O Come Let Us Adore Him - Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church

Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
January 2008
Monthly / Issue No. 1
Trans-a-Gram
Rev. Demetrios T. Costarakis, Pastor
Nicholas G. Pappas, Editor
Inside this issue
Epiphany Service ..…………. 2
Epiphany falls on a
Sunday this year (Jan.
6), which will make it
possible for many
more parishioners to
participate in the
Blessing of the Water service.
Since that also is the day of the
Vasilopita ceremony, the Divine
Liturgy will begin one-half hour
earlier at 9:30 a.m.
Philoptochos Tea …….…….. 4
More than 200 people – men,
women and children – enjoyed a
wonderful afternoon at the Ladies
Philoptochos Society’s 54th-annual
Benefit Tea on Dec. 2 in the church
hall. The theme of the event was
“Tea, Bags & More,” and entertainment was provided by Peking &
the Mystics, an a cappella group
that sang the hits from yesteryear.
Family Night ….…….…...….. 6
There was no shortage of gingerbread houses – or pizza, for that
matter – for the parish’s annual
Family Night on Dec. 14 in the
church hall. More than 150 people
ventured out on a Friday night to
decorate 45 gingerbread houses
and share in the spirit of Christmas.
Mortgage update ………….. 7
The mortgage elimination program
for 2007-08 has raised nearly
$30,000 in pledges from 105 families or individuals through midDecember. The goal of the program
is to raise an average contribution
of $300 from 300 families.
O Come Let Us Adore Him
Christine Nigzus and Boris Stanchev played the roles of Mary and Joseph during the
Sunday’s School’s presentation of the Christmas pageant on Sunday, Dec. 23, after
the Divine Liturgy. The baby Jesus was portrayed this year by Cameron Caron, the
son of Christopher and Stacy Caron. More photos on Page 7. (Photo by Nick Pappas)
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 2
Epiphany is the shining forth of God
The sixth of January is the feast of the
Epiphany. Originally it was the one
Christian feast of the “shining forth” of
God to the world in the human form of
Jesus of Nazareth. It included the celebration of Christ’s birth, the adoration of
the Wisemen, and all of the childhood
events of Christ such as his circumcision
and presentation to the temple as well
as His baptism by John in the Jordan. There seems to be
little doubt that this feast, like Easter and Pentecost, was
understood as the fulfillment of a previous Jewish festival, in this case the Feast of Lights.
Epiphany means shining forth or manifestation. The feast
is often called, as it is in the Orthodox service books,
Theophany, which means the shining forth and manifestation of God. The emphasis in the present day celebration is on the appearance of Jesus as the human Messiah
of Israel and the divine Son of God, One of the Holy Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Thus, in the baptism by John in the Jordan, Jesus identifies himself with sinners as the “Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29), the “Beloved” of the
Father whose messianic task it is to redeem men from
their sins (Lk 3:21, Mk 1:35). And he is revealed as well as
One of the Divine Trinity, testified to by the voice of the
Father, and by the Spirit in the form of a dove.
The services of Epiphany are set up exactly as those of
Christmas, although historically it was most certainly
Christmas which was made to imitate Epiphany since it
was established later. Once again the Royal Hours and
the Liturgy of Saint Basil are celebrated together with
Epiphany service to start at 9:30
This year, Epiphany falls on Sunday,
Jan. 6. This provides everyone with an
opportunity to participate in the Service
of the Blessing of the Water, which is
missed by so many normally when the
Feast Day falls on a weekday. This is excellent because we will each have an opportunity to take part in commemorating the Baptism of
our Lord and to bless the water at the conclusion of the
Divine Liturgy. Following the Divine Liturgy and Agiasmo (blessing of the water) will be the Vasilopita cutting. For this reason, the Divine Liturgy will begin at
9:30 a.m. Please make every effort to come for worship
on this Sunday.
House blessings: One of the most beautiful and oldest
traditions preserved by our Orthodox Church is the annual blessing of homes during the Epiphany season. If
you wish to have your home blessed, please contact Father Demetri at 978-458-4321 or e-mail him at [email protected] To prepare for the priest’s visit to
bless your home, please:
♦
♦
♦
(Continued on page 8)
HOW TO REACH US
Pastor: The Rev. Demetri Costarakis
Secretary: Jeanne Brady
WANTED
♦
Volunteers to help serve during the weekly coffee
hour. Please call coordinator Susan Pappas at
603-886-4717 or e-mail [email protected].
♦
Volunteers to provide dinner to mothers and children once a month at the House of Hope. Please
contact Lynne Karagianes at 978-459-7285.
