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GOARCH - July 6, 1999
OFFICIAL NEWS

Archbishop Spyridon Celebrates Fourth of July
with the Young Adult League and AHEPA

New York, NY - His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, celebrated the Fourth of July in Phoenix, Arizona, with some 700 young adults at the 17the annual Archdiocesan Young Adult League Conference. This year's theme was "A Journey to the Son."

On Saturday July 3, 1999, His Eminence participated in an open forum where young adults from across the country met with the Archbishop in a mutual exchange of thoughts and ideas.

The Archbishop presided at the Divine Liturgy on Sunday July 4th and also ordained Deacon Demetrios Cantos as a presbyter. Subsequently, Archbishop Spyridon addressed the young adults in his homily:

"Our calling as Christians, as the Apostle Peter says, is to be holy in all that we do, just as God is holy (1 Peter 2:15-16). This means that we who have been touched by the holiness of Jesus Christ through the great and awesome Mysteries of our Church, must strive to bring the holiness into everything that we do and say, into every aspect of our lives."

The Archbishop left Phoenix, Arizona, later that day, to address the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) at the 77th Annual Supreme Convention in San Diego, California. In his speech to members of the AHEPA Family, the Archbishop said:

"The work of AHEPA has been both truly American and truly Hellenic in character. As men and women who embrace the glorious heritage and legacy of our proud Greek ancestry, you show yourselves to be faithful heirs of our tradition and worthy bearers of the name 'Hellenes'. And as proud citizens of this mighty nation, as vocal advocates of her ideals and values, you have also shown yourselves at all times to be true Americans."

In November 1998, AHEPA wrote a letter to President Clinton calling for his help in preserving and upholding the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Established in 1922, AHEPA is the largest Greek-American association in the world.

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