Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John The Theologian

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Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John The Theologian
Volume 13: No. 4
Πατριαρτικόν Μήνσμα ἐπί
τῇ Ἑορτῇ τῆς Ἰνδίκτοσ
2012
+ Β Α Ρ Θ Ο Λ Ο Μ Α Ι Ο ΢ ΔΛΔῼ
ΘΔΟΤ ΑΡΥΙΔΠΙ΢ΚΟΠΟ΢
ΚΩΝ΢ΣΑΝΣΙΝΟΤΠΟΛΔΩ΢, ΝΔΑ΢
ΡΩΜΗ΢ ΚΑΙ ΟΙΚΟΤΜΔΝΙΚΟ΢
ΠΑΣΡΙΑΡΥΗ΢
ΠΑΝΣΙ Σῼ ΠΛΗΡΩΜΑΣΙ ΣΗ΢
ΔΚΚΛΗ΢ΙΑ΢ ΥΑΡΙΝ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΡΗΝΗΝ
ΠΑΡΑ ΣΟΤ ΓΗΜΙΟΤΡΓΟΤ ΚΑΙ
΢ΤΝΣΗΡΗΣΟΤ ΠΑ΢Η΢ ΣΗ΢
ΚΣΙ΢ΔΩ΢ ΚΤΡΙΟΤ ΚΑΙ ΘΔΟΤ ΚΑΙ
΢ΩΣΗΡΟ΢ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΗ΢ΟΤ ΥΡΙ΢ΣΟΤ
Ἀδελφοὶ καὶ τέκνα ἐν Κσρίῳ ἀγαπητά,
὇ Θεόο, ὁ δεκηνπξγήζαο ηὸ Σύκπαλ θαὶ
δηακνξθώζαο ηὴλ γῆλ εἰο ηέιεηνλ
θαηνηθεηήξηνλ ηνῦ ἀλζξώπνπ, ἔδωθελ εἰο
αὐηὸλ ἐληνιὴλ θαὶ δπλαηόηεηα λὰ
αὐμάλεηαη θαὶ λὰ πιεζύλεηαη θαὶ λὰ
πιεξώζῃ αὐηὴλ θαὶ λὰ θπξηεύζῃ αὐηῆο θαὶ
πάληωλ η῵λ ἐλ αὐηῇ δῴωλ θαὶ θπη῵λ (Γελ.
Α΄ 28).
὇ πεξηβάιιωλ ἡκᾶο θόζκνο ἐραξίζζε ἡκῖλ
ὑπὸ ηνῦ Γεκηνπξγνῦ ὡο ζηάδηνλ θνηλωληθῆο
δξαζηεξηνπνηήζεωο, ἀιιὰ θαὶ ἁγηαζκνῦ,
πξὸο θιεξνλνκίαλ ηῆο ἀλαθαηληζζεζνκέλεο
ἐλ ηῶ κέιινληη αἰ῵λη θηίζεωο. Τὴλ
ηνηαύηελ ζενινγηθὴλ ζέζηλ ἔρεη θαὶ βηνῖ
ἀείπνηε ἡ Μήηεξ Ἁγία ηνῦ Φξηζηνῦ
Μεγάιε ἖θθιεζία, δηὸ θαὶ ἡ ἡκεηέξα
Μεηξηόηεο ἐηέζε, ὡο γλωζηόλ, ἐπὶ θεθαιῆο
October 10th, 2012
ηῆο ἀλαιεθζείζεο παξὰ ηνῦ θαζ' ἡκᾶο
παληέξνπ
Οἰθνπκεληθνῦ
Θξόλνπ
νἰθνινγηθῆο
πξνζπαζείαο
δηὰ
ηὴλ
πξνζηαζίαλ ηνῦ πνιιὰ ηαιαηπωξνπκέλνπ
ὑθ ἡκ῵λ ἐλ ἐπηγλώζεη θαὶ ἀλεπηγλώζηωο
πιαλήηνπ καο.
Ἡ β η ν π ν η θ η ι ό η ε ο, ἡ ὁπνία εἶλαη ηὸ
ἔξγνλ ηῆο παλζνθίαο ηνῦ Θενῦ, δὲλ ἐδόζε
ἀζθαι῵ο εἰο ηὴλ ἀλεμέιεγθηνλ ἐμνπζίαλ
ηνῦ ἀλζξώπνπ. Κ α η α θ π ξ ί ε π ζ η ο ηῆο
γῆο θαὶ η῵λ ἐλ ηῇ γῇ ὑπὸ ηνῦ ἀλζξώπνπ
ζεκαίλεη ἔιινγνλ ρξῆζηλ θαὶ ἀπόιαπζηλ
η῵λ πξνζθεξνκέλωλ ἀγαζ῵λ θαὶ ὄρη
θαηαζηξεπηηθὴλ ἐθ πιενλεμίαο ἀληιεζηλ
θαὶ θάξπωζηλ ἢ θαηαζηξνθὴλ η῵λ πόξωλ
αὐηῆο.
἖λ ηνύηνηο, ἰδίᾳ ἐπὶ η῵λ ἡκεξ῵λ καο,
παξαηεξνῦκελ
κίαλ
ὑπεξβνιηθὴλ
ἐθκεηάιιεπζηλ η῵λ θπζηθ῵λ πόξωλ, κὲ
ζπλέπεηαλ
ηὴλ
θαηαζηξνθὴλ
ηῆο
πεξηβαιινληηθῆο
ἰζνξξνπίαο
η῵λ
νἰθνζπζηεκάηωλ θαὶ γεληθώηεξνλ η῵λ
πεξηβαιινληηθ῵λ ζπλζεθ῵λ, εἰο ηξόπνλ
ὥζηε νἱ ὑπὸ ηνῦ Θενῦ ηεηαγκέλνη ὅξνη
δηαβηώζεωο ηνῦ ἀλζξώπνπ ἐπὶ ηῆο γῆο λὰ
γίλωληαη δπζκελέζηεξνη δη' αὐηόλ. ἖πὶ
παξαδείγκαηη, ὡο παξαηεξνῦκελ ἅπαληεο,
ἐπηζηήκνλεο, ἐθθιεζηαζηηθνὶ θαὶ πνιηηηθνὶ
ἄξρνληεο θαὶ ἐλ γέλεη ἡ ἀλζξωπόηεο,
αὐμάλεηαη ἡ ζεξκνθξαζία ηῆο ἀηκνζθαίξαο,
ἐθδεινῦληαη ὑπεξβνιηθαὶ βξνρνπηώζεηο,
κνιύλνληαη
ἐπίγεηα
θαὶ
ζαιάζζηα
νἰθνζπζηήκαηα,
θαί,
γεληθώηεξνλ,
δηαηαξάζζεηαη,
ἐλίνηε
δὲ
θαὶ
θαηαζηξέθεηαη πιήξωο, ἡ δπλαηόηεο
ζπλερίζεωο ηῆο δωῆο εἰο ὡξηζκέλαο
πεξηνράο.
Βιέπνπζα θαὶ ἐκπεηξηθ῵ο ἀμηνινγνῦζα
ηνὺο ἐθ ηῆο ηνηαύηεο ἐμειίμεωο η῵λ
πεξηβαιινληηθ῵λ ζπλζεθ῵λ θηλδύλνπο δηὰ
ηὴλ ἀλζξωπόηεηα, ἡ Μήηεξ ἖θθιεζία
θαζηέξωζελ ἤδε ἀπὸ ηῆο ἐπνρῆο ηνῦ
πξνθαηόρνπ ἡκ῵λ ἀνηδίκνπ Παηξηάξρνπ
Γεκεηξίνπ ηὴλ πξώηελ Σεπηεκβξίνπ
ἑθάζηνπ ἔηνπο ὡο ἡκέξαλ πξνζεπρῆο δηὰ ηὸ
πεξηβάιινλ.