♦
Anyone interested in placing an ad in the Transa-Gram to help offset the printing costs. Please
contact Editor Nick Pappas at 603-886-4717 or
[email protected] for more information.
Address: Father John Sarantos Way, Lowell, MA 01854
Telephone: 978-458-4321 Fax: 978-458-8726
Church e-mail: [email protected]
Father Demetri e-mail: [email protected]
Web page: www.transchurch.org
Office hours: Secretary: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.;
Priest: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Editor: Nick Pappas
Telephone: 603-886-4717
E-mail: [email protected]
Make a list of the first names of those family members you wish to pray for when the priest arrives.
The names should be for the living.
On your dining room table or family altar, place a
lighted candle, a Theophany icon or an icon of
Christ and a bowl with water.
Please secure any animals that may be in the home,
so they are not frightened as the priest goes from
room to room.
+ Father Demetri
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 3
Church Services
DECEMBER TRISAGIA
Schedule of Services
Sunday Orthros ….. 9 a.m.
(Additional Names)
Pauline Chouprakos
Divine Liturgy ….. 10 a.m.
JANUARY TRISAGIA
Special Services
Jan. 5 (Saturday) …..…………………… Eve of Theophony
Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m.
Jan. 6 (Sunday) …...…………………………….. Theophony
Divine Liturgy: 9:30 a.m.
Jan. 7 (Monday) …….……………….. St. John the Baptist
Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m.
Jan. 17 (Thursday) ……………………………. St. Anthony
Divine Liturgy: 9 am.
Jan. 18 (Friday) …...…………… St. Athanasios and Cyril
Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m.
Jan. 30 (Wednesday) …...………………… Three Hierarchs
Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m.
Sacraments
Funerals:
Georgia Metropolis of Lowell (Dec. 18)
May her memory be eternal!
Monthly Trisagia
Names of the deceased are read the first Sunday of each
month. Please send the names to be read in advance, listing the month you would like them read. If you would
like the name to be read in Greek, please include the
Greek spelling along with the English. If you have any
questions, call Dyanne Mitropoulis at 978-256-2056.
Oratorical Festival
The Transfiguration Parish Oratorical Festival will take
place on Sunday, March 2, following the Divine Liturgy
in the St. Sophia Chapel. Students in Grades 7-12 are
encouraged to participate. The Junior Division (Grades
7-9) and Senior Division (Grades 10-12) topics, tips and
bibliography are available on the archdiocese Web site
(www.goarch.org). Entries must be submitted by Sunday,
Jan. 27., to the church office. For further information
contact Yiota Simoglou or Patricia Mahoney.
(To be read Jan. 13)
Stella Anganes
Martin P. Martakos
Eugene Archambault
Mary T. Mastas
Ethel Ballas
Nancy (Gickas) McCutcheon
Afrodite Bavelas
Eva Merageas
Arthur Bavelas
Mary Metropolis
Katherine Betses
Stella Mitropoulos
Arthur Contos
Panagiota Molivas
Nicholas Contos
Eugene Moser
George A. Danas
Peter Moskovites
Stephen A. Danas
Pantelis Nicholaou
Anthony Dimitri
John Piazas
Lillian Economopoulos
Johnny Piazas
Aphrodite Galanis
Pauline Poulakos
Chrisanthy Gefteas
Peter Poulakos
Constantinos Georgacopoulos
Arthur Poulios
Marigo Georgacopoulos
Louis Sakelakos
Mary Kalavetinos
Polita Sakelakos
Soultana Kapsouris
Helen Skaperdas
Demetrios Koniditsiotes
Vasilios Stavrou
James Konstantinakos
Aristotle Tavoularis
Tula Konstantinakos
Carolyn Tavoularis
Stergios Koravos
Katherine Tavoularis
Charles Kostoulakos
Louis Tavoularis
Demetrios Kostoulakos
John Tavoularis
Georgia Kostoulakos
Anastasia Tournas
Marigo Kostoulakos
Chris Tournas
Speros Lazouras
George Tournas
Yianni Manelas
Joanne Tournas
Paraskevi Manolis
John Tournas
Daniel Marcopoulos
Stephanos Tournas
Continued on Page 14
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 4
CHURCH NEWS
Peking & the Mystics provided the lively entertainment at the Ladies Philoptochos Society’s 54thannual Benefit Tea on Dec. 2 in the church hall. The a cappella group performed songs from many
decades between the 1890s and the 1980s. (Photos by Arthur Sparages)
Tea, Bags & More
Philoptochos’ 54th-annual fundraiser hits the right note
By MELANIE PAPPAS
Tea Committee Member
T
he Ladies Philoptochos Society hosted its 54thannual Benefit Tea on Sunday, Dec. 2. The theme
for this year’s event was “Tea, Bags & More.” Approximately 210 guests attended and enjoyed an
afternoon of fellowship, music, and, of course, tea and
bags! Shopping bags, lunch bags and travel bags were
among the featured items.
