“March 25th, the day of our national independence, which is celebrated with the great feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, symbolizes and marks the rebirth of our Greece as a history of purification both on a spiritual level and on the level of the world we live in, as we Orthodox do not separate the our spiritual principles and values ​​from the course of our daily lives. We live in this world and at the same time we are not of this world, but we seek to transform it, to bring it a little closer, every day, to the Kingdom of Heaven.” These remarks were made by Archbishop of America Elpidophoros at the Doxology given at St. George’s Cathedral, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before the customary parade through the city center for the 202nd anniversary of 1821.

“The heroes of ’21”, noted the Archbishop, “were fighting not only for their political freedom, but for the very soul of Greece, Greece’s heritage in the world and their Greek Orthodox identity. In fact, during the four hundred years of Ottoman occupation, it is a true miracle of God that we did not lose our faith, our culture, our language, or our identity. Because the tree that withstands the storm and does not break is the one that stands when the storm passes. This fact alone, that the Homogenia is gathered here, at the center of the American revolution, to glorify the Greek revolution says a lot about our success thanks to the struggle of our spiritual and physical ancestors, which led to victory and primarily thanks to Our Christ and his Holy Mother”.

Additionally, he emphasized that “we Greeks came to America not just from the shores of our homeland, from the lands where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle flourished, but from the entire Diaspora, carrying our principles and values, to to create a fine and remarkable community, here in the United States of America, as a network of citizens who live with others in the State and unite with them for the common good.” “This”, underlined Archbishop Elpidophoros, “is called Democracy and together with the gift of Christianity are the greatest gifts we can offer to the world. We added to the State the truth of the Church as a union of body and soul, as a union of spirit and matter, because we are Christians, because we are Greeks and because we are Orthodox”.

And he concluded: “Long live Greece, long live the Greek nation, long live ’21”.

It is noted that the big March 25th anniversary parade takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania usually after the national holiday.