A Message from the President – July 2015

Dear friends,

We are very pleased to inform you that the Administration of our Community is steadily reaching its goals.  Our dreams for the future of the Community are becoming reality.  The HCGM staff and volunteers work tirelessly, all year long, for the preservation of Hellenism and the future of our children.

After years of negotiations and discussions, and several General Assemblies, His Eminence Metropolitan Sotirios and I signed an Agreement which puts an end to the 600$ payment made by parishioners directly to the Metropolis for holy sacraments held in HCGM Churches. This progress will bring back the parishioners to the HCGM Churches, who will be able to hold their holy sacraments at a much lower cost.

Two months ago, following a motion by the Board of Directors, the General Assembly of the HCGM approved to rebuild our “Panayitsa”. I would like to inform you that all the necessary actions have been taken so that the “jewel” of Parc-Extension will soon be reconstructed.

A very important initiative to support “Socrates-Demosthenes” School and “Giant Steps”, the only school in Montreal that provides a unique learning environment for students with autism, was launched under the auspices of the Honourable Jacques Demers, Senator and Tony Loffreda, Regional Vice-President of Commercial Financial Services at RBC. This fundraising event in support of these exemplary schools will be held next September and the keynote speaker will be the Honourable Leonidas Housakos, Speaker of the Senate of Canada. We are counting on all of you to support this wonderful endeavor for the benefit of our children.

In closing, I express my gratitude to our volunteers, our staff, our sponsors and all of those who supported and worked tirelessly to organise the two HCGM Summer Festivals, on the South Shore and in Laval, both of which were huge successes. And, as always, our Greek summer festival season comes to an end with the “Πανηγύρι Ευαγγελισμού – La flamme hellénique” in mid-August, so we all have a chance to take part in one last summer party to celebrate of our culture and heritage.

Sincerely,

Nicholas T. Pagonis
President