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THI Volunteer Connect Links the Greek Diaspora with Service Opportunities Across Greece
The Hellenic Initiative’s Volunteer Connect platform helps Greek Americans, diaspora Greeks, and philhellenes find volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations across Greece.
Latest Stories
Greece Expands 2026 Programs for the Greek Diaspora
Greece has expanded its 2026 diaspora programs, including camps, language courses, cultural programs, and a new Heritage Surf Camp on Lemnos.
No Sunbeds, No Beach Bars: Greece Expands Protection for 251 Fragile Beaches
Greece has expanded its list of highly protected beaches to 251, restricting sunbeds, beach bars, concessions, motor vehicles, amplified music, and other activities in fragile coastal zones.
The Onassis Yacht Christina O Is for Sale Again, but Its Value Goes Beyond Steel
Aristotle Onassis’s legendary yacht Christina O is for sale at a reduced price. Its story runs from World War II to Churchill, Kennedy, Maria Callas, Jackie Kennedy, and Greek shipping history.
Ukrainian Orthodox Splinter Group Claims New Presence in Greece
An unrecognized remnant of the former Kyiv Patriarchate says it has created a new “Metropolis” in Greece, separate from the recognized Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
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In the Community
Greek American life, institutions, and people
St. Irene Philoptochos Opens Applications for 2026 Elaine Kyriacou Memorial Scholarships
St. Irene Philoptochos of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill is accepting applications for the 2026 Elaine Kyriacou Memorial Scholarships. Applications are due May 18.
Racing Toward 50: AHEPA Chapter 445 Hosts 49th Annual Pan-Hellenic Meet
AHEPA Chapter 445 “Thermopylae” hosted its 49th annual Pan-Hellenic Family Track and Field Meet on May 9 at Marple Newtown High School.
Greek Name Days This Week: May 10 to May 16, 2026
Greek name days for May 10 to May 16, 2026, including Simon, Methodios, Argyris, Olympia, Theodoros, Glykeria, Aristotelis, Isidora, Achilleas, Pachomios, and Kali.
OPA! Festival Marks 125 Years of Annunciation Parish in Elkins Park
The OPA! Festival is underway at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Elkins Park, marking 125 years of parish life with food, dance, music, and community.
OCF Opens Paid Student Internships in Campus Ministry
Orthodox Christian Fellowship is accepting applications for paid student internships supporting chapter resources, UPSTREAM, communications, and Great Lent programming.
From Greece & Cyprus
Politics, society, and current affairs
New Safety Review Ordered for Panagia Soumela as Visitor Numbers Reach Record High
A new safety review is underway around Panagia Soumela in Trabzon, focusing on possible rockfall risks along the visitor access route as the historic Pontic Greek monastery draws record visitor numbers.
Greece Is Recruiting Foreign Students. Some English-Language Programs Still Run in Greek
Greece is working to attract foreign students, but a recent report suggests some English-language university programs still primarily serve Greek-speaking students.
Cyprus Posts Strong Employment Numbers, but the Broader Labor Picture Remains Uneven
Cyprus reached an 81.3% employment rate in 2025, above both the EU average and its national target, but migrant labor and gender gaps complicate the picture.
Greece Moves Toward Balcony Solar, but the Fine Print Will Decide Who Can Use It
Greece is preparing rules for balcony solar panels, joining a European trend already growing in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and parts of the U.S.
The Leaning Church of Ropoto and the Greek Village That Slipped Down the Mountain
A tilted church in the mountains of Thessaly has gone viral for its impossible angle. But Ropoto’s story is not a curiosity. It is the story of a village that lost its ground.
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Cultural Life
Heritage, language, and the arts
Pontus, Memory, and the Black Sea: What an Overlooked Council of Europe Project Still Tells Us Before May 19
Ahead of May 19, an overlooked Council of Europe history-education project helps place Pontic memory inside the wider Black Sea world that shaped it.
Digital Imaging Restores Lost Pages of Early Christian Manuscript Linked to Mount Athos
Researchers have recovered the text of 42 lost pages from Codex H, a sixth-century manuscript of St. Paul’s Letters whose later history passed through the Great Lavra Monastery on Mount Athos.
A Fragment of Homer’s Iliad Was Found Inside a Roman-Era Mummy in Egypt
A papyrus fragment from Homer’s Iliad has been identified inside a Roman-era mummy at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt, an unusual discovery that places Greek literature inside a funerary context.
Boston Symposium Brings Pontian and Anatolian Christian Heritage Into Focus
A Boston symposium at Hellenic College Holy Cross examined Pontian, Armenian, and Assyrian-Chaldean heritage, memory, and history through scholarship, faith, and culture.
The Man Who Ran for Greece, and the Man Who Changed the Race
In 1946, Stylianos Kyriakides ran the Boston Marathon for a starving Greece. In 1975, Bob Hall made it possible for wheelchair athletes to compete. Their runs changed the race forever.
Events
What’s coming up
Who celebrates today
Christine Lee
Christine Lee of Jamison, Pennsylvania, passed away on May 10, 2026, at 56. She is remembered for her devotion to family, friendships, and St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church.
Angeliki Doulis
Angeliki P. Doulis, whose life carried the handwork, food, and family traditions of Chios into her years in Philadelphia, passed away on May 6, 2026. She was 90.
Paraskevou Phyrillas
Paraskevou Phyrillas, who carried her Cypriot roots into a life of family, work, and parish service in Reading, passed away peacefully on May 5, 2026. She was 85.
Anastasia Theodoropulos
Anastasia Theodoropulos, née Economou, is remembered as a mother, grandmother, seamstress, cook, and creative woman whose life was shaped by family and generosity.
Chrystalla Gabriel
Chrystalla Gabriel of Hamilton, NJ, a Cyprus-born mother, grandmother, restaurateur, and longtime volunteer at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, passed away on May 3 at 84.
Helen Xenos
Helen Diane Xenos passed away on April 30, 2026. She is remembered for her devotion to family, her independent spirit, and the care she gave to those she loved.