After an invocation by Father Demetri, President Susan
Pappas and Metropolis Philoptochos President Diane
Miminos welcomed family and friends. Co-chairpersons
Olivia Sintros and Patricia Mahoney explained the theme
of the afternoon in their opening remarks, which were fol(Continued on page 5)
Patricia Mahoney, left, and Olivia Sintros served as the cochairpersons of the Ladies Philoptochos Society’s 54thannual Benefit Tea.
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 5
CHURCH NEWS
Tea, bags ...
(Continued from page 4)
lowed by the entertainment, refreshments and two raffles.
Entertainment for the event was
provided by Peking & the Mystics, a
singing group formed by graduates
from Tufts University who performed an eclectic a cappella repertoire of hits from the 1890s through
the 1980s. The group’s light-hearted
presentation peppered with humor
was well-received by those in attendance and made for a memorable
afternoon.
The Benefit Tea is the largest annual fund-raiser for the Ladies
Philoptochos Society, an organization whose mission is to promote the
charitable, benevolent and philanthropic purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Proceeds from the event will help to
provide aid on both the local and
national levels to all those who are
in need, including the poor, the aged,
the sick, the hungry and those affected by natural disasters.
Tea Committee
Father Demetri is joined by the women who played a leadership role in this year’s
Benefit Tea. Among the chairpersons were (front row, from left): Yiota Simoglou,
raffle; Patricia Mahoney, tea co-chairperson; Susan Pappas, Philoptochos president;
guest Diane Miminos, president of the Metropolis Philoptochos Board; Olivia Sintros, tea co-chairperson; and Elizabeth de la Torre, invitations and tickets; (back
row) Ann Tavoularis, super raffle; Lynne Karagianes, hostess; Soula Spaziani, super
raffle; Cathy Economou, entertainment; Sophia Quinn, raffle; Melanie Pappas, program design; Sandra Gulezian, hostess; Diane Ziagos, refreshments; Georgia Dristiliaris, refreshments, Angela Hastings, reservations; Nancy Lane, decorations; and
Annmarie Tsitsipas, refreshments. Missing from photo were Eleni Stavrou, refreshments, and Evanthea Vlahakis, publicity. (Photo by Arthur Sparages)
Parishioner Eva Dukakis passes on the tradition of making
biscotakia to granddaughters Evanthia, left, and Catherine
Tully. Later, the Greek cookies were served to guests at the
Philoptochos’ annual Benefit Tea. (Photo by Michael Tully)
Jack Mahoney, one of about a dozen men who attended this
year’s tea, peruses the hors d’oeuvres table that was set up
in the downstairs lobby outside the church hall. (Photo by
Arthur Sparages)
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 6
CHURCH NEWS
A true Transfiguration family event
Children of all ages
enjoy Family Night.
By SANDRA GULEZIAN
HOPE/JOY Coordinator
If you weren’t one of the more than
160 people in attendance at the Dec.
14 Family Night, you missed out.
We can tell you that 45 gingerbread
houses were made, 45 pizzas were
consumed and we had enough candy
and icing to decorate a life sized replica of the Parthenon!
It was a wonderful night where
families came to the church for a fun
night, to socialize with one another
and, of course, to decorate a gingerbread house together.
Dr. Dina Eliopoulos helps frost one of the gingerbread houses during Family Night
on Dec. 14 in the church hall. Lending their support are her husband, Dr. Sebastian
Sepulveda, and their two children, Isabella and Sebastian. (Photos by Marc Gulezian)
Thanks to the contributions of the
GOYA and HOPE and JOY, all the
gingerbread houses were donated;
the Ladies Philoptochos Society was
generous in its donation of the pizza
for all in attendance; and the Parish
Council and Men’s Guild contributed
to the cost of soda, supplies and
other overhead.
This night was an example of the
wonderful things that can happen
when the entire parish works together towards a common goal. We
look forward to more experiences in
2008.
Katrina McCann enjoys some quality family time
with children Athena and Dean. At right, Lexi
Koravos teams up with parish secretary Jeanne
Brady.
Family Night caps promising first year for HOPE and JOY
By SANDRA GULEZIAN
HOPE/JOY Coordinator
HOPE and JOY’s participation in
Family Night brought to a close an
eventful year that started with a
membership drive, roller skating
with the GOYA during April vacation, a family cookout and hike on a
perfect summer day in June, a day
trip to Canobie Lake Park in August, and some charitable work,
which included the stuffing of backpacks with school supplies for children in need.
