The St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Philadelphia, established in 1921, is nearing its 100th Anniversary. An Autumn Ball event is held annually to raise funds to maintain and restore the Cathedral structure which was originally an Episcopalian Church built in 1821, therefore, the structure is nearing its 200th Anniversary.

The theme of the 2017 Autumn Ball is “Celebrating Our Past and Looking Forward to Our Future.” It references the historic 1942 St. George Cathedral Sunday School photograph taken 21 years after the church was consecrated and represents the first generation children from the immigrant population that founded the Cathedral. These children have become known as those of the “Greatest Generation.” They became doctors, lawyers, school teachers, judges, and served in World War II and the Korean Conflict.

In 1992, Mr. Hippocratis Polemis and John Sarkioglu co-chaired the 50th Anniversary of the 1942 Sunday School Photograph. The event was held at Memorial Hall in Philadelphia, a structure built as the art gallery for the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Three hundred and fifty faithful attended and were inspired by the attendance of His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos.

Today, 25 years later, the Cathedral would like to recognize this group once again at their 75th Anniversary, and although many of those founding members of the Cathedral are no longer with us, their children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, friends and neighbors, fellow congregants and countrymen are.

The Cathedral is sponsoring a contest with a $1,000 cash prize (no one is expected to donate any of the money back to the church). The goal of the contest is to identify as many people as possible in the 1942 St. George Sunday School photograph and the person who does so will win the $1,000 prize.

Rules

  1. Contact the Cathedral to sign up for the contest either by telephone (215-627- 4389), by email (saintgeorgecathedral@msn.com), or in person; pay a $25 entrance fee either in cash, check or credit card; and receive a copy of the photograph.
  2. Submit your list and your photograph no later than November 10th to the Cathedral Office Manager, Mr. Kosta Zidros, either in person, by mail or by email (scanned photo and list).
  3. A panel of seniors will review all submissions and select the winner. The name of the winner will be announced at the Autumn Ball Dinner Dance on Sunday, November 12, 2017, at the Hilton Hotel on the Delaware.
  4. The winner must be present to receive the $1,000 check. All Contestants will receive a $25 credit toward the $75 Dinner Dance ticket, so their admission will only cost $50. If the winning contestant is not present, the award will go to the next person who has identified the most people in the photograph and is present.