Those who said “No” to oppression, said “Yes” to liberty, and the greatest freedom that any human being can know is the liberty of the Spirit of Christ. His voice reminds us, as the Scripture says, that “in Christ all the promises of God are ‘Yes’” (II Corinthians 1:20).
This year, while we are celebrating OXI Day, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is with us in the United States. Our collective act of memory is what connects us to this “greatest generation,” and reminds us of the price of freedom. That is why we commemorate OXI Day throughout our sacred Archdiocese, and we ask for our communities to celebrate the Doxology for the Day. They are fading with the years, so we must do all that we can to honor them, their heroism, and their sacrifice. There are still some alive in our communities who remember this time. Their “No!” to oppression turned into an adamantine affirmation of democracy, liberty, and self-determination. But in the midst of this life and death contest, the Greek People never lost their nerve. The Jewish population of Greece was decimated. Many starved on the streets of our cities, as a result of the awful oppression. Many fought back and died in the struggle for their homeland. It was a decision that cost Hellas dearly, as the Occupation of Greece (Κατοχή) by the Nazi forces was brutal for all Greeks. Today, we celebrate OXI DAY – when the People of Greece echoed a resounding “No!” to fascism and tyranny, and an unmistakable “Yes!” to freedom. My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, (Doxology for October 28th, the Feast of Victory) With hardship we endured misery we were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, the Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, the Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and the entirety of the Christ-named Plenitude of the Holy Archdiocese of America. The Archiepiscopal Encyclical for the Commemoration of "OXI Day" follows: