The Parish of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus in Athens, Greece, has been served by the Assumptionists since 1934. For years, the priests celebrated Sunday Mass in a small chapel. It was not until 1975 that we officially became a parish. Geographically, the parish is located north of the capital city of Athens, not far from the Acropolis, in the Kupsely neighborhood at 32 Eptanissou Street.
As one of the major parishes of the Archdiocese of Athens, the Parish of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus has four communities: Greeks of the Latin Rite; Filipinos; and Africans. Given the number of parishioners that is growing day by day, we have four Masses every Sunday, specifically: one in Greek, two in English, and one in French. It is also worth noting that every 4th Sunday of the month, we also have a Mass in Filipino for the Filipino community at 4:00 p.m. Athens time. We primarily serve refugees and migrants. It is in this context that the Caritas department is invaluable in helping the poor.
Generously supported by parishioners, our parish’s Caritas was officially founded in 1975. It consists of a few parishioner volunteers accompanied by Fathers Alexandros Psaltis and Janvier Kulala. They meet at least once a week in a well-equipped space, which serves as a workshop to address issues concerning the poor, specifically how to help them. It is during these weekly meetings that the volunteers prepare clothing, food packages, furniture, and other items to distribute to the poor. Thirty to forty people benefit from this assistance each month. Additionally, for the past few years, the Caritas of St. Theresa Parish has been involved in helping refugees and foreigners settled in Athens find jobs and housing. As for residence permits and other documents that enable refugees or migrants to settle in Athens, our lawyer is fully committed to this cause.
It should also be noted that our charitable activities are not limited to our parish alone, but also extend and develop through the Diocesan Caritas of Athens, where we are involved in all activities and urgent needs, including clothing support for refugees and prisoners, emergency financial aid for medical care, transporting food from a food bank to the Caritas Athens office, etc. In the area of clothing, a partnership is also underway with an Orthodox organization.
Furthermore, we have recently established a new relationship with a very kind couple working in a bakery near our parish. This couple generously donates the day’s unsold bread, which we share with those in need. In this sense, we follow the example of Jesus, who, after feeding more than 5,000 people, asked his disciples to gather up the leftovers to avoid waste (cf. Mt 14:13-21).
The Caritas of the Parish of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus also provides special support to the two communities of the Missionary Sisters of Charity, who shelter many poor people in their communities, primarily by providing clothing, food, and other related services.
We also maintain close ties with the retirement homes of our Archdiocese of Athens, supporting them financially as much as we can through contributions for the elderly.
All things considered, the Caritas ministry needs volunteers—generous and conscientious Christians—for Christ says clearly: “The poor, indeed, you will always have with you… ” (John 12:8).
