Greek Independence Marked; Church Welcomes New Priest

NORTH WILDWOOD ─ Nineteenth century English poet George Gordon (known today as Lord Byron) once wrote, “The mountains look on Marathon – And Marathon looks on the sea / And musing there an hour alone, I dream’d that Greece might still be free.” 
After writing those words in the early 1800s, Byron later returned to Greece and took part in her struggle for freedom from the Ottoman Turks. From ordinary citizens to poets who’d never seen war, countless thousands rose up in 1821 to strike a blow at the Ottoman Empire that stretched from modern Turkey, portions of the Middle East, and even to the snow-capped mountains of the Balkans.
The lands of Greece, Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria – all of which shared a common culture had labored beneath the shadow of the scimitar for over 400 years. Extremists ruled. Religious persecution sent shock waves of terror. Innocents of many nationalities (European, Turkish, and Middle Eastern) found themselves ensnared in the ravages of war.
On March 19, descendants of those who sought freedom gathered inside the North Wildwood Community Center and honored their ancestors and celebrated their heritage.
“We hoped to have a few more people here today,” said Marc Karavan. Although the attendance was not as large as hoped, Councilman David Del Conte and Councilwoman Margaret Bishop attended on behalf of the City of North Wildwood, as well as Dr. Lester Katsanis.
With the recent retirement of Rev. Steven Vlahos, a new priest is serving temporarily at St. Demetrios Green Orthodox Church, Anglesea.
Born in France of Armenian ancestry, Rev. Nicolas Kazarian holds a doctorate in religious studies and has also lived in Cyprus, working on various issues and minority groups.
“It is a pleasure to be here,” said Kazarian. Kazarian is “Learning about your city” and conveyed the “regards, prayers, and blessings” of Father Vlahos who was unable to attend.
According to Kazarian, his family fled to France after 1915 genocide of the Armenian people. “They were saved by a Greek family,” said Kazarian.
After reciting the Lord’s Prayer, Del Conte presented a proclamation from Mayor Patrick Rosenello and council, stating the “special bond between the Greek people and North Wildwood.” Katsanis then gave a brief explanation of the history behind the Greek national flag, adopted in 1822, and the symbolism behind the national costume.
According to Katsanis, both the flag and costume gave a message to the Turks who inflicted persecution. “Imagine 400 years to live like that,” said Katsanis. “It’s still a problem.” Each bar of the flag represents Greek letters for the word “liberty” and the cross represents Christianity.
The Greek flag rippled in the breeze as it was raised outside of the community center, openly proclaiming its message of freedom.
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.