Thank you to Andrea Garibaldi,
Lynne Karagianes and Katrina
McCann for being active advisers to
HOPE and JOY and to all parents
who have made this ministry important in the lives of their children.
If you have suggestions or would like
to receive e-mails regarding other
HOPE and JOY events, please email [email protected].
Happy and Healthy New Year to all
from the HOPE and JOY youth
groups!
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 7
CHURCH NEWS
Christmas Pageant
There were plenty of little lambs and donkeys when the Sunday School presented
its interpretation of the birth of Jesus on
Dec. 23. Joseph and Mary were played by
Boris Stanchev and Christine Nigzus,
while Cameron Caron portrayed the baby
Jesus. (Photos by Nick Pappas)
Mortgage program draws support from 105 families
By JIM MURPHY
Mortgage Elimination Chairman
The total amount of
pledges received for our
mortgage elimination
program as of Dec. 17
was $29,225, and we
have collected $28,150.
Only 105 families have made a
pledge for the 2007-08 mortgage
elimination program.
In November, I wrote what I considered a strong appeal to all parishioners to work together and eliminate
this debt. I asked you to put personal differences aside and focus on
our parish’s needs. I think it is im-
portant that you know that I was
approached by a number of parishioners regarding my appeal, and the
overall consensus was we need to
put our differences aside and work
together. I am asking everyone to
take their lead and make a contribution to the program
Another point of information I think
some of you should know is that I
did not vote in favor of the building
when it was presented during the
Parish Assembly; I was actually
against it. Even though I was
against the building, I have participated in every fundraising event for
the building since the building was
approved by the Parish Assembly.
Personal differences have to be put
aside when it comes to our church,
and I am once again making this
appeal. This is our parish, not mine
or yours but ours.
We need everyone to help eliminate
this debt. Remember the key here is
an average contribution of $300. No
contribution amount is too small.
I ask everyone to remember a $300
annual contribution is less than 83
cents per day. Commitments can be
paid monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually.
I am asking if you haven’t made a
pledge, please do so.
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 8
FEAST DAY OF THE MONTH
‘Filled with all the fullness of God’
This is what is celebrated on Epiphany, particularly in the Great Blessing of Water. The consecration of the
waters on this feast places the entire
world through its "prime element" of
watering the perspective of the cosmic creation, sanctification, and glorification of the Kingdom of God in
Christ arid the Spirit. It tells us that
man and the world were indeed created and saved in order to be “filled
with all the fullness of God” (Eph
3:19), the “fullness of him who fills
all in all” (Eph 1:22).
(Continued from page 2)
Vespers on the eve of the feast; and
the Vigil is made up of Great Compline and Matins. The prophecies of
Epiphany repeat the God is with us
from Isaiah and stress the foretelling of the Messiah as well as the
coming of his forerunner, John the
Baptist: (Is 40:3-5; Lk 3:4-6).
Once more special psalms are sung
to begin the Divine Liturgy of the
feast, and the baptismal line of Galatians 3:27 replaces the song of the
Thrice-Holy. The gospel readings of
all the Epiphany services tell of the
Lord's baptism by John in the Jordan River. The epistle reading of the
Divine Liturgy tells of the consequences of the Lord's appearing
which is the divine epiphany.
For the grace of God has appeared
for the salvation of all men, training
us to renounce irreligion and worldly
passions, and to live sober, upright
and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing
of the glory of our great God and
Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for
good deeds (Titus 2:11-14).
The main feature of the feast of the
Epiphany is the Great Blessing of
Water. It begins with the singing of
special hymns and the censing of the
water which has been placed in the
center of the church building. This
water stands for the beautiful world
of God’s original creation and ultimate glorification by Christ in the
Kingdom of God. Sometimes this
service of blessing is done out of
doors at a place where the water is
flowing naturally.
After the epistle (1 Cor 1:10-14) and
the gospel reading (Mk 1:9-11) the
special great litany is chanted invok-
ing the grace of the Holy Spirit upon
the water and upon those who will
partake of it. It ends with the great
prayer of the cosmic glorification of
God in which Christ is called upon to
sanctify the water, and all men and
all creation, by the manifestation of
his saving and sanctifying divine
presence by the indwelling of the
Holy and Good and Life-creating
Spirit.
