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NEW YORK — Archbishop Elpidophoros of America welcomed dignitaries—church leaders, government officials, regional representatives and members of the Hellenic Armed Forces—to the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on Thursday, as New York’s annual Greek Independence Day celebrations moved toward a weekend of events culminating in Sunday’s parade on Fifth Avenue.
The 87th annual Greek Independence Day Parade is scheduled for Sunday, April 26, at 1:30 p.m. on Fifth Avenue. This year’s parade marks the 205th anniversary of the start of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and is also framed around the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Among the visitors received by Archbishop Elpidophoros were His Eminence Metropolitan Ieronymos of Kalavryta and Aigialeia and General Alkiviadis Stefanis, the Civil Governor of Mount Athos and honorary chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff.
Metropolitan Ieronymos’ presence builds on an observance Archbishop Elpidophoros introduced last year, honoring the connection between the Church and the Greek War of Independence by inviting hierarchs from Metropolises tied to the struggle of 1821. Last year, the invited hierarch was His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras.
Archbishop Elpidophoros also welcomed His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos of Servia and Kozani, who has longstanding ties to the Greek Orthodox community in New York. Metropolitan Pavlos previously served as proistamenos of St. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria from 1991 to 2001.
Εarlier in the day, Archbishop Elpidophoros received Konstantinos Vlassis, Greece’s deputy minister of education, religious affairs and sports. Vlassis, a member of the Hellenic Parliament for Arcadia, previously served as deputy foreign minister with responsibility for Greeks abroad from 2019 to 2021.
Later, the Archbishop welcomed Nektarios Farmakis, regional governor of Western Greece. Farmakis has served as governor of the Region of Western Greece since 2019 and began his second consecutive term on Jan. 1, 2024, after his reelection in 2023.
The day also included one of the most anticipated arrivals of the parade season: the Presidential Guard of The Hellenic Republic, the “Evzones,” who will march on Fifth Avenue during Sunday’s parade.
The Evzones were led by Lt. Commander Michalis Tzinieris of the Hellenic Navy, who presented Archbishop Elpidophoros with an icon of St. George, the patron saint of the Presidential Guard. The presentation took place on the feast day of St. George.
Archbishop Elpidophoros expressed his gratitude to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, for responding favorably to the request that members of the Presidential Guard — the Evzones — travel to New York and march in the Greek Independence Day Parade on Fifth Avenue. The Archbishop also thanked the Evzones themselves, noting the powerful meaning their presence holds for Greek Americans, who see in them a living link to Greece, its history and its sacrifices. Their participation, His Eminence said, gives visible form to the bond between the homeland and the diaspora, often stirring a deeply emotional response among generations of Greek Americans who gather each year to watch them parade through the heart of New York City. The Evzones were accompanied by Archon Peter Vlitas, a senior executive in the travel industry
On Thursday evening, Archbishop Elpidophoros attended the final pre-parade community gathering at the Stathakion Cultural Center in Astoria, where the Evzones also appeared. The gathering, coordinated by Louis Katsos, chairman of the 45-member 2026 Greek Independence Day Parade Committee, is traditionally held in the days before the parade and brings together parade organizers, federation leaders, community representatives, clergy, honorees and families preparing to march.
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