Greek American television presenter Maria Menounos said a recent pilgrimage to the island of Tinos gave her a new understanding of Greece’s Aug. 15 celebration of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, which she described as a festival of hope, faith and eternal life.
Menounos visited the Church of Panagia Evangelistria with her daughter, Athena, during a summer trip to Greece.
She shared photographs and video from the visit on social media, including images of herself entering the church grounds on her knees while holding her daughter’s hand.
The Tinos shrine is one of Greece’s most important Orthodox pilgrimage sites.
Thousands of people travel there each year to pray before the icon of the Virgin Mary.
Some pilgrims complete the route from the port to the church on their knees as an act of devotion.
In a post marking the feast, Menounos said seeing the pilgrims’ faith firsthand had changed the meaning of the day for her.
“The 15th of August is one of the holiest days of the year in Greece,” Menounos wrote. “But this is not a day focused on loss. It is a celebration of hope, faith and eternal life.”
Ms. Menounos said the experience made her reflect on generations of worshippers who have arrived at the same church carrying prayers, gratitude, pain and hopes for healing.
“Having stood inside that church, prayed there and witnessed that devotion, this day has an entirely different meaning for me,” she wrote.
She said the visit strengthened her connection to Orthodox Christianity and to traditions that have linked Greek families across generations.
She also wished a happy feast day to those celebrating and offered a special greeting to women named Maria.
The pilgrimage was part of Menounos’ wider summer visit to Greece, which she described online as a deeply personal journey centered on faith, family and her Greek roots.