As the troparion of the feast is sung,
the celebrant immerses the Cross
into the water three times and then
proceeds to sprinkle the water in the
four directions of the world. He then
blesses the people and their homes
with the sanctified water which
stands for the salvation of all men
and all creation which Christ has
effected by His “Epiphany” in the
flesh for the life of the world.
The world and everything in it is
indeed "very good" (Gen 1:31) and
when it becomes polluted, corrupted
and dead, God saves it once more by
effecting the “new creation” in
Christ, his divine Son and our Lord
by the grace of the Holy Spirit (Gal
6:15).
It tells us that Christ, in who in “the
whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” is and shall be truly “all, and in
all” (Col 2:9, 3:11). It tells us as well
that the “new heavens and the new
earth” which God has promised
through his prophets and apostles
(Is 66:2; 2 Peter 3:13, Rev 21:1) are
truly “with us” already now in the,
mystery of Christ and his Church.
Thus, the sanctification and sprinkling of the Epiphany water is no
pagan ritual. It is the expression of
the most central fact of the Christian
vision of man, his life and his world.
It is the liturgical testimony that the
vocation and destiny of creation is to
be “filled with all the fullness of
God” (Eph 3:19).
***
Courtesy of the Orthodox Church of
America Web site at www.oca.org.
Throwing of the Cross
His Eminence
Archbishop Demetrios
will preside over the
annual blessing of the
waters at Spring Bayou
and the throwing of
the Cross on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. in Tarpon Springs, Fla. The ceremony will
follow a Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.
at St. Nicholas Cathedral.
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 9
Church News
Stewardship 2007
Parish Council
By MARGO DiBENEDETTO
Parish Council President
By NICK PAPPAS
Trans-a-Gram Editor
The Parish Council conducted its final meeting of the
year on Dec. 19. Among the items that were discussed
that evening were:
With just two weeks left in
503
the year, the 2007 steward- Stewards
(2006)
ship program appears in
danger of falling signifiCards
470
cantly behind the levels set Returned
in the previous year both
Cards
33
in terms of the number of
Outstanding
stewards and the amount
of money contributed to the
Return
93 percent
parish’s annual stewardRate
ship program. As of midDecember, 470 families or Average
$336.36
individuals had returned
(+$1.96)
Pledge
their stewardship cards for
2007, well short of the 496
who had done so at this time last year. That represents a
decline of more than 5 percent.
New bookstore: The new display case in the foyer was
purchased to house the new church bookstore. Four parishioners have stepped forward to run it on Sundays.
New Year’s Eve service: A Vesperal Liturgy will be
celebrated on New Year’s Eve starting at 6 p.m.
Epiphany services: The Eve of Epiphany will be celebrated with a Divine Liturgy on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 9
a.m.; Epiphany will be celebrated with a Divine Liturgy
on Sunday, Jan. 6, at 9:30 a.m. The service will begin
one-half hour earlier than usual to accommodate the Vasilopita ceremony, which is also scheduled to take place
that day.
Council swearing-in: The Parish Council of 2008 will
be administered the oath of office at the close of the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, Jan.13.
Financial update: The council discussed one of its certificates of deposit, which was scheduled to mature at
the end of December. Board members planned to check
the current interest rates.
Next meeting: The council will next meet on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. in the boardroom.
Treasurer’s Report
Here is a brief summary of income and expenses as of
Nov. 30 and how they compare to the same period last
year. Overall, with one month left in the year, income
was down by more than $15,000, which was offset somewhat by expenses also being down by nearly $13,000.
Category
The news isn’t much better on the financial front. The
$158,089.20 pledged to date – $148,905.20 collected and
another $9,184 in outstanding pledges – pales in comparison to the $165,984.16 pledged last year at this time,
a similar drop of nearly 5 percent. Based on those numbers, the average pledge to date this year stands at
$336.36, up $1.96 from the same time last year.
In order to meet the year’s stewardship goal of $160,000
set at the November 2006 Parish Assembly, all the outstanding pledges would have to be collected plus another
$1,910.80 by the end of the year.
If you have not yet made your stewardship commitment
for 2007, please do so as soon as possible. Extra stewardship cards are available in the church office or by contacting the secretary during regular business hours.
