“God bless their souls. May their memories be eternal.”

With that, Bishop Constantine of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver concluded a solemn memorial service to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Feb. 8, 1923, mine disaster under sunny skies and springlike temperatures at historic Dawson Cemetery. One hundred and twenty miners lost their lives in that incident.

Close to 50 people attended the Feb. 5 service organized by the American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA), an international Greek philanthropic organization that designated this year’s centennial anniversary as a national project. The AHEPA did the same a decade ago to observe the 100-year anniversary of the 1913 disaster.

After the religious service, AHEPA representatives, family, and friends took turns reading the names of all 383 miners who perished in the two mine explosions. Several had direct ties to the lost miners: Bob Sexton, the AHEPA’s national project chairman, lost his grandfather in the 1913 incident; Roxanne Gonzales’ great-uncle died in the 1923 explosion.

“There were men from all over Europe, Mexico, Italy, South America who came here to work in the coal mines. Can you imagine the trip here, landing on a boat in New York or somewhere, then traveling here in 1912 or 1908 or even 1875 to work in the coal mines in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico?” said Georgia Maryol, who helped coordinate the first centennial observance in 2013, before reading the first group of names.

“I like to put a face on these people. These are our fellow human beings who died a terrible death, and we need to remember them always. And I’m hoping after I’m gone that they continue to memorialize all these folks.”

Afterward, AHEPA members placed three wreaths of purple and white flowers on crosses marking the gravesites of miners killed in the two disasters.

Bishop Constantine was assisted by the parish priests of New Mexico’s two Greek Orthodox churches — the Rev. Conan Gill of St. George in Albuquerque and the Rev. Dimitrios Pappas of St. Elias the Prophet in Santa Fe — as well as by the Rev. Deacon Constantine Bardossas of St. Catherine in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

“As we lose the people who do this valuable work to remember everyone here,” said volunteer organizer Nicki Panagopoulos, “it’s going to be up to us to continue to remember the miners in our prayers and everyone who paved the way for us to have a better life here in this country.”

Bobbie Joe Bacca, chairman of the Dawson New Mexico Association, represented the organization at the ceremony.