Ἀιι' ὀθείινκελ λὰ παξαδερζ῵κελ ὅηη ηὰ
αἴηηα η῵λ δπζαξέζηωλ πεξηβαιινληηθ῵λ
ἀιιαγ῵λ δὲλ εἶλαη ζενθίλεηα ἀιιὰ
ἀλζξωπνθίλεηα
θαί,
ἑπνκέλωο,
ἡ
παξάθιεζηο θαὶ ἡ πξνζεπρεηηθὴ δέεζηο ηῆο
἖θθιεζίαο θαὶ ἡκ῵λ πξὸο ηὸλ Θεόλ, ηὸλ
Κύξηνλ η῵λ θπξίωλ θαὶ Κπβεξλήηελ ηνῦ
παληόο,
πξὸο
βειηίωζηλ
η῵λ
πεξηβαιινληηθ῵λ
ζπλζεθ῵λ,
εἶλαη
νὐζηαζηηθ῵ο αἴηεκα κ ε η α λ ν ί α ο ηῆο
ἀλζξωπόηεηνο δηὰ ηὸ ἁ κ α ξ η ε κ ά ηεο
λὰ θαηαζηξέθῃ ηὰ ἐλ ηῇ γῇ, ἀληὶ λὰ
θαξπ῵ηαη κεηὰ ιόγνπ θαὶ πξνζνρῆο δηὰ ηὴλ
δηαηήξεζηλ ηῆο ἀ ε η θ ν ξ ί α ο ηνὺο πόξνπο
αὐηῆο.
Πξνζεπρόκελνη θαὶ αἰηνύκελνη παξὰ ηνῦ
Θενῦ ηὴλ δηαηήξεζηλ ηνῦ πεξηβάιινληνο
ηῆο γῆο θαηαιιήινπ δηὰ ηὴλ ἐλ αὐηῇ δωὴλ
ηνῦ ἀλζξώπνπ, θαη' νὐζίαλ παξαθαινῦκελ
ὅπωο ὁ Θεὸο ἀιιάμῃ ηὸλ ινγηζκὸλ η῵λ
ἰζρπξ῵λ ηῆο γῆο θαὶ θωηίζῃ αὐηνὺο λὰ κὴ
θαηαζηξέθνπλ ηὸ γήϊλνλ νἰθνζύζηεκα δηὰ
ιόγνπο
νἰθνλνκηθνῦ
ὀθέινπο
θαὶ
ζπκθέξνληνο παξνδηθνῦ. Τνῦη' αὐηὸ ὅκωο
ἰζρύεη θαὶ δηὰ πάληα ἄλζξωπνλ ἐμ ἡκ῵λ,
δηόηη θαὶ ἕθαζηνο ἐμ ἡκ῵λ ἐλ ηῶ κέηξῳ η῵λ
κηθξ῵λ δπλαηνηήηωλ ηνπ ἐπηθέξεη ηὰο
κηθξὰο πεξηβαιινληηθὰο θαηαζηξνθάο, ηὰο
ὁπνίαο ἡ ἀθξνζύλε ηνπ ηνῦ ἐπηηξέπεη.
἗πνκέλωο, πξνζεπρόκελνη ὑπὲξ ηνῦ
πεξηβάιινληνο, πξνζεπρόκεζα ὑπὲξ ηῆο
κεηαλνίαο ἑλὸο ἑθάζηνπ ἐμ ἡκ῵λ δηὰ ηὴλ
κηθξὰλ ἢ κεγάιελ ζπκβνιήλ καο εἰο ηὴλ
βιάβελ
θαὶ
θαηαζηξνθὴλ
ηνῦ
πεξηβάιινληνο, ηὴλ ὁπνίαλ βηνῦκελ
ζπλνιηθ῵ο ὡο ἄζξνηζκα κεξηθωηέξωλ
ἐπηδεκίωλ ἐπεκβάζεωλ δηὰ η῵λ θαηὰ
ηόπνπο θαὶ ρξόλνπο κεγάιωλ θαὶ
θαηαζηξνθηθ῵λ θαηξίωλ θαηλνκέλωλ.
Τὴλ ἔθθιεζηλ, πξνζεπρὴλ θαὶ πξνηξνπὴλ
ηαύηελ ἀπεπζύλνληεο ἀπὸ ηνῦ Ἱεξνῦ
Κέληξνπ ηῆο ὆ξζνδνμίαο πξὸο ηὴλ
νἰθνπκέλελ θαὶ πξὸο ζπλόιελ ηὴλ
ἀλζξωπόηεηα, δεόκεζα ὅπωο ὁ ἀγαζνδόηεο
Κύξηνο, ὁ ραξηζάκελνο εἰο ἡκᾶο πάληαο
ηνὺο ἐπὶ ηνῦ πιαλήηνπ γῆ νἰθνῦληαο ηὸλ
γήϊλνλ παξάδεηζνλ, ιαιήζῃ ἀγαζὰ εἰο ηὰο
θαξδίαο ὅιωλ η῵λ ἀλζξώπωλ, δηὰ λὰ
ζεβώκεζα
ηὴλ
πεξηβαιινληηθὴλ
ἰζνξξνπίαλ, ηὴλ ὁπνίαλ Οὗηνο ἐλ ηῇ
παλζνθίᾳ Τνπ θαὶ ηῇ ἀγαζόηεηί Τνπ κᾶο
παξέδωθελ, ὥζηε θαὶ ἡκεῖο θαὶ αἱ
ἐπεξρόκελαη γελεαὶ λὰ ἀπνιακβάλωκελ ηὰο
δωξεὰο ηνῦ Θενῦ κεη' εὐραξηζηίαο θαὶ
δνμνινγίαο.
Αὐηῆο ηῆο Σνθίαο, ηῆο Δἰξήλεο θαὶ ηῆο
Γπλάκεωο ηνῦ Θενῦ, ηῆο δεκηνπξγεζάζεο
θαὶ ζπληεξνύζεο θαὶ θαηεπζπλνύζεο ηὴλ
ἀπνθαξαδνθνῦζαλ ηὴλ ζωηεξίαλ αὐηῆο
θηίζηλ πξὸο ηὰ ἔζραηα, δεόκεζα ὅπωο
δηαθπιάηηῃ ηὸ πεξηβάιινλ ἀεηθόξνλ θαὶ
πξνζθέξνλ ζπλερ῵ο εἰο ηὴλ εὐεκεξίαλ ηνῦ
ἀλζξώπνπ θαὶ ὁδεγῇ θαξπνθόξωο ηὰ ἀγαζὰ
ἔξγα η῵λ ρεηξ῵λ η῵λ ἐξγαδνκέλωλ πξὸο
ηνῦην ζπλαλζξώπωλ, θαὶ ἐπηθαινύκεζα ηὴλ
Φάξηλ θαὶ ηὸ ἄπεηξνλ Ἔιενο Αὐηνῦ ἐπὶ
πάληαο ηνὺο ἀλζξώπνπο, κάιηζηα ηνὺο
ζεβνκέλνπο
ηὴλ
δεκηνπξγίαλ
θαὶ
θπιάζζνληαο αὐηήλ.
Patriarchal Encyclical on
the occasion of the Indiction
BARTHOLOMEW By the Mercy of God
Archbishop of Constantinople-New
Rome And Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Fullness of the Church Grace and
Peace from the Creator and Sustainer of
All Creation Our Lord, God and Savior
Jesus Christ
Beloved brothers and children in the
Lord,Our God, who created the universe
and formed the earth as a perfect dwelling
place for humanity, granted us the
commandment and possibility to increase,
multiply and fulfill creation, with dominion
over all animals and plants.
The world that surrounds us was thus
offered to us as a gift by our Creator as an
arena of social activity but also of spiritual
sanctification in order that we might inherit
the creation to be renewed in the future age.
Such has always been the theological
position of the Holy Great Church of Christ,
which is the reason why we have pioneered
an ecological effort on behalf of the sacred
Ecumenical Throne for the protection of our
planet, which has long suffered from us
both knowingly and unknowingly.
Of course, biodiversity is the work of divine
wisdom and was not granted to humanity
for its unruly control. By the same token,
dominion over the earth and its environs
implies rational use and enjoyment of its
benefits, and not destructive acquisition of
its resources out of a sense of greed.
Nevertheless, especially in our times, we
observe an excessive abuse of natural
resources, resulting in the destruction of the
environmental balance of the planet’s
ecosystems and generally of ecological
conditions, so that the divinely-ordained
regulations of human existence on
earth are increasingly transgressed. For
instance, all of us – scientists, as well
as religious and political leaders,
indeed all people – are witnessing a
rise in the atmosphere’s temperature,
extreme weather conditions, the
pollution of ecosystems both on land
and in the sea, and an overall
disturbance – sometimes to the point of
utter destruction – of the potential for
life in some regions of the world.
Inasmuch as the Mother Church
perceives and evaluates the ensuing
dangers of such ecological conditions
for humanity, already from the time of
our blessed predecessor, Ecumenical
Patriarch
Dimitrios,
established
September 1st of each year as a day of
prayer for the natural environment. Yet,
we are obliged to admit that the causes
of the aforementioned ecological
changes are not inspired by God but
initiated by humans. Thus, the
invocation and supplication of the
Church and us all to God as the Lord of
lords and Ruler of all for the restoration
of creation are essentially a petition of
repentance for our sinfulness in
destroying the world instead of working
to preserve and sustain its everflourishing resources reasonably and
carefully.
