Orthodox Stewards for Justice and Reconciliation

In an expected outpouring of unity, support, love and shared appreciation, almost 300 parishioners of  the St. Athanasius Greek Orthodox Church in Arlington celebrated a re-union Advent Glendi (Greek expression for a party) yesterday. The home cooked Greek appetizers were delicious, the music and singing were fantastic, the hall expertly decorated, the raffle prizes dazzling! But most especially, the people, the hugs, and the re-union of hearts and minds were unprecedented! Some of us had not seen each other since the 'summer of unfortunate events' when Metropolitan Methodios  ravaged the thriving community of St. Athanasius with his calculated decision   to remove Fr. Nick Kastanas, the spiritual shepherd of St. Athanasius for almost 30 years, over the outcry, pleas and the opposition of the faithful. Ever since, the bustling St. Athanasius campus has fallen silent with just a tiny fraction of parishioners attending services and activities there. The key organizations