The City of Aurora government honored the unity between Greece and America a day before the 202nd anniversary of the Greek Revolution with Greek Independence Day, Sat, March 25.
Aurora Greek leaders, including City of Aurora Alderman Ted Mesiacos and City of Aurora Chief of Staff Alex Alexandrou, joined Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin for the City’s inaugural Greek Flag Raising Ceremony.
While the weather was chilly, the environment in downtown Aurora was warm and fuzzy as longtime members of Aurora’s Greek community greeted each other with hugs, kisses, and well wishes. Some hadn’t seen each other since before the pandemic.
Mayor Irvin issued a proclamation for the occasion. Mesiacos and Alexandrou, children of Greek immigrants who made the nearly 6,000-mile journey from Greece to Chicago and Aurora, shared stories of the many sacrifices of their families that brought them both into key leadership positions in Aurora.
Father Panagiotis Boznos of St. Athanasios Orthodox Church opened the ceremony with a prayer and an explanation of the importance of the church in Greece and throughout the Hellenic Diaspora.
After the Greeks immigrants began to arrive in Aurora in the mid-20th century, they established St. Athanasios Orthodox Church in 1965. It is now one of the largest parishes outside of Chicago.
The inaugural Optimum Participation in Aurora Award, also called the OPA Award, was presented to various Greek leaders in the City’s faith, civic, education, and business communities.
Greek Independence Day is Saturday, March 25.
—City of Aurora government