2026 Athena C. Gazes Memorial Lecture
On Sunday of Orthodoxy, March 1, 2026, the 2026 Athena C. Gazes Memorial Lecture was given by Archimandrite Bartholomew Mercado, Chaplain & Professor of Canon Law at Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Fr. Mercado spoke on the topic “The Weaving of Faith: Big & Little Traditions & the Canonical Fabric of Orthodoxy.” Fr. Mercado was welcomed to the Charleston parish community by its interim pastor Fr. Theodore Roupas.

The Athena C. Gazes Memorial Lecture is an annual event hosted by the Rev. Nicholas C. Trivelas Library at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The Lecture honors Athena C. Gazes (1926–2026), a dedicated community leader who was the Library founder and longtime Director. She was succeeded as Library Director by her daughter Hope Gazes Grayson in 2000 who served until her retirement as Emerita Director at the end of 2024. Since then, her successor has been current Library Director Areti "Tina" Klein. The Trivelas Library has nearly seven thousand volumes in its collection and is among the finest church libraries in North America. 
Past Gazes Lecture speakers:
*2025 Lecture speaker: Joanne Gazes Ellison (daughter of Athena Gazes) spoke on the topic "The Red Chord: Seeing Jesus Throughout the Scriptures."
*2024 Inaugural Lecture speaker: Dr. John G. Panagiotou spoke on "What do Christ and the Church Fathers have to say about Cultural Christianity?"
Photo (from left to right): Parish Council President Dinos Liollio, lecturer Fr. Bartholomew Mercado, Library Director Areti "Tina" Klein, Emerita Library Director Hope Grayson, and Interim Pastor Fr. Theodore Roupas