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Yes you are correct Dr. John. Being a Greek the Greek Churchs will always allow for me to enter membership with no barrier. I was not thinking and am sure the barrier would exist for any others wishing to enter the Church.

I have heard it was the same in WWII when Greek crews manned British Motor Torpedo Boats in the Mediterranean Sea. After they'd sink an Axis Ship they approach the sailors in the water and if you were dark haired ask you "Italiano?". It is a sin to kill a realitive and the Greek crews recognised that for thousands of years Greeks had moved to Italy so Italians were saved from the sea. My Greek friends just see me as an Italian Greek plain and simple.

Absolutely, Angelus. The major issue in many Greek parishes in the U.S. is "where you're from?" in the old country. The local Greek parish here is islanders and refugees from Smyrna and Asia Minor. My family is mountain folks from Arkadia (near the Sparta border) and there just aren't many of us in the DC metro area. Were I back in Boston (at St. John's in the South End), then it would be fine. Arkadians out the ears. Here, just another "Greek". (welcome -- but don't get in the way!)

Blessings!

We are from Constantinople so we have always been both Greek and Roman. New York has a lot of Romiosini and some people think that it is the third Rome. An idea that I find funny and sad. Sad that they still want the City back.

I will always recall how being a Greek means something inside the community. In High School I dated a Greek girl and her mother did not allow her to date. When the mother discovered my name she told her daughter he will make a good husband he is a Greek. I looked right and had the right name. She allowed me to date her daughter and know I'd respect the girl.

[ 12-23-2001: Message edited by: Angelus ]

Yup, cause if you had in any way 'abused' the young lady, someone would have come and made the circumstances "clear" to you. It's just "us"; and the rest of the Orthodox would have done the same thing, whether Syrian, Albanian, Ethopian, Coptic or whatever.

As I say to my brother Alex, the Monarchist Ukrainian: Just do it! WHy? Because we are who we are.

Blessings!