News Briefs
Diocesan Press Service. May 6, 1964 [XXI-4]
KENNEDY MEMORIAL CHAPEL IN PHILIPPINES
Four Philadelphia parishes responded to the tragic death of the late President Kennedy with the gift of a memorial chapel to be built in the Philippines.
St. Barnabas', St. Peter's, St. Luke's and Christ Church and St. Michael's, located in Philadelphia's Germantown section, decided, upon hearing of the assassination, to take up a special collection to go toward furthering the missionary work of the Church. A memorial chapel in the Mountain Province of Luzon Island, Philippines, was finally chosen.
Expressing his gratitude for the gift, the Rt. Rev. Edward G. Longid, Suffragan Bishop of the Philippines, said, "It is a joy to be enabled to cheer people in need of a decent building to worship the Lord. This chapel is being built about 30 minutes walk from the Mountain Highway and will be called St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, in loving memory of President John F. Kennedy. I decided to use it for this chapel near the road... so that more people, including Americans and Europeans will be reminded of the significance of the gift."
"Chapels for the Philippines" is one of the many special projects of the Overseas Department. Further details on all projects can be obtained from the Information Officer of the Department.
ECUADORIAN LAYMAN SCORES FIRST
Nicholas T. Patines, a founding vestryman of St. Nicholas Church in Quito, Ecuador, led the first Greek Orthodox worship service in the history of South America's YMCA annual continental conferences. The Conference this year was held near historic Punta del Este on the site of the first youth camp ever organized in South America.
Mr. Patines led the Greek Orthodox worship service in Spanish and Portuguese before delegates from all over South America and the world. The service was based on ancient Orthodox prayers. His wife conducted a choir singing Orthodox hymns in original Greek.
It was a "first" according to South American YMCA leaders, themselves coming from all branches of Christ's Holy Church, who gave warm praise to the ecumenical nature of the service conducted by an Episcopal vestryman of the Orthodox faith, serving as YMCA World Service Secretary of Quito, in a Roman Catholic country.