When we pray to and entreat God for
the preservation of the natural
environment,
we
are
ultimately
imploring God to change with mindset
of the powerful in the world,
enlightening them not to destroy the
planet’s ecosystem for reasons of
financial profit and ephemeral interest.
This in turn, however, also concerns
each one of us inasmuch as we all
generate small ecological damage in
our individual capacity and ignorance.
Therefore, in praying for the natural
environment, we are praying for
personal repentance for our contribution
– smaller or greater – to the
disfigurement and destruction of
creation,
which
we
collectively
experience regionally and occasionally
through the immense phenomena of
our time.
In addressing this appeal, petition and
exhortation from the sacred Center of
Orthodoxy to all people throughout the
world, we pray that our gracious Lord,
who granted this earthly paradise to all
people dwelling on our planet, will
speak to the hearts of everyone so that
we may respect the ecological balance
that He offered in His wisdom and
goodness, so that both we and future
generations will enjoy His gifts with
thanksgiving and glorification.
May this divine wisdom, peace and
power, which created and sustains and
guides all creation in its hope for
salvation in the kingdom, always
maintain the beauty of the world and
the welfare of humanity, leading all
people of good will to produce fruitful
works toward this purpose. And we
invoke His grace and mercy on all of
you, particularly those who respect and
protect creation. Amen.
September 1, 2012
Αγαπητοί Αδελφοί:
Καλώς Ήρθατε από τις διακοπές
σας.
Εύχομαι το νέο Εκκλησιαστικό
έτος να είναι πρόσχαρο, ευχάριστο
και ευήμερο τόσο σε εσάς όσο και
στις οικογένειές σας.
Η 1τη ΢επτεμβρίου είναι η αρχή
του νέου Εκκλησιαστικού έτους
που σύμφωνα με την Ιερή
Παράδοση
της
Ορθοδόξου
Εκκλησίας μας καθιερώθηκε ως
επίσημη
εορταστική
ημέρα
ενθυμήσεως: α) της Εισόδου του
Κυρίου μας εις την συναγωγή κατά
την οποία ανάγνωσε το 61ον
κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου του προφήτη
Ησαΐα, ‚ΠΝΔΥΜΑ Κπξίνπ ἐπ᾿ ἐκέ, νὗ
εἵλεθελ ἔρξηζέ κε·‛, παρουσιάζοντας
σε όλους την αποστολή του
κοσμοσωτήριου έργου Σου στην γη.
β)Σης αρχής του πολιτικού και
εκκλησιαστικού
χρόνου
κατά
παράδοση της περιόδου του
Βυζαντίου. γ) Σης αρχής της
Ινδίκτου - Εκκλησιαστικού χρόνου,
ως αρχή της παρουσιάσεως του
΢ωτηριολογικού έργου του Φριστού
προς την ανθρωπότητα. Η έναρξη
του
Εκκλησιαστικού
χρόνου
σημαίνει και την αρχή ενός ακόμα
λατρευτικού
και
δοξολογικού
κύκλου προσφοράς όλων των
πιστών Ορθοδόξων Φριστιανών
προς τον Πανάγαθο Θεό, ως
έκφρασης
ευχαριστίας
και
ανταπόδοσης προς Αυτόν για τις
ευεργεσίες
που
δωρίζει
πλουσιοπάροχα σε όλους εμάς.
Η ποιμαντική ζωή της Εκκλησίας
μας αρχίζει πλέον για ακόμα ένα
χρόνο να προσφέρει θρησκευτική
παιδεία
για
τους
νέους,
φιλανθρωπία, σε όλους τους
αδελφούς μας που χρειάζονται
αγάπη, παρηγοριά και υποστήριξη,
κύκλους μελέτης Αγίας Γραφής
στα Ελληνικά και Αγγλικά,
φιλαλληλία και χριστιανική παρέα
σε όλους τους ενορίτες τρίτης
ηλικίας.
Η μυστηριακή ζωή της Εκκλησιάς
μας, δίνει την ευκαιρία σε όλους να
καθαγιάσουμε σώμα και ψυχή με
την συνεχή συμμετοχή μας στην
μυστηριακή
ζωή
της,
επιτυγχάνοντας την ‚θέοσή μας‛,
εισδεχόμενοι στην βασιλεία του
Θεού εκ μέσου της υιοθεσίας μας
από Αυτόν ως παιδία Σου και
κοινωνοί της Θειας Σου Δόξης.
΢το
εορτολόγιο
του
μηνός
΢επτεμβρίου η Εκκλησίας μας
εορτάζει
την
γέννηση
της
Παναγίας μητέρας μας, και άλλων
αγίων προσώπων που σφράγισαν
την ζωή τους ομολογώντας την
ανιδιοτελή αγάπη του Φριστού
προς τον άνθρωπο. Η πλέον
δεσπόζουσα εορτή του μηνός που
διανύουμε είναι η εορτή «της
Παγκόσμιας Τψώσεως του Σιμίου
΢ταυρού», του ξύλου αυτού εις το
οποίο ο Λυτρωτής μας έδωσε την
αιώνια μάχη κατά του διαβόλου,
της φθοράς, της αμαρτίας, του
θανάτου, εξερχόμενος νικητής ως
πρωτότοκος
των
νεκρών
περνώντας πλέον την ανθρώπινη
φύση στην αθανασία και την
αφταρτοποίησή της όπως είχε
δημιουργηθεί από τον Πατέρα Σου.
Ο Σίμιος ΢ταυρός του Κυρίου μας
δεν είναι μόνο το αιώνιο σύμβολο
«αγάπης και θυσίας του Θεού»,
αλλά και το σύμβολο νίκης του
χριστιανικού τρόπου ζωής που
πάντοτε
περνά
μέσα
από
πειρασμούς,
δυσκολίες,
περιπέτειες, προβλήματα μικρά
και μεγάλα. ΢το τέλος επέρχεται η
αιώνια χαρά της κοινωνίας με τον
Θεό, η ανέκφραστη γεύση της
αθανασίας και η ασύλληπτη
επικοινωνία και παρουσία του
χριστιανού
μέσα
στην
Θριαμβέβουσα
Επουράνια
Εκκλησία του Φριστού μας.
Εις τον 21ον αιώνα - την εποχή την
οποία διανύουμε, Ο «΢ταυρός» για
τους ορθοδόξους χριστιανούς είναι
το σύμβολο των συνεχών αγώνων
βιοτικών και πνευματικών που θα
πρέπει να περάσουμε εις την ζωή
μας επάνω στην γη. ΢τους αγώνες
αυτούς δεν θα είμαστε μόνοι αλλά
θα μας συνοδεύει και θα μας
ενδυναμώνει η Φάρης του Κυρίου
μας. Η κινητήριος δύναμη να
συνεχίσουμε τον ‘‘καλό αγώνα’’ θα
είναι η ενατένισης του φωτοφόρου
αναστάσιμου
φωτός
του
‘‘΢ταυρού’’
που
καθοδήγησε
εκατομμύρια
μαρτύρων
στην
ομολογία υπάρξεως ενός και
μοναδικού Σριαδικού Θεού, την
διδασκαλία των ευαγγελίων και
μετάδοση του χριστιανισμού ανά
τον κόσμο. Σα προβλήματα και οι
αγωνίες που περνά σήμερα ο
κόσμος είναι πάρα πολλά και
δυστυχώς αντί να κατευθύνεται
προς την μετάνοια, ταπείνωση,
αλληλεγγύη, φρόνηση, ψυχική
ενατένιση και επιστροφή εις την
αγκαλιά του ενός και μοναδικού
Πατρός, απομακρύνεται ακόμα
περισσότερο. Ο διάβολος έχει
κατακερματίσει το κόσμο μας με
ψέμα, εγωλατρία, μισαλλοδοξία,
ωραιοποίηση του κακού και της
ανηθικότητας, προσπαθώντας να
ποδοπατήσει την συνείδηση του
ανθρώπου και καθετί το ηθικό,
πνευματικό, θρησκευτικό, διότι
αυτά
ελευθερώνουν
τους
ανθρώπους από την αμαρτία και
τον υλισμό, την απροσωπία, την
αποξένωση.
