St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, PA, once again served on Sunday as the gathering place for the annual Pontian Genocide commemoration, organized by the Pontian Society “Akritai” of Philadelphia.
Held ahead of May 19, the day of remembrance for the Pontian Genocide, the commemoration began with the Divine Liturgy. Fr. Alexandros Kaitidis, presiding priest of St. Demetrios, offered a memorial service for the 353,000 victims of the genocide, the figure recognized by Pontian organizations. Parishioners, members of the Pontian Akritai, and guests joined in prayer for the victims and for those uprooted from their ancestral homeland along the Black Sea.
Following the liturgy, the commemoration moved outdoors to the Pontian Genocide monument on the church grounds, where the Akritai led a program of prayers, speeches, and wreath-laying. Worshippers gathered around the memorial, many holding single red roses. Children and youth in traditional Pontian costumes stood near the front, carrying the remembrance into another generation.
Stefanos Evangelopoulos, president of the Pontian Society “Akritai,” addressed those gathered, emphasizing the importance of historical truth and the responsibility of the diaspora to preserve and transmit the story of the Pontian Genocide. The society’s maroon banner with its golden eagle stood near the monument as parishioners and guests filled the courtyard and walkways.
Dimosthenis Giamouridis, president of AHEPA Chapter 445 “Thermopylae,” also addressed the gathering as part of the Akritai program. He spoke about the suffering endured by Pontian Greeks and the responsibility to keep that history alive. Afterward, he said it was his first time speaking at such an event, and that preparing his remarks had moved him deeply. The community, he said, must continue to “keep the memories alive” and seek wider recognition of the genocide.
The ceremony also included the sound of the Pontian lyra, played by Christos Tiktapanidis beside the monument. Nearby, a stone icon of Panagia Soumela, inscribed “Παναγία Σουμελά Προστάτιδα των Ποντίων” (“Panagia Soumela, Protectress of the Pontians”), connected the remembrance to one of the central spiritual symbols of Pontian identity.
Throughout the outdoor service, parishioners approached the monument to lay roses and wreaths at its base. Others paused before the icon of the Theotokos, making the sign of the cross or bowing in prayer. Near the front of the procession, an elderly man held a rose, with others lined along the sidewalk behind him, a quiet image of the gathering’s multigenerational character.
As Fr. Kaitidis led the final prayers at the monument, the inscription “We will never forget” above the bronze eagle summarized the purpose of the day. Ahead of May 19, the annual commemoration once again joined prayer, memory, and community presence at St. Demetrios, keeping the victims of the Pontian Genocide in the living memory of Upper Darby’s Greek and Pontian families.