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[Rush Transcript]
It is a privilege to join you during this holy week. And I must 1st say to your Eminence, thank you. It has been such a pleasure to get to know you, and the leadership that you provide to so many across the city, across this country, it is of such benefit to all of us who are fighting for that dignity that you speak of. I want to say, thank you as well to the ambassadors and the consul generals that His Eminence referred to as well as to our state senator here, Andrew Gounardas, a partner in Albany, to the work that we do. And I want to say thank you as well to St. Nicholas National Shrine and to the Greek Orthodox Church as a whole.
Tonight, as we dim the lights and carry the Epitaphios, we bear the burden of Jesus Christ’s earthly body, just as He once bore the weight of the cross. After a week spent in prayer, and a Lent spent abstaining from meat and dairy, to better understand the plight of His crucifixion. I know that many here tonight, and many across this city, will weep for His burial. It is a solemn, sacred time, and as we reflect on the path that Jesus walked, I’m reminded of the great burdens that many here have shouldered to practice their faith.
As you said, there are many physical reminders right here where we stand today. Twenty-five years ago, this Church was the only place of worship destroyed in the horrific terror attacks of September 11th. In that moment, this community had a choice. You could have turned away from this city, and from one another. You could have deemed it too difficult to rebuild. Instead, you erected a shrine to the memory of all those that we lost. The church that you built is a monument to the glory of faith, of God, and of New Yorkers’ commitments to one another.
During this Easter season, I’m reminded not only of your resilience, but frankly, I am awed by all that you have shown this city in the face of such hardship, of your capacity to rebuild. Today, you serve not only the Greek Orthodox community, but frankly, our entire city, through your good deeds, including initiatives like feed the hungry and your winter coat drive.
Proverbs 11:25 tells us, “A generous person will prosper. He who refreshes others will be refreshed himself.” Those words are ones that we think of often, in our administration, as we look to follow the example that you all have set time and time again for what this city should see in the leaders that it has. In so much of this work that we focus on, we ask ourselves, how can it be easier to call the city our home? How can we make it more affordable to be a New Yorker?
How can we ensure that people cannot simply live here, but that they can dream here, too? And amidst all of the work that we have done over these last few months, we know that there will always be more to do, more to rebuild.
And this congregation, frankly, is a cornerstone of our city. One that has taught us that resilience and generosity will help us to light the way. I want to thank you all for being a pillar of community, for building this site of beauty from what was once ashes.
I want to thank you also for welcoming me to join you this sacred night. Soon there will be bowls of mageritza and lit candles and joy in the streets. But tonight I am simply glad to be with you in this quiet moment of reflection. And what I will say to close is that before I served as the mayor of our incredible city, I had the honor of serving as the Assembly Member of Astoria in Long Island City. And in that experience, one of the great joys was to better understand and learn of this community and all that it represents, all that it holds, and everything that it leads, not just in our neighborhood, but in our city. And to now be your Mayor, it is something that I will never truly be able to explain how happy it makes me.
So, thank you for having me here. Thank you for letting me be a part of this solemn and sacred moment, and I look forward to continuing to serve alongside you. Thank you.
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