Divine Liturgy -- All Saints Church -- Kokkino Greece

On Sunday, July 11, 2010, Jonathan and I began our drive at 6:40 a.m. from Chranoi, where we are staying to Kokkino, the Village of my Papou Elias. The others will come a bit later for 8:45 a.m. Liturgy. The 20 mile or so journey takes about 30 minutes on the winding roads that are barely larger than one lane. We reached the village of 60 or more homes and were greeted warmly by Fr. Elias -- (nice name). He is the priest that cares for three other area villages including Kokkino, and offers Sunday Liturgies on a rotating basis. All Saints -- Ayioi Pantes -- is the name of the Church in Kokkino. Pappa Elias graciously invited me to take first position in leading the liturgy. Interesting note here -- he was born and raised in Germany. He was an engineer prior to moving to Messinia, Greece several years ago, where his parents were from. His Greek and English are impeccable. His English was spoken with a strong German accent. As I began the liturgy in this small church, I became very emotional realizing that this was the church where my Papou was baptised. When Marsha and family arrived, it was definitely a special experience to see my children and grandchildren receiving communion in this unique setting. I also took a moment for a special prayer for Chris, who could not be with us because had to return to Denver. This day, the 11th of July was also his 27th birthday.

At the end of Liturgy, I addressed the village people present; about 50. Almost all were related to me, including the two chanters and the young couple visiting from Australia. We were welcomed warmly. Afterwards, Christos unlocked the doors to the house that my Papou lived in prior to leaving for America. It has been refurbished, thanks to Dr. George from Chicago. After coffee with the men at the local (and only) caffenio, we went back for a delicious meal prepared by Maria. (If you haven't been following the previous blogs, my Cousin Christos and Maria are the couple from Kokkino, who are the caretakers of Dr. George's house. They also picked us up and dropped us off at the airport. Maria is responsible for stuffing us, on a few occasions, with her delicious home cooked meals.) Traveling back down the mountain, seeing the incredible panoramic views of the many villages, and the turquoise waters below, I couldn't help but feel the presence of my grandparents and parents. The reality that we were in this church that was a part of my history, that I offered prayers for my departed family members including my Papous Elias and George, my Yia Yias Eleni and Genevieve, my father and my mother, and that we had all received Holy Communion - together - was overwhelming. In the eternal moment of our loving Lord, Jesus Christ, the generations - past and present were one with Him to the Glory of God the Father through the Holy Spirit.