AROUND
& ABOUT BRITISH COLUMBIA
By Katerina & Dimitrios Angelatos
LOCAL MAN ORDAINED PRIEST IN VICTORIA
On Saturday, November 18th several bus loads of people from the Vancouver area headed to Victoria, on Vancouver Island to witness the ordination of Konstantinos Kaltsidis to the priesthood. The ordination took place at YPAPANTI (Presentation of Christ) Greek Orthodox Church on Elk Lake Drive. The service began at 9 am and the church was packed for the occasion. Fr. Kosta was ordained by His Grace Bishop Christoforos of Andida, Dean of the Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy. Assisting in the service were the Greater Vancouver area priests Fr. Demetrios Partsafas (St. George-Vancouver), Fr. Evangelos Aravantinos (St. Nicholas-Vancouver) and Fr. Konstatinos Tsiolas (Sts. Constantine & Helen-Surrey)
Father Kosta is the son of Pavlos Kaltsidis (past president of Sts. Constantine & Helen- Greek Orthodox Community of Surrey & Fraser Valley) and Dimitra Kaltsidis of Surrey. Father Kosta obtained his bachelor degree in Theology in 2002 from the Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy. Following that he worked under Father Demetrios Partsafas at St. George Cathedral in Vancouver as Cantor, Lay assistant and Youth Director and became a deacon a short while ago.
The history of the Greeks in Victoria dates back to the early 1900’s but it was not until the current century that the community centre was completed. The church has only been completed recently and Father Kosta Kaltsidis is now the full-time priest there. He now resides in Victoria with his wife Melissa.
This was the first opportunity for most Vancouver Island Greeks to witness the ordination of a priest but people in the Greater Vancouver area have had many more opportunities in the past ten years or so. Father Panagiotis Pavlakos was ordained at St. Nicholas & Dimitrios Church in east Vancouver and served the parish there until his transfer to Montreal. Father John Kaoukakis, Father Konstantinos Tsiolas and Father Evangelos Aravantinos are also graduates of the Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy which was established in 1998. Father John Kaoukakis (2001 grad) was ordained at St. George Cathedral in Vancouver and served at Sts. Constantine & Helen Church in Surrey before transferring to Edmonton, Alberta. Father Evangelos Aravantinos (2003 grad) was ordained at Sts. Nicholas & Dimitrios Church in Vancouver and is currently the parish priest there. Father Konstantinos Tsiolas (2002 grad) was ordained at Sts. Constantine & Helen Church in Surrey where he also currently serves as parish priest. Father Kosta Kaltsidis has the distinction of being the only one of the priests that was raised in BC and is now serving in BC. Another local graduate of the Academy is Michael Michael (2005), also of Surrey who also hopes to become a priest in the near future.
PHAROS NEW LECTURE SEASON BEGINS
On Monday, October 30, 2006 PHAROS, the Canadian Hellenic Cultural Society presented an illustrated lecture Ancient Greek Mechanics and Philosophers by Sylvia Berryman, UBC Department of Philosophy. The lecture took place at 8:00 pm at the Hellenic Community Centre in Vancouver.
Professor Berryman’s talk centered on the impact that Greek science had on ancient Greek philosophy. Her research was based on texts from the Hellenistic period which describe mechanical and pneumatic devices that imitated living beings or the movements of the heavens.
The PHAROS annual general meeting, which was postponed from May, was also held before the start of the lecture.
PHAROS holds lectures on the last Monday of the months of October, November, January, February, March and April. Everyone is welcome to attend these informative and interesting lectures.
OXI DAY CELEBRATIONS IN VANCOUVER
October 28, 1941 marks the day that Greece entered WWII, the day that Greece said “NO” to the fascist forces. The Greek people fought valiantly to retain their freedom and paid a heavy price for their defiance. OXI Day-October 28th is a national day of remembrance, not only for the Greek nation but also for the Greeks all around the globe. Therefore this day is also commemorated in the Vancouver area.
The Greek Orthodox churches remember this day with special memorial services. In Vancouver the “official” celebration takes place at Sts. Nicholas & Demetrios Church in east Vancouver on the Sunday closest to that date, this year on October 29th. That is where the Consul of Greece, George Aravositas attends the memorial service along with the Maritime Attache-Shipping Affairs Apostolos Liourdis and other members of the consular staff.
The celebration there is very low-key. People are invited downstairs for a lunch, to hear the speech by the Consul and to watch a short program put on by some of the children. However a large portion of the congregation does not participate. Many are put off by the fact that it is not a free event.
It is also customary for the Alexander the Great Association of Northern Greeks (Macedonia & Thraki) to hold their annual dinner dance on the Saturday closest to “OXI” day. This year it took place right on the proper day, Saturday October 28th at the Hellenic Community of Vancouver. The Alexander the Great dancers as always put on an enthusiastic performance before the general dancing began. For this event Greek families also had to dig deep into their pockets as tickets were $50 per adult, $25 for teens but those under twelve were free. For those wishing to participate only in the dancing after the dinner and speeches were completed, the entrance was free after 10 pm.
OXI DAY CELEBRATED IN LANGLEY
For fourteen years OXI Day has also been celebrated in Langley. Greeks gather at St. Nicholas church in Langley for a special memorial service after the Sunday liturgy. This year the celebration was held on Sunday, November 5th. The Greeks are only a portion of this parish but the role that Greece’s “NO” played on the outcome of the war is relevant to every parishioner. The commemoration was a double event, commemorating not only OXI Day-October 28th but also the Canadian Remembrance Day- November 11th.
The celebration by this group of Greeks of the Fraser Valley may be small in scale but it is nevertheless big in enthusiasm. Flyers were distributed days before the event to advertise it. The Greek and Canadian flags were flown outside the church and the church and hall were decorated for the occasion with flowers and more flags. The ladies of the congregation, Greeks and non-Greeks worked diligently in the kitchen to provide a free buffet lunch for all who attended.
VANCOUVER FOOD FESTIVAL
The Hellenic Community of Vancouver held its annual food festival from October 19th to Oct. 21st. Over the years this has been one of the major fund raisers for this community.
The upper hall of the community centre was turned into a café where loukemathes, Greek pastries and other delicacies were sold. People could then sit down and enjoy them along with a cup of coffee or tea. Or they could go to the main hall downstairs to the “bakery” where the items could be purchased in larger quantities to take home. A display of arts and crafts was also set up in one of the rooms along the mezzanine. Tables and chairs were also available along the mezzanine where people could eat the souvlaki and other items purchased at the ‘taverna” downstairs. The mezzanine also provided an excellent view point to watch the dance performances on the stage downstairs. Also downstairs was the souvenir shop where children books, tapes, jewellery and icons and other religious articles could be purchased. The raffle ticket booth was also on the main hall. A large part of the hall was turned into a “restaurant” where complete dinners could be purchased.
Patrides did not get the opportunity to attend the event until the late afternoon and evening of the last day. What was visibly noticeable during that time was the thinness of the crowd. The only time a line up was noticed at the restaurant was for about an hour during dinner time. Some of the volunteers had also commented on the lack of the crowds. The volunteers put in many hours of labour in preparation for the event as well as all the time spent at the actual event. To them it must have been a disappointment not to see the huge crowds of the past. Maybe this is a sign that the advertising tactics of the community need to be changed to attract a wider segment of the Canadian population, not only of the surrounding area but also further afield.