STEWARDSHIP 11-15-07
200000
2007
2006
Change
Stewardship
143,993.00
151,646.43
-5.05%
10 0 0 0 0
Other income
119,730.91
127,663.12
-6.21%
50000
Total Income
263,723.91
279,309.55
-5.58%
0
Expenses
245,450.46
258,332.74
-4.99%
Balance
18,273.45
20,976.81
-12.89%
15 0 0 0 0
148,905
158,089
160,000
COLLECTED
PLEDGED
BUDGET
PAGE 10
T RA N S - A -G R A M
CHURCH NEWS
Philoptochos Society
By SUSAN PAPPAS
Philoptochos President
Annual Benefit Tea: The 54th-annual
Benefit Tea, “Tea, Bags and More,” was
held Sunday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. in our church
hall. This year was very successful with
more than 200 men, women and children in
attendance. The theme was beautifully carried throughout the church hall. The a cappella group of
Peking & the Mystics delighted the audience with songs
and stories. Following the entertainment, the thematic
“bag” lunch was served and some lucky winners won a
myriad of prizes. Thanks to chairladies Patricia Mahoney
and Olivia Sintros and their extensive committee for a
job well done:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Invitations and Tickets: Elizabeth de la Torre
Reservations: Angela Hastings
Publicity: Evanthea Vlahakis
Program Design: Melanie Pappas
Hostesses: Sandra Gulezian and Lynne Karagianes
Decorations: Debbe Daley and Nancy Lane
Entertainment: Cathy Economou
Raffle: Sophia Quinn and Yiota Simoglou
Super Raffle: Soula Spaziani and Ann Tavoularis
Refreshments: Georgia Dristiliaris, Corrine Dubay,
Eva Dukakis, Angela Hastings, Eleni Stavrou, Elizabeth Tsioulis, Annmarie Tsitsipas and Diane Ziagos
Photographer: Arthur Sparages
Also joining us for the festivities this year were members
of the Philoptochos Metropolis Board, including President Diane Miminos, and National board members as
well. We were also pleased to have the support of our
sister chapters of Sts. Constantine and Helen of Andover,
Holy Trinity of Lowell and the Annunciation Church of
Woburn.
Adopt-a-Family project: A special thanks goes to
Nancy Lane, Ellen Dobi and Martha Simpson for coordinating this year’s project of collecting Christmas gifts for
local shelters. There were123 mothers, fathers and children given to us through Community Teamwork Inc. of
Greater Lowell. Thank you to all the parishioners who so
generously gave of their time to shop for these individuals to help make Christmas a little brighter, as well as
for the monetary donations. Great job!
D’Youville Manor: Thanks to Christine Faneros and all
who attended the liturgy service and helped on Saturday,
Dec. 8. The residents appreciated the friendship and gifts
as part of the Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches of
the Merrimack Valley.
Calendar Raffle
Ladies Philoptochos Society President Susan Pappas, right,
assisted by Treasurer Elizabeth de la Torre, conduct the
final drawing of its annual Calendar Raffle on Nov. 25 in the
church hall. Erene Koukias was the grand-prize winner of
$100. (Photo by Nick Pappas)
Nursing home and shut-in visits: Thanks to Christine
Faneros, who coordinated the visits with Holy Trinity
Philoptochos President Christine Themelis. A thank-you
also goes to Eva Dukakis, Eugenia Marcus, Dyanne Mitropoulis, Mary Nicholaides, Christine Stamas and Agnes
Yankopoulos, who visited with many of our patients as
well.
Christmas decorations: On Saturday, Dec. 8, our
church was decorated for the Christmas season. Thank
you to all the parishioners who support our flower collection in the spring. It is through these donations that we
are able to decorate the church all year long. A special
thank you to the elves who decorated: Matthew Blake,
Marc Gulezian, Jack Mahoney, and Olivia and Spike Sintros.
Fall Calendar Raffle winners: Thank you to Elizabeth
de la Torre for organizing this year’s fall fundraiser. Congratulations to the following winners:
♦
$100: Erene Koukias.
♦
$50: Cathy Karagozie, Erene Koukias, Venus Matczak, Somtrps Matjamoe, Dyanne Mitropoulis, Lexie
Pereira, Joan Tournas and Avery Vainas.
♦
$25: Dennis and Diane Casavant, Thelma Coravos,
Georgia Dristiliaris, George Economou, Mary Favas
(twice), Joseph Greathead, Cynthia Kaklaman, Ar(Continued on page 11)
PAGE 11
T RA N S - A -G R A M
CHURCH NEWS
(Continued from page 10)
thur Kourembis, Shyanne Laganas, Elaine Lazouras,
Vangie Manolopoulos, Alice Martakos, Dr. Charles
Mitsakos, Frances Pappas, Harry and Christine
Stamas, David Thomas, Avery Vainas (twice), Bessie
Volianites and Thea Zaralidis.
Membership: Philoptochos members soon will be receiving information for the 2008 membership year. Please
return your membership donation upon receipt so we can
forward our membership list to the National and Metropolis Philoptochos in a timely manner. Thank you always for your generous support. If you are not a member
and would like to join, please contact Membership Chairperson Jill Laganas.
