Dr. James – Dimitri Brianas, USA
Achilles Foundation

Giorgo,

How happy I was to receive your newsletter, H Phoni ton Skamnioton, for July-August. Thank you so much for your work on the Council of Achilles and now the help coming from other people. It is a challenge and also a joy to see progress on this important task.

I arrived back in Florida 24 October. The next day, Sunday, I attended my church in Daytona Beach, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, for the celebration of my name day. One week before in Annapolis, MD I baptized my grandson there at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. His name – Leonidas Thomas Brianas. Next year it is 100 years since my grandfather Demetrios left Thessalia for America but it is important to me and my family to keep the Greek traditions and religion alive and of course to resurrect the glory of ancient Greece.

Thank you also for mailing your newletter to the people I mentioned in Thessalia and Phthiotida. You have done so much but I wish to ask one more thing. Could you please also mail the newsletter to three members of my Achilles Foundation who make up the Advisory Board (symvouli). Here are the addresses:

Alexander Lardis (He is a researcher and educator)
1085 Carriage Hill Parkway
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Robert Wagman (He is the Supervisory Archaeologist for the
608 N.E. 5th Avenue Greek Department, University of Florida)
Gainesville, Florida 32601

Melina Protopapadaki (She is an Greek Archaeologist)
Phigaleias 64
111 47 Athens, Greece

If you could send them the last 3 issues of your newsletter they will be able to see the progress being made with the help of the people of Phthiotida and learn more about the region.

You probably know that the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is in the United States for 3 weeks. On 2 November he will conduct a doxologia at my church, Sts Constantine and Helen, in Annapolis, Maryland. We are honored with his visit. Big preparations are being made including large donations of money to help him in Constantinople. In America, it is the people who give money to pay for the priests, the bishops, building the churches, and other expenses. Some who have the money give alot others may give little, but everyone gives. We are blessed to have the Patriarch come to America to see the hundreds of Orthodox churches we have and the way Greek-American people live. Greek-Americans and Greeks are one. We in America can never forget our roots and the greatness of the Greek people.

Me exairetiki timi,
Dimitri

Σύνταξη:
Ευχαριστούμε το φίλο καθηγητή Μπριάνα για το μήνυμά του. Θαυμάζουμε το σθένος του και την απέραντη αγάπη και θαυμασμό για τις ρίζες του αν και ο παππούς του εγκατέλειψε την Ελλάδα εδώ και 100 χρόνια. Μπόρεσε να ταξινομήσει και ιεραρχήσει τις αξίες και τις μεγαλειώδεις περιόδους της ιστορίας μας και στέκεται με το πρέπον ενδιαφέρον και θαυμασμό για τον απώτερο πρόγονό μας, τον μεγαλειώδη ομηρικό Αχιλλέα, το βασιλιά της Φθίας, που έχει απασχολήσει όλη την πολιτισμένη παγκόσμια κοινότητα. Η μεγάλη χρονική απόσταση δεν τον εμποδίζει και μεταφέρει το μήνυμα και σε μας τους απογόνους του Αχιλλέα στην περιοχή της Φθίας.