STATEN ISLAND, NY – For yet another year, the Staten Island community honored 11 couples who are celebrating more than 50 years of marriage with a modest ceremony, held on Sunday, January 20, at Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church immediately following the Divine Liturgy.

The honored couples and members of the community are: Christos and Androula Papaiacovou with 62 years of marriage, Peter and Eleni Rassias 60 years, Harry (Haralambos) and Katerina Seremetis 60 years, Constantine and Helen Tzivas 57 years, Mark and Bertha Kapetanakis 57 years, Michael and Vicky Anastos 55 years, George and Margarita Seherlis 52 years, Constantine and Maria Kapetanakis 52 years, Emmanuel and Stella Vlastakis 51 years, John and Christina Haritis 51 years, Anastasios and Chloe Anastos 50 years.

The presiding priest of the community, Rev. Protopresbyter Nicholas Petropoulakos, blessed the couples by citing the fact that they all together are celebrating 607 years of marriage. As he noted, “Our fellow-citizens for decades served the institution of marriage and the values ??of the family. They offer us a valuable life lesson. They are pillars of the Greek family and an example for marriage. I wish God to give you health and many more years of happy married life.”

“Communication and understanding are the basic ingredients for a successful marriage,” Charalambos Seremetis told The National Herald. He and his wife Katerina are celebrating 60 years of marriage.

They are both originally from Lemnos and met at the Cretan club in New York and were married at St. Spyridon in 1958. They have two children and five grandchildren.

John and Christina Haritis with 51 years of marriage consider honesty, respect, and patience the secrets of happiness.

“I grew up in the Bronx and John in Brooklyn. We met in 1964 at a GOYA conference in New Orleans and married in 1967 at the Church of the Three Hierarchs in Brooklyn,” Christina said. John Charitis originates from Sparta and Kalamata and Christina from Kranidi.

Anastasios and Chloe Anastos, both of whom came from Cyprus, are celebrating 50 years of marriage.

As Anastasios pointed out, “Our mothers were best friends in elementary school, so we met, we fell in love, and married.”

In a question about the secret of their wedding, she replied with a joke: “We never fight, we do not argue, and we do not yell.” Anastasios and Chloe have three children and seven grandchildren.

Left to right: Harry and Katherina Seremetis, Bertha Kapetanakis, Rev. Protopresbyter Nicholas Petropoulakos presiding priest of the community, Christina and John Haritis, Chloe and Anastasios Anastos. Photo: TNH/Michalis Kakias