Message from His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia for International Greek Language Day

For every people on earth, the language they speak is the root of their culture and the backbone of their historical journey.

As Greeks, we rightly boast that the tree of our Nation is tall and majestic, with dense and beautiful foliage and rich fruits. This is undoubtedly connected with the greatness of the Greek language, which, spoken continuously for more than four thousand years, has been a life-giving force of Hellenism and at the same time a suitable vehicle for the spread of Christian teaching in the universe.

By common confession, the Greek language was the shoot that “grafted” the European and world-wide culture, while it is worth mentioning the strong imprint it has left in the field of Science, as we can all see during the current testing times of the pandemic and the extensive use of terms of Greek origin to describe it.

Properly and wisely, then, the International Greek Language Day was established, which we are celebrating today, for the fifth consecutive year. It was also rightly and wisely chosen to coincide with the Day of Remembrance of our national poet, Dionysios Solomos, so that every time we remember the famous phrase from his work “Dialogue”: “Do I have anything else in my mind to give me freedom and language? ».

At a time when we enjoy freedom as a self-evident good, blessed to live in conditions that can not stand the comparison with the conditions under which the pages of “Dialogue” were written, our responsibility to preserve and promote the Greek language is undoubtedly maximized.

I want to assure you that everyone in the Holy Archdiocese of Australia is aware of this heavy responsibility. A responsibility with a double direction, both to our beloved homeland and our glorious ancestors, as well as to our proud Greek community in the fifth continent, namely the older generations of Greek immigrants and especially the Australian-born Greek children who anxiously struggle to keep their identity.

In a sacrificial spirit, all those who serve in our dynamic educational institutions and in the Sunday Schools of our local parishes, work daily for the care of the majestic tree of our Nation, so that its root and trunk remain strong and prosperous, the branches to continue to spread far here in the Antipodes and its precious fruits to be offered in abundance to the Australian society and to all of humanity.

Those who have devoted themselves to this blessed work are to be commended, as well as those who take care to keep the language of our ancestors alive even within their family homes.

I take this opportunity to offer today, to express to them the deep gratitude of our local Church and, I am sure, the gratitude of our compatriots everywhere!