In addition to your donation, we ask all members to lend
a hand in some way. We all have something to offer the
organization. Over the last few months, it has become
obvious that Monday evening meetings are not well attended. We have more than 200 members and yet only 21
members have attended the October and November
meetings.
Christmas Meeting
Men’s Guild officers, from left, Frank Stevens, Tom Amick,
Marc Gulezian and John Gkolias conduct a brief business
meeting Dec. 12 during the organization’s annual Christmas
party at the Dracut House of Pizza. Nearly 40 members were
on hand to participate in the annual event. (Photo by Nick Pappas)
Some of you may be able to knit, crochet, sew or quilt for
our newborn babies or nursing home patients, or even
for future raffle items. Many of you are able to bake,
make phone calls, send out mailings and many other
things our organization needs to keep moving forward.
Since one of our main functions is to fund raise in order
to meet our commitments to the church, local and national ministries, we are always looking for new ideas to
make fundraising fun and would gladly like to hear from
any of you who have ideas that we have not thought of.
The small group of ladies that we currently have working
can only do so much. So please give some thought to what
you can do to help keep the Transfiguration Philoptochos
moving forward.
McAvinnue School in Lowell, which equals 1,425 books.
At publication time, we had more than 1,200 books. A
special thanks to Varvara and Boris Stanchev for counting and organizing the books. Keep those books coming.
Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated.
The meeting schedule has been set for the rest of the
year to accommodate the other ministries of the church,
however the board will re-evaluate the meeting day and
time when we meet in June. Meetings for 2008 are as
follows:
Family Dinner: Mark your calendars for the annual
Philoptochos Family Dinner, which will be held on Sunday, Jan. 27, after the Divine Liturgy. We are in need of
volunteers to help set up on Saturday, the 26th. We also
need donations for the family friendly raffle. If you are
able to help in any way – whether making a pastitsio,
preparing salad, setting up, serving or cleaning – please
let me know.
♦
Saturday, Jan. 12, at 10 a.m.
♦
Saturday, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m.
♦
Monday, March 10, after the Vesper service.
♦
Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m.
Family Literacy Program: Our literacy outreach program is ongoing. The goal is to provide a bag of books to
the 475 pre-kindergarten to Grade 4 children at the
Vasilopita: Our traditional gold-coin celebration will be
held on Jan. 6. Chairing this event is Mary Nicholaides.
Members are needed to help with the cutting and wrapping on Saturday morning, Jan. 5. The proceeds of this
event enable us to give a substantial donation to St.
Basil’s Academy, which is one of our National commitments, each January. I will be collecting names until Friday, Jan. 4.
Next meeting: Our next meeting will be Saturday, Jan.
12, at 10 a.m. in the Philoptochos room. Our hostesses for
the morning will be Kathy Allen and Ellen Vercontaire.
The outreach collection for the month will be diapers and
cereal. Watch your mail for our reminder postcards.
Looking forward to seeing you all and starting the New
Year on the right foot.
(Continued on page 12)
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 12
CHURCH NEWS
(Continued from page 11)
Men’s Guild
By FRANK STEVENS
Men’s Guild President
December meeting: We just beat the
snow! Thirty-seven Guild members gathered at the Dracut House of Pizza on Dec.
12 to enjoy our annual Christmas gathering. Special thanks to Nick Manolis and
his wonderful staff for hosting this special
evening. All enjoyed “choice of the menu,” desserts galore
and the best of company. After voting a Christmas donation to the Salvation Army, members elected officers for
2008. Stepping forward to lead the Guild are:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
President: Frank Stevens
Vice President: Harry Stamas
Treasurer: Marc Gulezian
Recording secretary: Thomas Amick
Corresponding secretary: John Gkolias
Heading home with the door prizes were Ted Sarantos,
Nick Nicholaou and Ioannis Zaralidis. A special commendation was read into the record thanking Jim Veves for
his generous donation to the Guild.
Holiday raffle: At this writing, the raffle was scheduled
to take place at the coffee hour on Dec. 23, weather permitting. Participation to date has been brisk, as well over
100 parishioners had returned their raffle tickets by Dec.
14. Major prize winners will be announced in the next
issue of the Trans-a-Gram. A complete list of winners
will be available at the church office. Hopefully, you will
be one of them!
