The Hellenic Thread is a theme and title attributed to an idea that captured the imagination of a group of parishioners exploring various avenues of raising funds to complete a complex that will continue to carry on the spiritual, educational, and cultural legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation. A heritage dating back to the Hellenistic Era, that preceded Christ, and eventually becoming the vehicle by which the Christian Faith would be presented to the world.

That thread began in 1768 when the first Greek pioneers came to the shores of St. Augustine, Florida. They were then followed by generations of immigrants who arrived in waves like the “waves of grain” in America the Beautiful. Greeks came to America seeking freedom, justice, a better life for their children and ultimately to share in the American dream.

“[Greece]… the first of civilized nations [which] presented examples of what man should be.”
— Thomas Jefferson 1823

In 2010 almost two million Americans claim Greek ancestry. The largest majority live in the New York tri-state area, so it is in New York where we have chosen to celebrate the Hellenic Community’s contribution to the American tapestry and recognize the diversity of all the people who make up the individual fibers of this great nation.

The Hellenic Thread in the Tapestry of America is our acknowledgement and celebration of the many and varied contributions of those first genereations that came with nothing other than the clothes they were wearing and the willingness and desire to succeed in this great country of ours. We celebrate the vibrant and strong threads of democracy, culture,the arts and sciences; threads that have endured the test of time and have proven to be resiliant and vibrant. Add these to the American Tapestry and you have a work of art that depicts all that is good in out nation and society.