Back to Home
Many people see this event in different lights. Some people are upset because the Parade occurs during Great Lent. Others see it strictly as hellenism. Some see it strictly as an ethnic event. But I see it as a very important event in the life of the Church in Baltimore and throughout the mid-Atlantic area.
First of all, this Parade should remind all of us of the sacrifices that people of all nations made for their freedom. Many black Americans do not realize that the Greeks were also held in captivity by the Turks. They also do not realize that the Russian were serfs for 400 years and Tsar Alexander freed the serfs around the same time that President Lincoln freed the slaves in America and they both were assassinated around the same time.
I march in this Parade to show my solidarity with my Greek brothers and sisters. We have the same Faith, just differnt cultures. They follow the Greek practices liturgically and I follow the Russian practices liturgically. Otherwise, frequently a Greek priest and I can complete each other's sentence in matters of theology.
To participate in this Parade is a great honor to me. I have always participated as a minor clergy of the Orthodox Church and this year for the first time as a major clergy, namely as a deacon. But what is important is that I am Orthodox and I am participating as an Orthodox clergy.
I am also mindful that I am sending a silent message to many black Americans who see me in the Parade. I hope that the message that they receive is that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and that we are all equal.
