At the Holy Church of Saint Nicholas, in the coastal city of Tema, Ghana, the two great feasts were celebrated today: the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos by the Archangel Gabriel, which granted freedom to the human race enslaved by sin, as well as the Greek National Rebirth of “1821”, which granted freedom to the Greek Nation enslaved under bondage.
In the morning, a festal concelebration of the Divine Liturgy for the Annunciation of the Theotokos was held, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan of Accra Daniel.
This was followed by an official Doxology for the National Anniversary of Greece, in the presence of the Honorable Honorary Consul General of Greece and Cyprus, Mrs. Marianna Gabriel, the Honorable President of the Greek and Cypriot Community, Mr. Konstantinos Dermertzis, Greeks and philhellenes residing in the country, as well as the teachers and students of Saint Nicholas School.
In his address, His Eminence referred to freedom, which requires “virtue and daring” in order to be attained: freedom from the bondage of passions and death, granted to us through the Theotokos by Jesus Christ through His Incarnation, and also freedom from the tyranny of slavery, which, “drawn from the sacred bones of the Greeks,” was achieved through the sacrifices of heroes and stands as an example for an humanity wounded by wars.
Subsequently, Consul Mrs. Gabriel read the message to the Greek Diaspora from His Excellency the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Konstantinos Tasoulas, on the occasion of the national anniversary.
Following the Doxology, a parade and festive program were presented by the young students of the School, who were warmly applauded by those in attendance.
On the occasion of His Eminence’s visit to Saint Nicholas School, the Orthodox Church of Ghana offered material assistance to the students, as a donation from the Greek people through the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity of Thessaloniki.
The School Director received the offered items, expressing heartfelt thanks to the Orthodox Church for its continuous support of their work.
