OPENING REMARKS

By His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America

At the 47th Annual Folk Dance and Choral Festival

Anaheim Marriott

Anaheim, California

February 15, 2024

 

Beloved Brother, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Fransisco,

Your Graces,

Dear Fathers,

Esteemed Trustees of FDF,

Parents, Benefactors and Supporters,

Participants of the 47th Annual Folk Dance and Choral Festival,

Beloved in Christ,

I am so very happy to be with you, here at the Folk Dance and Choral Festival – now in your forty-seventh year! The longevity of the Festival, the tremendous participation, and the incredible support of your families and friends testify that it is an essential and vital part of the life of this God-protected Metropolis.

Your theme: “Dance to Life!” – is a tribute to the role of the Anaheim community, because the first time that FDF was here – forty years ago – “Dance to Life” was the theme of that Festival. And now, two generations later, here we are continuing that dance to life – to faith, to hope, and to love.

FDF has been one of the most successful “happenings” – if I can put it that way – in the entirety of our Sacred Archdiocese of America. From the West and from this marvelous Metropolis, the tradition of such festivals has taken hold of our Greek Orthodox communities across the country.

Your Folk Dance and Choral Festival is one of my favorite events to attend as Archbishop. As some of you know, when I was serving our Mother Church of Constantinople as Metropolitan of Bursa and at the Halki Theological School, I was privileged to be here in Anaheim ten years ago. Your beloved Metropolitan, my dear brother in Christ, His Eminence Gerasimos, and all of you welcomed me with open arms and open hearts. I still remember the excitement in the air, and it is no different today.

I believe it is because – just as your theme elucidates – all of you are dancing to authentic and true life. Through all the energies you pour forth in these joyful days, you are engaged in the art of living. Through these performing and musical arts, you are finding the expression of your inner persons, and you are creating, as it were, portraits of your very souls.

FDF is much more than a celebration of our faith and culture – of the arts to which you have all dedicated yourselves with such vigor and enthusiasm. FDF is an incarnation of what is best and brightest in our identity as Greek Orthodox Christians.

As you enjoy these coming days, and give your utmost to the competitions that ensue, I would have all of you remember that the purpose and the intention, which you set when you entered into this marvelous manifestation of our Greek and Orthodox reality, is already a tremendous reward. Prizes and trophies are wonderful, but it is the hard work and the creative process that has brought you here that is the ultimate prize. And they will accompany you long after FDF concludes.

All of you are to be congratulated for this extraordinary event! Like a Greek line dance, you are all connected to one another in the infinite chain of love and relationships that bind us together as one Church under the lordship of Christ. In these coming days, build on these relationships! Find ways for even deeper connections to yourself, to your faith, and to your fellow Orthodox Christians. The ties that bind you are stronger than you might suppose. As you lift your voices and your bodies in the artful songs and dances that you will offer, lift your hearts and minds as well to perceive the music and dance of creation that our Lord has gifted us.

The heavens revolve in their cycles. The sun knows its rising and its going down, and the moon breaks forth in the night season. The oceans and seas, the rivers and streams flow unto eternity. Even the mountains “skip like rams, and the hills like lambs of flocks” as the Psalmist says.*

All the universe praises our Creator by its movements. And so do you. You sing and dance to life. You infuse every moment with life-giving joy and lively exertion. All of you bring your best, your brightest, and your most creative selves to this 47th FDF, and we are all so grateful that you have.

May the Lord grant you every blessing and His gracious favor during these wondrous days of the Folk Dance and Choral Festival, and may these days go with you the rest of your lives, for your enlightenment and salvation, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen!

* Psalm 113: 4 (LXX).

Photos: GOARCH/Dimitrios Panagos