STATEN ISLAND – The Greek Afternoon School of the Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox community in Staten Island will not physically open its doors to welcome students for the new academic year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but will instead continue its classes remotely through the digital platform, as the presiding priest of the community, Fr. Nicholas Petropoulakos, told The National Herald.

“The Parish Council decided to continue the distance learning for our Greek afternoon school and Sunday school from October to January. If, by then, the situation improves our students will return to their classes. It was a very difficult decision because everyone knows how important school is for the spiritual and emotional health of children, but at the moment the preservation and protection of the health of students, teachers, parents, and staff is paramount.”

He added “All youth programs have also been canceled, as has our big festival, which runs every September. All services are limited and the meetings of the Council and the Philoptochos Society are held virtually. I am unimaginably sorry that because of the pandemic people have lost touch with each other, but we must respect the restrictive measures decided by the authorities. After all, the orders of our Holy Archdiocese are to act with the aim of ensuring the health of the faithful.”

Fr. Petropoulakos concluded by saying, "I pray to God that the whole world is well and that very soon our life will return to normal.”