Όλοι ζήσαμε την τραγική αυτή ‘‘εν
ψυχρώ’’ εκτέλεση που έγινε στις 20
Ιουλίου 2012 στο Aurora Colorado
των 12 αθώων θυμάτων από τον
James Holmes, που τραυμάτισε
επίσης πάνω από 50 ανθρώπους εκ
των οποίων ορισμένοι ήταν και
είναι σε πολύ κρίσιμη κατάσταση
υγείας. Σο θλιβερό αυτό γεγονός
θα πρέπει να μας προβληματίσει
σοβαρά. Νέος άνθρωπος για να
φτάσει σε αυτό το σημείο ακραίας
βίαιης και βάναυσης πράξης
σημαίνει ότι εκτός από πιθανές
ψυχολογικές
και
ψυχωτικές
διαταράξεις
και
προβλήματα
κατευθύνθηκε
σε
αυτή
την
απάνθρωπη πράξη από τον
μισάνθρωπο και κακό διάβολο. Σο
αποτέλεσμα
‘‘ΘΑΝΑΣΟ΢’’
οδυνηρός, διότι τα «τά γάρ ὀψώνια
τῆς ἁμαρτίας θάνατος, τό δέ
χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ ζωή αἰώνιος ἐν
Φριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν»,
(Ρωμ. στ΄ 23).
Με την ανατολή του καινούργιου
Εκκλησιαστικού
χρόνου
ατενίζοντας το ΢ΣΑΤΡΟ του
Κυρίου μας θα πρέπει να
αναλογιστούμε τις ευθύνες μας
κληρικοί, λαϊκοί, γονείς, δάσκαλοι,
παιδαγωγοί και όλοι γενικά οι
ορθόδοξοι χριστιανοί, απέναντι
στην νεολαία μας και το μέλλον το
οποίο κτίζουμε για αυτήν. Δίνουμε
άραγε τα κατάλληλα εφόδια
πνευματικά,
θρησκευτικά,
πολιτιστικά
και
παιδαγωγικά
στους νέους μας, έτσι ώστε να
γίνουν ευγενικοί, πιστοί, ταπεινοί,
σώφρονες
αλτρουιστικοί και
δημιουργικοί άνθρωποι για την
κοινωνία, την οικογένειά τους και
την ενορία τους; Εάν Ναι, τότε
αδελφοί μου θα έχουμε λιγότερα
οδυνηρά γεγονότα όπως αυτό που
έγινε στο Aurora του Colorado,
τότε! το Υως της ζωής, της
αλληλεγγύης, της αγάπης, και της
αιωνιότητας θα λάμψει από τον
ματωμένο και ζωοφόρο ΢ταυρό
του Κυρίου μας και η Αναστάσιμη
χαρά
και
ευφροσύνη
θα
αναζωογονήσει
αυτόν
τον
κουρασμένο κόσμο.
Εύχομαι
στα
μέλη
του
Εκκλησιαστικού
΢υμβουλίου,
όλους
τους
προέδρους
των
εκκλησιαστικών
οργανώσεων,
τους μαθητές του Κατηχητικού και
Ελληνικού ΢χολείου της ενορίας
μας, και σε όλους του ευσεβείς
ενορίτες
της
Μητροπολιτικής
ενορίας του Αγ. Ιωάννου του
Θεολόγου, καλό και ευλογημένο το
νέο Εκκλησιαστικό Έτος.
Μετά πατρικών ευχών:
Αιδ. Οικ. Π. Λέκκας

Οι εικόνες στο σπίτι και στη ζωή μας
Κάθε οικογένεια, όταν συγκροτήσει το
σπιτικό
της,
ένα
δωμάτιο
το
χρησιμοποιεί ως χώρο υποδοχής των
επισκεπτών της. ΢το δωμάτιο αυτό
υπάρχουν διάφορες φωτογραφίες. Είναι
φωτογραφίες ζώντων και κεκοιμημένων
προσώπων,
πού
συνδέουν
και
παρουσιάζουν την οικογένεια με την
ιστορία της.
΢ε κάθε Ορθόδοξο σπίτι θα πρέπει να
υπάρχουν και ιερές εικόνες ‘‘Σο
εικονοστάσι’’ η στο χώρο υποδοχής των
ξένων η σε ξεχωριστό χώρο. Η εικόνα
του Φριστού, της Παναγίας, εικόνα του
Αγίου πού ιδιαίτερα τιμά ή οικογένεια, ή
μία εικόνα πού έρχεται κληρονομιά από
το παρελθόν.
΢το
δωμάτιο
της
Ορθόδοξης
οικογένειας θα πρέπει να υπάρχουν τα
στέφανα μέσα σε κασετίνα με εικόνα τού
Φριστού και της Παναγίας, και ό
Εσταυρωμένος πάνω από κάθε κρεβάτι
όλων των μελών της οικογενείας. Καλό
θα είναι στο δωμάτιο των αγοριών να
υπάρχουν οι εικόνες με τούς Αγίους πού
έχουν τα ονόματα τους και στο δωμάτιο
των
κοριτσιών
αντιστοίχως.
΢το
εικονοστάσι
της
οικογένειας
το
αναμμένο καντήλι φέρνει Υώς Φριστού
στο σπίτι.
Αλήθεια, τί προσφέρουν οι άγιες
εικόνες στη ζωή της οικογένειας. Η
εικόνα ενθυμίζει την πίστη της
Εκκλησίας μας, την πίστη πού θέλει τον
χριστιανό να νιώθει εγγύτητα προς το
εικονιζόμενο πρόσωπο. Οι εικόνες μας
θυμίζουν τη ζωή του Φρίστου, τα
θαύματα Σου, τις ευλογίες Σου στα
παιδιά, τη δράση Σου, τον Μυστικό
Δείπνο και τόσα άλλα. Η εικόνα της
Θεοτόκου μας θυμίζει ότι Εκείνη είναι ή
Μητέρα όλων μας. Είναι αυτή πού
πρεσβεύει κάθε στιγμή στον Φριστό, τον
Τιό της, για τη σωτηρία μας. Οι εικόνες
δεν είναι απλώς διακοσμητικοί πίνακες,
αλλά μας φέρνουν σε επαφή με τα
εικονιζόμενα πρόσωπα, - τους Αγίους -,
που μάς ακούν, βλέπουν και πρεσβεύουν
για τα αιτήματα των προσευχομένων.
Ναι δοκιμάστε, αν θέλετε, θα το δείτε κι
εσείς.
Είναι
εικόνες
ζωντανών
προσώπων
πού
έζησαν
κάποτε,
μαρτύρησαν την αλήθεια του Φριστού,
αλλά και εξακολουθούν να ζουν. Γι’
αυτό και ακούν τις προσευχές μας και
βοηθούν να έλθουν λύσεις στα
προβλήματα μας με την ευλογία του
Θεού. ΑΜΗΝ!
A PRAYER CORNER IN THE HOME!
A family altar - PRAYER CORNER - is
vital to every Orthodox home! Why?
It unifies the family and sweetens
home life. It cultivates the grace of
the Holy Spirit and relieves tension
and
misunderstanding
that
sometimes threaten the fellowship of
the home. It yields spiritual resources
for daily tasks and assists us in
cultivating dependence upon God. It
strengthens us in the face of
adversities and disappointments and
enables us to trust Christ implicitly in
all of life’s circumstances. It makes
us conscious during the day of the
abiding presence of our Lord. It bears
an Orthodox witness to the guests in
our home. It affords opportunity for
the Orthodox family to pray for and
to sharpen its concern for the worldat-large. It helps us to give a right
place to spiritual values and saves us
from an undue concern for the
temporal things of life. It encourages
us to put Orthodoxy into practice in
our homes. It honors God and
provides an excellent outlet for the
expression of our gratitude for the
abundance of daily mercies and
blessings which come from Him. If we
have always wanted to establish a
family altar in our home, but don’t
know how to go about it, our priests
are more than happy to assist us
in this holy endeavor!
Fr.P.L.
FR. PANAGIOTI’S MESSAGE
Welcome back !!
As we begin a new Ecclesiastical year,
let us thank our Heavenly Father for a restful
summer that he has granted us and for all His
abundant blessings that He has bestowed
upon us.
September 1st is the first day of the
Ecclesiastical year as decreed by the First
Ecumenical Council. The Orthodox Church
honors this day for three significant events.
1. The occasion when our Lord entered
the synagogue and opened the Book
of Isaiah, read the passage where the
Holy Prophet says about Him “The
spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
He has anointed me to preach the
good news unto the poor…to declare
the acceptable year of the Lord.”
