Greek festival in Kingsbridge celebrates heritage and community spirit

by Michelle Mullen

On a rainy Saturday afternoon, the scent of grilled souvlaki wafted along Kingsbridge Avenue, and the sounds of Greek songs echoed in the streets.

The source?

A Greek Orthodox church that, though on the smaller side, has become the soul of Greek culture in the northwest Bronx.

Although it’s steadily decreased for decades, the Greek community in Kingsbridge has remained resilient, investing in education to pass on language, faith and age-old traditions to the future generations. It does so by hosting fundraisers, like the annual St. Peter’s Greek Festival, which marked its third year June 14 and 15.

The celebration, in which volunteers served massive slabs of freshly made moussaka, isn’t just about raising money, it’s how the community keeps its heritage alive. Proceeds from the event go toward the St. Peter The Apostle Greek Orthodox Church, 3245 Kingsbridge Ave., a decades-old institution offering weekly classes teaching children Greek language and culture.

Volunteer Michael Zoulis served up trays of delicacies at the festival.

“New York City is a big city, and you can easily get lost, and people do,” Zoulis said. “So, we try to stay together as much as possible to give our kids the Greek values of family and life.”

Greek immigration in New York City dates back hundreds of years, with a particularly large wave in the 1880s, spurred by economic instability in Greece. By the 1920s, more than 20,000 Greeks called the city home. Many settled in the Bronx, home to one of the oldest Greek schools in the city, the Greek American Institute, which was founded in 1912, according to Columbia Teacher College’s Center for History and Education.

But escalating federal immigration restrictions in the mid-20th century led to a drastic decline that lasted until the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. Soon, the city saw a renewed flow of Greek immigration, with existing enclaves forming larger communities in the Bronx.

However, factors like rising crime contributed to a dramatic drop in the population, a sentiment numerous festival goers echoed, with many moving to places like Queens, New Jersey and Rockland County instead.

Despite this, more than 100 Greek families remain in Kingsbridge alone, growing tight-knit networks dedicated to nurturing their heritage and passing it on to young adults and children.

“We’re not a big Greek community in this Greek church,” Sophia Gergatsoulis Sofillas, a teacher at St. Peter’s day school and festival organizer, said. “We’re a [bunch] of families with passion.”

Alongside fellow educator Evangelina Arapi Aspras, Gergatsoulis Sofillas teaches students from kindergarten through eighth grade to read, write and speak Greek — growing their connection to heritage through poetry and traditional dance. The twice-weekly classes, held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church, have become a cherished extracurricular in the community. Many festival goers listed family members who had passed through the program over the years, underscoring its lasting impact.

Dozens of families attend weekly services at St. Peter’s but, on Easter, George Sofillas, the parish council president, told The Press, the modest space is packed to the brim.

Part of the funds raised at the festival will help with ongoing physical upgrades to the site. The space has been open to the community for decades, standing where a house was demolished in 1995 to make room for the construction of a Byzantine-style place of worship.

What is now St. Peter’s basement served as the sole space for services, classes and a central cultural hub for more than 15 years. But the addition of a second floor allowed the church to open its doors to a new spiritual sanctuary in 2012.

Now, 13 years later, there’s still more work to be done to bring the full vision to life, including plans to adorn all four walls with hand-painted iconography. That’s where the festival’s fundraising plays a vital role.

Among the most dedicated supporters are members of the Kassian Benevolent Society of America, also known as the Kassian Brotherhood, headquartered at 148 West 230th St. The group, made up of Greek Americans with roots on the island of Kasos, has deep ties to the parish.

Zoulis, the organization’s president and a regular volunteer at the festival, noted the society sends financial support to the island every year. Members of the brotherhood showed up at this year’s annual celebration in large numbers, reinforcing its ongoing commitment to Greek heritage and the Kingsbridge community.

“[The society] has Greek classes and dances, and we have kids, some fourth-generation Greek Americans, that speak and write and dance Greek better than the ones [in Greece]” Zoulis said.

As the Greek population in the Bronx diminishes, the identity of St. Peter’s Greek Orthodox Church, and that of its neighbors, has only grown stronger. Throughout its two days, the festival saw hundreds of people walk through the doors.

“We are a small community with a big heart,” Gergatsoulis Sofillas said.