The greek community of hamilton

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His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Elaia, was the first Archdiocesan Vicar in Canada, appointed in the year 1960, by His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople. At the first Clergy-Laity Conference of the Greek Orthodox Church in Canada, held in Ottawa in 1961, he gave a Report entitled "The Present and the Future of the Greek Orthodox Church in Canada". In this report he mentioned the following for our Community:

The Greek Community of Hamilton.

A few miles south of Toronto is the City of Hamilton where we have the Greek Orthodox Community of st. Demetrios. It is a very active and progressive Community, founded in 1950 with the cooperation of our people living in nearby towns. During 1953 a priest was appointed, the late father Amphilochios Sarantides, to serve both Hamilton and London. For a short time father B. Zarkotos has served in Hamilton and since 1958 father George Papaioannou, a graduate of the Patriarchal Theological School of Halki, is in charge of this growing Community.

The Church of st. Demetrios (22 Head street) is a new building with a large hall below and offices and living quarters for the priest and his family. Today this beautiful Church is too small because the worshipers here tripled in number since three years ago. Other Churches or chapels soon will be constructed to serve the people in the nearby towns. One example will be enough to enable you to understand the need. Last April (29th 1961), accompanied by father George, I visited the City of Galt, Ontario, where I conducted vespers in the Anglican Church. That night, more than two hundred people attended the service and the banquet. All these people have to travel 25 to 30 miles to attend Sunday Services in Hamilton. Fortunately there is a Philoptochos Chapter in Galt which offers valuable service to our people. It is hoped that soon a Church will be erected there to safeguard our people within the sacred Ark of Orthodoxy and protect them from all those who tirelessly try to influence their minds with un-Orthodox ideas.

The Community of Hamilton is indeed proud of its Philoptochos Society. The Ladies render great and devoted services. They help the Church, the Sunday School, the Greek School and every worthy cause that needs their assistance. The Greek School classes with 50 children are conducted in the basement of the Church by qualified teachers, The Sunday School classes have more children and the teachers, under the guidance of the Priest, do their best to instruct them according to the program of the Archdiocese.

On Sunday the 17th of this coming September (1961), through the initiative of the Community of Hamilton and with the cooperation of other Greek Orthodox congregations in the neighborhood, a religious festival will be organized on the occasion of the feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. This festival will be identical in scope and significance with that  which was organized years ago in Asbury Park, N.J., by Patriarch Athenagoras, when he was Archbishop of the Americas. It is hoped that many people will attend the service. All the proceeds will be offered to the Canadian Greek Church Fund of the Archdiocese for welfare and missionary work.

The Community of Hamilton recently (April 18th 1961) presented to the newly erected City Hall a beautiful painting, made in Athens, depicting the Parthenon and the Acropolis. His Worship, the Mayor of Hamilton, received the painting and expressed on behalf of the citizens thanks and praised the Canadian citizens of Greek extraction for their gesture to adorn their new City Hall with a beautiful painting. The ceremony was broadcasted by radio and television and the newspapers published pictures of mayor receiving the painting from Mr Cosmas Natis, the President of our Community, and Father George Papaioannou, flanked by Evzones and girls wearing Greek costumes. This simple event presents itself as a good example of public relations which must be repeated in one way or another by our Communities in Canada if they want to make all conscious of our presence and of our contribution to Canadian culture.

"The Greek Orthodox Church in Canada", Report of His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Elaia, Toronto 1961, p. 23-24.