2. September 1st was the first day of the
political and ecclesiastical year in the
Roman Byzantine Empire.
3. September also is the month the new
academic year begins as well as all the
ministries of our Church.
Once again, families and all Christians will
return to their parishes and worship the
Christian God as members of the Church,
extending also our gratitude for all His
blessings at all times. Through our constant
participation in the sacramental life of our
Church we will be able to achieve our spiritual
perfection.
There are many important feast days in
the Church calendar during the month of
September such as the “Nativity of the Virgin
Mary and Mother of our Lord”,
the feast day of Saint Symeon the Stylite and
other saints who served and forfeited their
lives for Christ and spread the word of the
Gospel.
The most significant feast of all in the
month of September though, is the Feast day
of “The Elevation of the Venerable and Lifegiving Cross” of our Lord which we celebrate
on September 14th. The cross was the most
despised means for execution, suffering, and
death for the condemned people but has
been transferred by Christ into “the symbol of
God’s unconditional love” and “unique
sacrifice” for mankind.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross,
gave the most crucial battle against Satan on
behalf of mankind and went through
conquered death, immortality, pain and
sorrow. Jesus became the first born of the
dead. Our Lord with His crucifixion destroyed
the power of Satan over human nature and
returned mankind to his original position as
he had been created by God. The “precious
cross of our Lord” is the symbol of instruction
as well as inspiration.
Our Lord set the example of living a
simple and righteous life. He taught us a way
of living, a philosophy of life that is the true
Christian life, which involves the denial of
ego, selfish desires and wants. The Orthodox
Christian serves Christ not self. Christ’s way
may be difficult but it is the only way that
leads to eternal life. In the eternal life, there
will be no pain, sorrow and suffering but an
everlasting, joyful participation in God’s glory.
During the 21st century we, as
Christians have endured difficult times.
Difficulties come to every life, especially to
Christians, after the sunshine comes the
shadow, because Satan floods every path
with pain, illness and death. Where can we
look for comfort, console, guidance and help?
Certainly to the cross, surely to Christ and the
radiant light of this resurrection that led
millions of saints, martyrs, confessors to
profess the only true and loving God and
preach to the world about an awesome God,
Christ’s church, and the New Testament.
The devil has subjugated our world
with egocentrics, intolerance, immorality,
materialism and distracts mankind from
spirituality, awareness, loving God and
following the Christian path, especially the
church.
Within the church and the Grace of the
Holy Spirit, man will overcome anything
moral and secular that alienates him from
God.
Not too long ago, our nation
experienced a terrible tragedy in Aurora,
Colorado where 12 innocent victims lost their
lives and another 50 were seriously wounded
from the gunfire that James Holmes opened
on them. We have to really think why such a
massacre like the one above would ever
occur. Why would a young man like Holmes
reach to extreme violence and brutality? Even
though the media has stated that he had
psychological and psychotic problems, the
fact that he could commit such an inhumane
and evil action to this magnitude, we must
recognize that only Satan can do such a thing.
The result of sinning is death, painful
experience, “for the ways of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.” (Roman. 6-23)
In the dawn of the New Ecclesiastical
year, the Orthodox Church’s Precious cross of
our Lord and Savior strives to remind us all,
clergy, lay-people, teachers, educators,
parents and all Orthodox Christians of our
responsibilities toward our youth and
especially building and establishing the right
foundation for their future. If we lead our
youth to the church and teach them about
nobility,
faith,
humility,
altruism,
philanthropy and how to achieve intimacy
with Christ then they will become faithful
Orthodox followers of Christ, who will
become beneficial members of society, family
and parish.
I assure you then, my brothers, that in
the future of our country, we will have less
tragedies like the one in Colorado. The day
will come when our world will be filled with
solidarity, kindness, affection, philanthropy,
joy, prosperity and all these precious ideals
that ‘The precious cross” of Christ symbolizes.
The world will be revived from Satan and his
adversaries.
I wish to the Parish Council members,
the presidents of all the organizations of our
parish, the students of the Greek afternoon
school, the Sunday school students, and the
teachers and to all the faithful parishioners of
The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral
of St. John the Theologian a blessed, joyful
and prosperous new Ecclesiastical year.
Fr. P.L.
Dean
President’s Message:
Dear Fellow Stewards,
Welcome
back
to
a
new
Ecclesiastical year. I hope you had an
enjoyable and relaxing summer. As I write
this article, all of our church organizations
have begun their new and exciting
agendas for the New Year and as always, it
will be a busy one. This should come as no
surprise considering the vibrancy and
diversity of our community.
This past week, we welcomed His
Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos who
officiated during Vesper and Feast day
services for our beloved Cathedral. Both
services were well attended by our
parishioners and guests from the
neighboring Greek Orthodox churches.
It was also a pleasure to meet the new
Chancellor
of
our
Metropolis,
Fr.
Konstantine Merninas who assisted with
the services. We wish him many blessed
years of service to our Diocese. I want to
thank our philoptochos for preparing the
Vesper service meal and sweets for our
honored guests and George Lilikas,
Marinos Lilikas and Mr & Mrs Nakopolos
for preparing the Feast Day luncheon.
Congratulations to Yianni Dongaris,
Elpitha Soussou, and Nicholas Cytowitz,
the winners of the St. John the Theologian
scholarship awards. We wish them the
best of luck in all their future endeavors. I
also want to thank the Taverna committee
for planning and delivering an awesome
Taverna Night celebration in honor of our
church's name day. Over 250 adults and
children enjoyed an evening of delicious
Greek food, excellent entertainment, and
terrific fellowship. A heartfelt thank you, to
all the individuals and church organizations
( PTO/MC, Philoptochos, Lambousa, and
Kali Parea ) for their donations and help to
make this event a tremendous success.
Looking ahead there are numerous key
dates to keep in mind. On Saturday,
October 20th from 9am – 1pm the Strategy
committee, chaired by Aris Chicles, will
host a second workshop to discuss the
results of the survey design by Jerry
Minetos last March. It will be a wonderful
forum to voice your opinion and help shape
the future of our church. Sunday,
November 4th,
we will have our 2nd
General Assembly of the year following
church service. The Cultural committee,
chaired by John Lignos, will be hosting two
events this fall. The first, an Art show by
the artist Zimarakis to be held in the Peace
Memorial Gymnasium on November 2nd,
3rd, and 4th. The second, the annual
Christmas concert on Sunday, December
16th. In addition, this is the year we are
hosting a New Year's Eve Celebration.
Since our Cathedral Ball was canceled due
to inclement weather, this past January, we
have rescheduled it for Saturday, March 9,
2013 at the Greycliff in Moonachie, NJ.
More details will follow. Plans for the first
stage of the Chapel Consecration are
underway with the official consecration
date scheduled for October 26th and 27th of
2013.
This past year, we were once again
blessed with successful fund raising
events.I want to thank George Tsougarakis
and Andreas Zigouras for their hard work in
order to secure a successful festival. We
netted over $100,000 again despite the
instability of the weather Friday night and
Sunday. The net would've been higher
however, we spent monies to purchase a
new “loukoumades” frier, a refrigerator, and
a new set of baking pans. Hence, no
longer will we need to borrow or rent
equipment from party suppliers. I want to
thank the Golf committee lead by Charlie
Pialtos for another wonderful and well run
golf outing at the Knickerbocker Country
Club. I also want to thank the Car Raffle
committee, lead by Stavro Soussou,
Andreas Zigouras, Gus Kramis, Maria
Kamilaris, and Xanthipi Nakopolos, for a
job well done. It's because of their
relentless efforts that the raffle was
successful.
During the summer months the B&G
committee was hard at work to ensure
several
maintenance
projects
were
completed such as, the cleaning of the
carpets, painting of the Greek School
classrooms and hallways, and power
washing of the bathrooms. The committee
entertained several bids for the Narthex
renovation from various contractors, only
two of which were serious offers, and
awarded the job to Nicos Contractors. We
expect the project to begin after the New
Year to be ready by Easter, 2013. A very
busy summer indeed.
As for me, I had the honor and
privilege to attend the 41st biannual
Archdiocese Clergy-Laity conference in
Phoenix, AZ in July. The theme for this
year's conference was “Chosen and
appointed by God to go and bear fruit”. It
was a wonderful experience for me and I
am happy to report that our Archdiocese is
working very diligently to help spread our
faith and the Lord's message. Perhaps the
most important program they have
developed is the use of social media in
order to reach out to our young people and
keep them connected with our faith. They
also have developed programs to help
churches succeed with stewardship, youth
social issues, and parish development to
name a few. In 2014 the conference will be
hosted by our Metropolis in Philadelphia,
PA. I strongly recommend to take
advantage of this and attend the
conference either as an observer or a
delegate. You will be fascinated by our faith
and how hard the Archdiocese is working
to help preserve and grow our faith.
