wfn.org | GOAA -IONIAN VILLAGE ANNOUNCES 2003 DATES

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

		    GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
    8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10021  Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212)
				  774-0215
	 Web: http://www.goarch.org Email: communications@goarch.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2002

Contact:  Office of Ionian Village
Phone: (646) 519-6190
Email: ionianvillage@goarch.org
Web: www.ionianvillage.org

IONIAN VILLAGE ANNOUNCES 2003 DATES

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED

New York, NY ? The Office of Ionian Village of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America has announced the 2003 camping and educational
programs that will be held at Ionian Village in Greece.  This annual
program, conducted by the Archdiocese of America, offers teens and young
adults unique opportunities for learning about their Orthodox faith and
exploring the historic places and cultural roots of their Hellenic
heritage.

The Ionian Village program planning for 2003 is well underway.	With
appreciation to the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation for their generous
$200,000 gift, newly renovated facilities will be available to campers and
staff.	Additionally, the 2003 Ionian Village staff will benefit from an
updated staff manual and revised training sessions so as to fulfill its
mission to lead participants to build, "Faith and friendships that last a
lifetime."

The Ionian Village Experience

While spending nearly three weeks on the coast of the Ionian Sea,
participants of Ionian Village's summer programs are immersed in their
Orthodox faith and Greek culture while meeting and making new friends from
across the globe.  Ionian Village is unique in its focus as it allows
campers not only to take part in an Orthodox camping program, but also to
experience firsthand what they learn in Orthodox Life sessions as they
embark on pilgrimages, walking in the footsteps of the Saints and the
Apostles.

Ionian Village guides youth and young adults on a spiritual and cultural
odyssey that emphasizes the values that can be learned from significant
historic sites and events.  The carefully selected and trained staff
members of Ionian Village lead their campers on pilgrimages to the islands
of Zakynthos and Aegina, to witness the lives of Saint Dionysios and Saint
Nektarios, respectively.  In addition, participants travel to the churches
of St. Andrew in Patras, where they are able to venerate his relics and the
cross upon which he was crucified, and to the monastery at Mega Spileion,
where they venerate St. Luke's icon of the Theotokos and learn of its
miraculous discovery.  Ionian Village also allows its participants to gain
an appreciation for the contributions of their Hellenic heritage to the
world by visiting the ruins at Ancient Olympia, Ancient Delphi, Cape
Sounion, and the Acropolis. Participants also visit historic sites
significant to the Greek War for Independence and World War II to learn of
their ancestors' struggles for freedom.

The camping program offered by Ionian Village is like no other.  The
hands-on involvement within the sessions of Athletics, Arts and Crafts,
Music and Greek Culture, and Orthodox Life, combined with the traveling
expeditions, allows participants to gain a broader experience of their
Orthodox Faith and Hellenic heritage.

Ionian Village is offering the following programs for the summer of 2003:

SUMMER TRAVEL CAMP:  June 30?July 17
(7th-9th grade)

BYZANTINE VENTURE:  July 23?August 9
(10th-12th grade)

SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY:  July13?28
(young adults 19-30 years of age)

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Ionian Village, or to request a
registration/application packet, please visit the Ionian Village website at
www.ionianvillage.org, or contact the Office of Ionian Village at (646)
519-6190 or via email at ionianvillage@goarch.org.

New Ionian Village Website

The Office of Ionian Village announces the launching of its new website,
developed in cooperation with the Department of Internet Ministries of the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

In addition to posting current program news, the new site now offers
on-line camper registration packets, staff applications, program
itineraries, and other important information for parents.  The website also
features a multimedia section, which offers viewers access to a photo
gallery and an on-line video, and an "Alumni Corner," where former staff
members and campers may submit and review their favorite Ionian Village
photos and memories.  Please visit this new website at
www.ionianvillage.org.

The new website is being featured on the home page of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese at www.goarch.org.	A direct link to the new site can be found
in the Ministry Highlight section on the home page, a section that offers
regular features on new resources provided by the Departments and Programs
of the Archdiocese.
***************************************
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE LIST:
Send an email to:
listserv@listserv.goarch.org

In the body of the email simply type:
signoff archdiocese
***************************************

The Archdiocese list is being made possible by the Greek Orthodox 
Archdiocese Department of Internet Ministries.