Archbishop Demetrios (GOA)<\/p><\/div>Genetics and faith.<\/p>\n

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The 100-year-old staying power of St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Rock Island, is all about DNA and believing – just as it is for the church as a whole.<\/p>\n

That is one of the messages being delivered this weekend by Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who is visiting St. George on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.<\/p>\n

“A community, which has been able to live – not just survive, but prosper – for three generations … you have a presence here,” Demetrios said Saturday. “You have a presence with achievement.<\/p>\n

“That is not an ordinary phenomenon.”<\/p>\n

Part of St. George’s longevity is attributable to genetic makeup, he said.<\/p>\n

“Given a scientific analysis, one reason is the DNA of the people,” the archbishop said. “It’s not accidental DNA. In terms of Greece, for thousands of years before Christ, culture was being produced.”<\/p>\n

The relatively small Greek Orthodox following (“not in billions like the Chinese”) is driven by nature and its faith, he said.<\/p>\n