As we begin the new Ecclesiastical year, I
pray that God blesses your homes, your
families and our beautiful Cathedral for
continued health and success.
Respectfully,
Demetrios Bayiokos, DMD
Parish Council President
St. John the Theologian Scholarships:
Congratulations to the proud recipients of
the Cathedral’s Scholarships:
Yianni Dongaris
Elpitha Soussou
Nicholas Cytowicz
The deadline for these applications are the
end of the summer and they are awarded
at the Vespers for St. John the Theologian.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
10/20/12
- Parish Council Strategy
Workshop 9am-1pm
11/2-4/12
- Art Show
11/4/12
- General Assembly
11/11/12
- Stewardship Sunday
11/15/12
- Christmas Fast Begins
12/2/12
- Parish Council Elections
12/16/12
- Christmas Concert
12/23/12
- Christmas Pageant &Party
12/31/12
- New Year’s Eve Party
3/9/13
- St. John’s Dinner Dance
***************************************
Come and get involved at the
Parish Council Strategy Workshops
Multiple topics being discussed:
 Christian Education – Identify target audiences
and design specific curricula and practical solutions
for each.
 Communication – Develop an effective,
integrated communications strategy and process
for religious, educational, cultural, philanthropic
and community events, activities and services.
 Volunteerism – Expand the number of
parishioners who contribute their time and talent.
 Personnel – Ensure that we have the right
personnel to optimize the ministries and
operations of the church.
 Create Young Adult Programs – Develop strategy
to reach out to this target audience (ages 18-30)
and create a thriving ministry and increased
participation in our church and community
The workhop will begin promptly at 9 AM and
we should be finished by 1 PM. Lunch and
refreshments will be served. Please try to join
this important effort as we point our parish's
compass towards the future.
Art Exhibit
– Kostas Zimarakis:
A Retrospective
The Metropolitan Cathedral of St.
John the Theologian will be hosting an Art
Exhibit for renowned Greek artist, Kostas
Zimarakis. On display will be his paintings
and monoprints which campture the beauty
and light of all things “Greek”. Inspired by
the colors that permeated his life as a child
growing up on the beautiful Aegean Island
of Chios, Zimarakis has produced exquisite
pieces, many of which will be on display in
New Jersey. The exhibit will run from
November 3rd through the 4th at the
Cathedral.
Cathedral Christmas Concert:
The Cathedral’s Annual Christmas
Concert promises to be a spectacular
event, being held this year on Sunday,
December 16th, 2012 at 6pm in the
Church Sanctuary. Professional and
talented amateur performers who we
have enjoyed in the past have all
been invited back again to perform for
the St. John Community. With a
reception to follow, mark your
calendar today!
Cathedral New Year's Eve Party
Monday, December 31, 2012
Event Committee being formed.
E-mail philip@philliou.com
Philoptochos
The “St. Philothea” Philoptochos of
our Cathedral is an affiliate of the National
Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos
Society, the philanthropic arm of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America. For
over eighty years, Philoptochos has upheld
the meaning of its name – “friend of the
poor” – by undertaking a multitude of
philanthropic programs in response to the
needs of individuals and families who live
in poverty, suffer debilitating disabilities,
face life-threatening illnesses and whose
lives have been devastated by disasters
such as fires and earthquakes, and by
family and societal issues of child abuse,
domestic
violence,
homelessness,
substance abuse and more. We provide
direct financial aid, emergency assistance
and social service referrals to improve the
quality of life of those in need, in a way that
maintains their dignity and self-respect.
We take this opportunity to extend our
sincere appreciation to our membership
and to our St. John community of
supporters whose hard work, benevolence
and kindness allow us to achieve our
goals.
During the summer I was able to
attend the National Philoptochos Biennial
Convention along with other delegates
from our chapter..
Summary of the 2012 National
Philoptochos Biennial Convention
The convention was held in Phoenix
Arizona on July 1-4th. This chapter was
very well represented with voting delegates
on all three levels. On the National level
we were represented by Mrs. Aspasia
Melis. On the Metropolis of NJ level, we
were represented by Mrs. Harriet Nikolaidis
and on the local parish level we were
represented by Mrs. Barbara Kostakis and
Mrs. Stella Baker. Also present at the
Convention
was
Mrs.
Paulette
Geanacopoulos, National Philoptochos
Office Social Worker Director, who gave a
very informative presentation on Domestic
Violence and also reported on the Social
Service department of the Philoptochos.
The convention was hosted by the
San Francisco Metropolis and 397
members registered to attend. The theme
of the Philoptochos convention was
“Chosen and Appointed by God to Go and
Bear Fruit”: Offering Healing, Peace and
Hope. This was also a special year,
because the Philoptochos is celebrating 80
Years of Philanthropy.
The Metropolis of New Jersey took
FIRST
PLACE
in
the
Metropolis
Membership Award with a full 3% increase
in membership throughout the Metropolis.
Our chapter received the award for paying
100% of our 2010 & 2011 National Ministry
Commitments. Our chapter was also noted
as a “sponsor chapter”; we paid for the
registration fee so that another NJ chapter
could send a delegate to the convention.
It was reported that The National
Philoptochos Society distributed over 1.4
million dollars annually to its ministries,
programs, projects and special appeals.
This year’s Agape Award Winner
from the Metropolis of NJ was Alice Nicas
of Chapter 1021. However, our nominee,
Mrs. Marina Philliou is our winner and will
be recognized with a certificate.
A new prayer for the Philoptochos
was presented and will be read at every
meeting.
Two resolutions were passed. 1.
The National Philoptochos Society and all
Philoptochos chapters shall recognize
October as Breast Cancer Awareness
Month. 2. The National Philoptochos 75th
anniversary Founder Fund continue to
honor the founders of the National
Philoptochos
by
providing
financial
assistance to: a. Greek Orthodox older
adults and their families to assist with
funeral, housing, utility, unreimbursed or
uncovered medical expenses, home health
care, hospice, and safety equipment; b.
existing or proposed continuing care
facilities; and c. special projects that have
been proposed, reviewed and approved
through and RFP ( Request for Proposals)
process.
During a portion of the conference,
our National President reported on the
progress of the fundraising efforts for the
Philoptochos Center of Philanthropy. Over
2.1 million dollars have been collected and
another 1.2 million needs to be collected.
Mrs. Aphrodite Skeadas announced that
there would be a “Tree of Giving” which will
be
displayed
prominently
in
the
Philoptochos Center of Philanthropy. All
chapters that donate $1000 or more to this
special project will have their names
featured on an individual leaf. Our chapter
made the $1000 pledge at the convention
and over $200,000 was either pledged by
chapters, or individuals present at the
convention.
A portion of the conference is set
aside for testimonials. One was made by a
former student from St Basil’s Academy
and her accomplishments. After entering
the Academy at the age of six, she is now
a high school counselor. The others were:
OC/MC – missionary work in the Congo –
there are 40 mission priests in the Congo
and Philoptochos fully supports them,
OCF( Orthodox Christian Fellowship
Campus Ministry) – a bridge between
GOYA and college students; IOCC –
presentation on Podoconiosis in Ethiopia
(Podoconiosis is a type of Elephantiasis –
leg swelling- found in subsistence farming
communities in the tropics), and the need
for shoes; HC/HC- celebrating their 75th
year.
The National Office is launching a
Social Media Campaign which will include
blogs, facebook, podcasts, emails etc.
The highlight of the presenters was
Nick Katsoris, the author of the five
children’s book series, Loukoumi, which
teaches children to do good deeds and to
follow your dreams. He worked on the
Newsletter and was a member of our
Cathedral. Mr. Katsoris announced that
he will be donating $4 per book to the
Philoptochos and will also donate one book
for every book sold to the Philoptochos
Literacy Program. He is also very active
with St. Judes hospital especially the
Distraction Room.
The presentation on Domestic
Violence was very informative. It was a
three panel presentation with Paulette
Geanacopoulos LMSW as the moderator.
