St. Augustine, FL – St. Photios Foundation will be begin the celebration of the 37th anniversary of the dedication of the Greek Orthodox National Shrine on February 9, 2019. The Annual Foundation Meeting will convene at the Casa Monica Hotel on Saturday. The meeting is presided over by Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta and conducted by 1st Vice President, Archon Dr. Manuel N. Tissura. The faithful will join His Eminence, Metropolitan Alexios, in the chapel of St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine located on 41 St. George Street in St. Augustine. Following the ecclesiastical services, His Eminence will bless the Special Museum Exhibit: “A Profound and Abiding Presence: The Greek Orthodox Church in the South.” This exhibit was curated by Drs. William and Regine Samonides. It represents six parishes that will be showcased throughout the year in the ‘temporary exhibit area’ of the Shrine Museum. Trustees from throughout the United States will then proceed to the Casa Monica Hotel for the annual dinner. Dr. William Samonides is the speaker for the evening. The trustees will honor Foundation Secretary, Trustee Leslye Alex Phillips for her decade of commitment to raising grass root awareness of the mission of the Shrine at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Clergy Laity Assemblies. Dr. William Samonides of Canton, Ohio, is one of the foremost historians of Greek Orthodoxy in America. With his wife Regine, he coauthored the book Greeks of Stark County (Arcadia Publishing, 2009). They curated two other exhibits for the National ShrinePioneering Priests: Establishing the Greek Orthodox Faith in America, (2015-2019) and For Their Faith: Remembering the Greek Christians of Asia Minor on the 90th Anniversary of the Fall of Smyrna, which was on display from December 2011 to January 2013. ### Contact: Polly M. Hillier, Director Tel: 904 829-8205 e-mail: phillier@stphotios.com
