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Athens News Agency - May 14, 2002

[ Archbishop Spyridon Foundation
for Hellenic Education and Culture ]

MONTREAL (ANA - J. Frangouli)

A group of influential Greek Americans, former associates of Archbishop Spyridon, have decided to create the Archbishop Spyridon Foundation for Hellenic Education and Culture to promote Greek education and culture in Greece and the diaspora. The Socrates Greek Day School in Montreal will receive the Foundation's first donation, amounting to US$100,000 because Archbishop Spyridon and his entourage visited the school during their recent stay in the city, and the institution has been the inspiration for the new foundation.

The Foundation is the brainchild of former Archdiocesan Council chairperson John Catsimatidis, who is determined to bring Archbishop Spyridon's vision to fruition. Throughout his 35-year ecclesiastical ministry in Italy and the USA, the Archbishop strove to further and enhance Hellenic education, believing that it was the key to preserving Hellenism and Greek Orthodoxy outside Greece.

The Archbishop Spyridon Foundation's board of directors will consist of distinguished members of the Greek community in the diaspora. The organization will support Hellenic educational institutions worldwide, fund chairs in Hellenic studies, host conferences for the advancement of Greek Orthodox ideals, and produce major prestigious publications.

"I am deeply touched that Archbishop Spyridon has agreed to give his name to a foundation whose aim is to promote the ideals of Hellenism and Orthodoxy in this ominous era of globalization ," John Catsimatidis told ANA. According to Mr. Catsimatidis, the first symbolic donation of US$100,000 will be made to the Socrates Greek school in Montreal, which is a shining example of Hellenic education outside Greece. "Its entire setup is impressive; the quality of education it offers our youth is outstanding, " he added.

[ Athens News Agency - May 14, 2002 ]