Over 4,000,000 people are affected each
year. 1:4 women are affected by either
physical or sexual violence. The Domestic
Hotline is 800.799.7233 (SAFE)
At every convention it is customary
that we support a local charity. So at this
convention the Philoptochos supported the
United Methodist Outreach Missions
(UMOM) New Day Care Center. This is
the largest homeless shelter for families in
Arizona. Each chapter was asked to bring
a gift card and it was announced that over
$7,000.00 was collected for this endeavor.
It was announced that the
Metropolis of Pittsburgh will be hosting the
Children’s Medical Luncheon on October
12, 2013.
In conclusion we must remember
that we are a ministry, a sisterhood, NOT
an organization.
We returned home
invigorated to serve others and spread the
light of Jesus Christ through our acts of
philanthropy.
After attending the
convention one fully recognizes the
magnitude of giving and outreach that each
chapter gives and its relationship to the
National Philoptochos.
May we be
strengthened by God to go and bear fruit.
As we start the new Ecclesiastical
Year I wish a blessed and productive year
for our chapter and look forward to working
with you on the many events and
commitments we have scheduled. On
behalf of the St. Philothea chapter of the
Ladies Philoptochos Society I thank you for
your cooperation over the past year and
anticipate your help in the upcoming year.
Schedule of Events 2012-2013
-September 19 **(Wednesday)**
BOARD/GENERAL
MEETING #1
-September 25(Tuesday)Vespers – Name Day of the
Church
-September 26(Wednesday)-Name Day of the Church
-September 29(Saturday)- Taverna Night @ Church
-October 2(Tuesday)
Board Meeting @ 7:30 pm
-October 7(Sunday)-Memorial Service for Deceased
Members
-October 13(Saturday)St. Basil Academy Luncheon
-October 23(Tuesday)- GENERAL MEETING #2 Breast Cancer Awarenes
-October 27(Saturday)St. Basil Academy Visitation
-November 6(Tuesday)- Board Meeting
th
-Week of November 4
Baking of Pitas and Sweets
-November 22(Thursday)
Thanksgiving
-November 27(Tuesday)- GENERAL MEETING #3
-December 4(Tuesday)-December 2(Sunday)-December 11(Tuesday)-December 13 (Saturday)-
Board Meeting
Holiday Bazaar
Christmas Party @ Season’s
St. Basil Academy Christmas
Pageant
-December 16(Sunday)- Vasilopita Sale
-December 23(Sunday)- Vasilopita Sale
-December 25(Tuesday)- Christmas
-December 30(Sunday)- Vasilopita Sale
-December 31(Monday)- New Year’s Eve Party@Church
2013
January 1(Tuesday)January 8(Tuesday)January 13(Sunday)January 22(Tuesday)February 5(Tuesday)February 18(Monday)February 19(Tuesday)February 23(Saturday)February 26(Tuesday)March 5(Tuesday)March 18
March 24(Sunday)March 26(Tuesday)April 2(Tuesday)April 7(Sunday)April 28(Sunday)-
New Year’s Day
Board Meeting
Vasilopita Luncheon
GENERAL MEETING #4–
membership & budget
Board Meeting
Vespers Services,St.Philothea
St. Philothea’s Name Day
St. Michael’s Visitation
GENERAL MEETING #5Election Screening
Board Meeting
st
(Monday)1 Compline Service
(Lenten Dinner)
Sunday of Orthodoxy
GENERAL MEETING #6
Board Meeting
Greek Independence Day Parade
Palm Sunday – 2 Services
May 5(Sunday)May 7(Tuesday)-
Easter
Vespers for St. John the
Theologian
nd
May 8(Wednesday)2 Name Day of the Church
May 8-10
Pites making for the Festival
May 12(Sunday)Mother’s Day
May 14(Tuesday)Board Meeting
May 13 or 20
NJ Metropolis Meeting /Award Dinner
May 21(Tuesday)GENERAL MEETING –
ELECTIONS**
May 29(Wednesday) Prepare and cut sweets for festival
May 30 – June 2
Festival
June 5(Tuesday)Board Meeting
June 8/15(Saturday)St. Basil’s Graduation
Save the Dates: These are other events or
fundraisers that are done in order meet all
our commitments:
Cakeless Bake Sale – during October
Christmas Cards Sale, start in late October
Christmas pastries & pites order
Feed the Homeless
Lord & Taylor Fundraiser – usually in April
Hermes Expo – April 13, 2013
Sale of the Luminaries for Holy Friday
****Date for Major Fundraiser TBA****
Sincerely,
Barbara Kostakis ,President
P.T.O. Mother's Club
Welcome back to all returning
families and a big WELCOME to all new
families in our Greek School and Sunday
School programs. We hope everyone had
a wonderful summer and are ready for
another school year filled with the promise
of growth, learning and fun for our children.
The PTO Mother's Club is actively
engaged in activities that promote Greek
education, language, religion, heritage and
culture as well as raising money to support
both the Greek School and Sunday School
programs.
Our largest fundraiser is the annual
Tricky Tray auction where hundreds of
baskets and prizes are raffled throughout
the evening. The date of the event is
Thursday, November 15th at 6:30pm in the
Fr. Tsamultalis Cultural Center. There are
many ways you can help our event be a
huge success such as making a monetary
or gift donation and attending the event
with your friends. Over 350 people from the
church and community attend the Tricky
Tray each year and look forward to the
next year's event.
There will be a General PTO
meeting on Tuesday, December 11 in the
Atrium at 4:30pm. All parents of students in
the Greek School or Sunday School
program are welcome to attend.
If you have any questions about the
PTO Mother's Club, please don't hesitate
to reach out to us. Looking forward to
seeing you at the Tricky Tray Auction!
Eleni Kolefas and Eva Battaglia,
PTO Co-Presidents
Kali Parea News:
Our first meeting of the new ecclesiastical
year was held on Tuesday September 18,
2012. Many attended, despite a forecast of
possible tornados. We happily greeted one
another after the summer hiatus.
Our new officers and steering committee
were affirmed in church on Sunday
September 23rd, they include:
Fred Selsky: President
Connie Kessisoglou Vice President
Helen Vanides Treasurer
Bessie Theodorou Recording Secretary
Mae Savas Corresponding Secretary
On the same Sunday a “mnimosino” was
chanted for the repose of the souls of all
our deceased members and an “artoclasia”
was offered for the health and welfare of
our entire membership.
In recent news, we bought and donated a
new freezer to the parish, to be used by
Father Panayioti for storing the “prosfora”.
In addition, we will be purchasing and
preparing fresh fruit platters for the parish
“Taverna Night” planned for Saturday
September 29, 2012.
Looking ahead, we have an enthusiastic
response to our upcoming bus trip to the
National 9/11 Memorial in New York City
scheduled for Tuesday October 9, 2012.
The trip includes a visit to the 9/11
Memorial at Ground Zero, lunch at Kellari
Taverna, a bus tour of NYC sights and
finally a visit to the Top of the Rock.
Our next meetings will be held on Tuesday
October 16th and Tuesday November 20th
both at 1 pm.
Also mark your calendars for our annual
Christmas Celebration on Thursday
December 6th, 2012 at Madelines.
Information will be forthcoming. In addition,
we are planning a trip to West Point for a
musical and dinner. We are in the process
of gathering information for the Church
Dinner Dance to be held at The Graystone
Restaurant. As in previous years, we are
planning to show several Greek films with
English subtitles.
We welcome all to our meetings, trips and
various upcoming events. To paraphrase
an old TV show: put a little fun in your life join Kali Parea!
Helen Cocotos
JOY: Junior Orthodox Youth
The Junior Orthodox Youth, or JOY,
is the ministry to 3rd through 6th grade
children
of
the
Greek
Orthodox
Archdiocese of America.
We see our purpose here in running
our JOY, is for your kids to come and have
fun. We hope they will build a strong
connection with our church, as well as,
building lifelong friendships. Through fun
activities including outreach projects, faith
enrichment, trips and fund raising events
this is the time to introduce your child to
JOY.
It will truly encourage new
friendships that will help them transition
into GOYA.
We had our first meeting the first
Friday in October. We will send out an email informing you of all the details for
future meetings. Please pass this along to
all of your Greek Orthodox friends with
children in grades 3rd through 6th.
Hope we see all your children there!
Kalli Xronia everyone!
Litsa & Penny
GOYA:
September has come and gone
once again, and the Ecclesiastical year is
off to a great start, especially for the
teenagers of our community. Sunday
school is back in session, and meetings fill
the GOYA room on Friday nights.
Last May, we left off with Olympics.
The competition was as heated as the
track, and Tenafly brought home its fair
share of medals. We said goodbye to our
seniors, and promised to keep in touch.
