cenotaph, and a grand parade was held with the participation of the student youth, sections of expatriate organizations and thousands of expatriates.

The parade was led by Most Reverend Archbishop of Australia Mr. Blissfulthe Deputy Minister of the Interior of Greece Mr. Theodoros Livanios, flanked by the other officials, among whom were: the Theophilist Bishops of Miletoupoles Mr. Iakovos, Mr. Christodoulos of Magnesia and Mr. Bartholomaios of Charioupolis, the Ambassador of Greece to Australia Mr. Stavros Venizelos, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to Australia Ms. Antonios Sammoutis, the Minister of State for Finance, Industry, Government Procurement and Natural Resources in New South Wales Ms. Courtney Houssos, the State Minister for Labor Relations and Health & Safety at Work NSW mr. Sofia Kotsi, the President of the Greek Community of Sydney, Mr. Haris Danalis, the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Mr. Ioannis Mallikourtis, the Commercial Escort, Ms. Chrysoula Prokopaki, the State Member of Parliament and shadow Minister of Finance and Sport of NSW, Ms. Eleni Petenou and the President of the NSW Intercommunity Committee, Mr. Kosmas Dimitriou.

Upon the arrival of all the sections of the parade at the Opera area, the students of the schools of the Holy Archdiocese spread emotion and caused feelings of pride and national uplift, as they sang the National Anthem of Greece, and that of Australia.

This was followed by the delivery of anniversary speeches by the officials, first of all the Most Reverend Archbishop Mr. Makarios, who at first welcomed the reinstatement of the institution of the parade for the National Anniversary of the Greek Palingenesis. “With great joy and emotion,” he emphasized, “after a five-year break due to the pandemic, all Greeks and Philhellenes gathered at the well-known Sydney Opera House, on the occasion of the beginning of the 1821 Revolution and the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady”.

“We gathered to shout with pride: Long live Greece!”, His Holiness pointed out and continued: “We have all gathered here, not to prove that we are strong, but to give the message and witness of unity to all. We are united because this is what the history of our ancestors taught us. We are united as Greeks because with unity we move forward and are led to the light. We are united as a people, as a Nation and as Orthodox because we have the same blood, the same history, the same sufferings, the same pains, the same sighs. Together our ancestors went through war, joys, sorrows, births and deaths. Together we go through the pleasant and unpleasant things of life. Together, our children will move forward.”

The Archbishop of Australia repeated the exhortation to expatriates not to forget that “in our veins flows the blood of saints and heroes”, as well as to walk with national pride, since “we Greeks do not kneel, except before icons and before our dead ».

Before concluding his speech, His Excellency Mr. Makarios thanked all the expatriates for their enthusiastic participation in the celebration of the National Anniversary, while he also welcomed the presence of the Deputy Minister of the Interior of Greece, Mr. Theodoros Livanios, who represented the Greek Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “I assure you that the Hellenism of Australia is Greece expanding,” he said, among other things, addressing Mr. Livanios, while begging him to convey everyone’s appreciation to Prime Minister Mr. Mitsotakis and the Greek Government.

After the speeches, the celebrations were completed with the presentation of traditional dances of the homeland, by dance groups of expatriate clubs and organizations.