Now, as we welcome new
members, we begin to fill our calendars
once again. The first meeting of the year
took place on Friday, September 14th,
where we went over usual business and
introduced the new board members. On
the 17th, Andrew Stavrou and I, Harry
Economos,
attended
the
state
President/Vice President meeting to meet
up with this years GOYA leaders.
Of course, Andrew doesn’t just sit down to
meetings. On Sunday, the 16th, we went to
Asbury Park for the celebration of the
Exaltation of the Cross, or Cross Toss,
where Andrew Stavrou, Zoe Ferranti,
Francesco Spaccavento, and Vikki Lekkas
dove for the cross on behalf of Tenafly.
We officially started the year in style
on Friday the 28th with the Kick-Off Dance
in Asbury Park, where we brushed off our
Greek dance skills and each other’s shoes
in Zembekiko.
End of year JOY group shot
On Saturday the 22nd, many
GOYAns and parents alike went to St.
Athanasios church in Paramus to get
tested to see if they were a bone marrow
match for Benjamin Venezia of Paramus.
Benjamin is living with Acute Myeloid
Leukemia, and is searching for a match.
Looking ahead, on the 7th of
October, we will go to the Mr./Miss Goya
Pageant, where Epatia Lilikas and I will
compete to represent not only our church,
but our state for the rest of the GOYA year.
We hope to do our best to make this
another amazing year.
See you in church!
Harry Economos
NOTE: After the writing of this article, both
Epatia and Harry performed admirably at
the Mr/Mrs Pageant,and Harry was
awarded 1st place at the in the “Mr” part of
the Competition.
GOYA: Olympics Results:
Girls Soccer Team: 3rd Place
Volleyball Team: 2nd Place
Junior Boys
-1st Place, 100m: Peter Bayiokos
-1st Place, 400m: Peter Bayiokos
-3rd Place, 4x100 Relay:
Andrew Acevedo, Peter Drake,
Andoni Tsougarakis, Peter Bayiokos
-1st Place, 4x400 Relay:
Andrew Acevedo, Peter Drake,
Andoni Tsougarakis, Peter Bayiokos
-1st Place, Long Jump: Peter Bayiokos
-3rd Place, Long Jump: Andrew Acevedo
-2nd Place, Shot Put: Andrew Acevedo
-3rd Place, Shot Put: Andoni Tsougarakis
Senior Girls
2nd Place, 100m:
Marissa Solonos
rd
3 Place, 400m: Marissa Solonos
Senior Boys
2nd Place, Mile:
Alexander Mikelis
nd
2 Place, Shot Put: Andreas Tzavelis
3rd Place, Marathon: Alexander Mikelis
Swimming
Junior Girls
Indoor Olympics Events:
Checkers:
Yianni Mitropoulos 3rd
Backgammon: Andoni Tsougarakis 3rd
Chess:
Peter Drake 1st
Table Tennis:
Peter Drake 1st
Wii Football:
Yianni Mitropoulos 1st
Wii Badminton: Peter Bayiokos 2nd
Table Tennis:
Stephanie Zavolas 3rd
Outdoor Olympics: Track & Field
Junior Girls
-2nd Place, 4x200 Relay:
Georgia Schindele, Amanda Barbarise,
Katerina Solonos, Elena Mikelis
-1st Place, Shotput: Cassandra Chicles
-3rd Place, Softball: Amanda Barbarise
-1st Place, 50 Free: Elena Dongaris
-2nd Place, 50 Back: Elena Dongaris
-1st Place, 50 Butterfly: Elena Dongaris
Senior Girls
-2nd Place, 50 Free: Alexandra Hilaris
-2nd Place, 50 Breast: Alexandra Hilaris
Senior Boys
-2nd Place, 50 Free: Yianni Dongaris
-1st Place, 50 Breast: Yianni Dongaris
-2nd Place, 50 Butterfly: Yianni Dongaris
nd
Relays- 2 Place, 200 Medley Relay:
Nick Hilaris, Yianni Dongaris,
Alexandra Hilaris, Elena Dongaris
-1st Place, 200 Freestyle Relay,
Harry Economos, Yianni Dongaris,
Alexandra Hilaris, Elena Dongaris
St. John’s 2012 Outdoor Olympic’s GOYAns
Our Ms & Mr. Goya, Epatia Lilikas & Harry Economos
Boy Scouts:
We had an Eagle
Ceremony for Stephen Coyle, Raza Zaidi,
Peter Lilikas, and Christos Kaparos on
June 24th. Many people showed up to
honor and speak about the four scouts and
their accomplishments leading up to their
Eagle status. The overall Court of Honor
was a success, and we are all proud of our
four brand new eagles, and I am looking
forward to seeing more of our scouts attain
the
highest
rank
in
scouting.
We had twenty-seven scouts attend
Camp Turrell, our annual scout summer
camp. During the six nights spent there,
our scouts attend different merit badge
sessions, where scouts have the
opportunity to complete various merit
badges throughout the week. Our younger
scouts are encouraged to participate in
Pathfinder, which is a program designed to
help young scouts learn the basic skills
and move up in ranking. At the end of the
week, there are multiple competitions
where troops compete for first place. Our
troop came in 1st place in the Iron Man
competition which was a race that
consisted of a biker, fire starters, knots
man, runner, two canoers, and a swimmer.
Troop 25 came in 2nd for Turrell's Water
Carnival, which is basically multiple events
that take place in water and on land. Our
Assistant Scout Master Don Florzack,
came in 1st place in the fishing derby for
his 14 inch Largemouth Bass. We also won
1st place in the shooting Trio, that
consisted of Dr. Hilaris and two other
scouts. Our scouts had another awesome
time at Camp Turrell and throughout the
entire year of scouts. Winning these
awards and participating in the various
competitions was a great way to end this
year of scouting. We can't wait until next
year!
We sent 8 scouts and 2 adults to
our high adventure camp in the
Adirondacks, Camp Floodwood. They
spent a week canoeing, camping and
hiking in the Saranac Lake area. It was a
week in the true outdoors.
This Fall we just came back from
the Eastern Orthodox Religious Retreat up
at St. Basils. There were 100 scouts for 10
different Girl, Boy and Cub units from New
Jersey, New York, Connecticut and
Arizona. The Seminarians came down from
Holy Cross and put on Workshops and
entertained at our Campfire. Thank You to
Mr. Spaccavento for preparing the
delicious dinner for the Retreat.
We look forward to this year of
activities. Come and join us.
Andrew Acevedo, Senior Patrol Leader
Eagle Scouts Stephen Coyle, Christos
Kaparos, Petros Lilikas & Raza Zaidi.
Baptisms:
07/28/2012 M/M Pietro (Peter) Maio for
Christina Maria / Χριστίνα Μαρία with
Kyriaki and Chrysanthi Petrou as the
Godparents.
07/28/2012 M/M Michael Antona for Sofia /
Σοφία with Orthodoxia Michail as the
Godparent.
07/29/2012 Ms. Catherine Golfinopoulos for
Alexandra Theodora / Άλεξάνδρα Θεοδώρα
with Anthony Rezitis as the Godparent.
09/08/2012 M/M Cyprian Lawrence for
Giorgia / Γεωργία with Romeo and Stanca
Ionita as the Godparents.
09/29/2012 M/M Michael Vargas for Sienna
Belle / Στεργιάννα with Vicky Seretis Allen as
the Godparent.
08/26/2012
Evangelos Z.
Theologis and Jennie E. Priovolos with
Catherine Eftihia Giourgas and
Gregory Mantekas as Paranymphoi.
09/09/2012
Constantine G.
Binas and Janine Martella with Violet
Georgia Gerontis as Paranymphos.
09/23/2012
John S. Gonnella
and Jessica S. Holmberg with Jeffrey
Michael Holmberg and Jarrod Seth
Holmberg as Paranymphoi.
09/30/2012
Vasilios Tsagaratos
and Anastasia Gallios with Paul
Hourmouzis as Paranymphos.
Funerals:
07/13/2012
James Gus Poulos
Chrismations:
08/17/2012
Leo Strezou
09/20/2012
Jessica L. Patentas
/ Άγγελική with Michalia (Patentas)
Day as the Godparent.
09/01/2012
Peter Molfetas
09/10/2012
James J. Gallas
Weddings:
07/14/2012
Douglas C.
Philibosian and Katerina (Tina)
Laoudis with Christina Laoudis as
Paranymphos.
09/29/2012 Nicholas Moustakas
10/11/2012
William Caras
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