Past presidents to be honored: Enclosed with this
issue of the Trans-a-Gram is a flier describing a gala evening planned for Sunday, Jan. 13, to honor the past
presidents of our Guild. The following gentlemen served
their church and our Guild well, and we hope to see
many of their family and friends gather together to honor
them at this special event:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Charles Sarantos (1976)
Michael Zymaris (1977)
Peter Marioles (1978)
Charles Manousos (1979-80)
Wesley Stillwagon (1981-82)
George Skrekas (1983-84 and 1987-88)
Nicholas Dristiliaris (1985-86)
Christopher Selvaggio (1988-91, 1995-96 and 200003)
♦
♦
♦
John Gkolias (1992-94)
Nikolaos Manolis (1997-99)
Harry Stamas (2004-05)
Won’t you join us in dedicating what promises to be an
extraordinary event to these fine gentlemen.
Note: Any past presidents or family members of the deceased who have not been contacted by the time you read
this should contact me at church at 978-458-4321 or at
978-994-6814.
Remember This: Leap Year provides us with an extra
gift. Cherish all 366 of them.
President’s Message
By MARGO DiBENEDETTO
Parish Council President
Another wonderful Christmas season has
passed, and I hope that everyone celebrated with friends and family. January is
also going to be an event-filled month: Holy
Theophany on the 6th with the cutting of
the Vasilopita; the Men’s Guild Past Presidents dinner/dance and raffle on the 13th; and the GOYA
Glendi at Sts. Constantine and Helen in Andover on the
19th. On Jan. 13, the new Parish Council will take its
oath of office and elect its executive board.
For the past two years, I have served the Transfiguration
Church as the Parish Council president. I am very proud
of the work the council has done in those two years, and I
am very grateful for the opportunity to serve our church
in that capacity. I am very appreciative of the dedication
of the wonderful group of gentlemen who have served
along with me, including Father Chris Foustoukos and
Father Demetri Costarakis. I will not be seeking a third
year as the Parish Council president, but I will continue
to serve on the board and support the next president.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you and may God
bless you and your families.
Sunday School
By CONNIE GKOLIAS
Sunday School Director
New Year wishes: The Sunday School staff
wishes everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Let’s begin the new year –
all of us – working together to give our children the best religious education we can give
(Continued on page 13)
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 13
CHURCH NEWS
(Continued from page 12)
them. After all, these children are the future of our
church. Religious education is not only on Sundays for an
hour. We need everyone’s help – parents, grandparents,
godparents, aunts and uncles – to put our children first.
Christmas pageant: Congratulations to all our girls
and boys on their presentation of our annual Christmas
pageant. Great job as always.
Dates to remember: Please mark your calendar for the
following event:
♦
Feb. 3: Sunday School bake sale. Please support the
Sunday School.
Staff appreciation: Special thanks to all the Sunday
School staff for all their hard work and dedication to our
Sunday School and our children.
Choir
House of Hope and the other to Dracut House of Pizza for
all of its support over the years.
Family Glendi: The GOYA will be co-hosting a Family
Glendi with the Andover GOYA on Jan. 19 from 7 to 11
p.m. at Sts. Constantine and Helen. As in years past, the
proceeds from tickets purchased from our GOYA members ahead of time will benefit them directly; anything
sold at the door will be split between the two GOYAs. We
are looking for another sellout like last year. The prices
are $25 for adults, $15 for children between the ages of 5
and 12, and children under 5 are free. Tickets will be on
sale during the coffee hour on Jan. 6 and 13.
New members wanted: The GOYA is always looking
for more participants. If you are in Grades 7 through 12
and are interested in becoming part of GOYA, please contact the church office and leave your name and phone
number.
Coffee Hour
By SUSAN PAPPAS
Coffee Hour Coordinator
By LOUIS STAMAS
Assistant Choir Director
As we begin the new year, I want to thank all of our dedicated choir members, including our youth members, for
their ministry to our Transfiguration community and for
allowing me to lead them musically since September. I
especially want to thank Donna Spanos for subbing for
me several times, Toula and Marc for their extra help,
and Father Demetri for his guidance.
Good time to join us: The beginning of the new calendar year is another excellent opportunity for any parishioners who are looking for a way to contribute something
more to our community. The choir is in need of new members, especially men, and we know that there are faithful
parishioners who sing the hymns and responses from the
pews (or would like to) and could contribute immensely to
the choir. No formal musical background is required,
just a desire to praise God with your voice! Anybody interested should see me or Father Demetri, even if you
just want to talk about it and/or give it a try. I will be
going “on the road” again for a few weeks, and Donna will
be taking over while I'm gone. See you all again possibly
in late January or mid-February. God bless and be well!
GOYA
By JIM MURPHY
GOYA Adviser
Family Night: The GOYA decorated two gingerbread
houses during the Family Night on Dec. 14. GOYA members were pleased to present one of the houses to the
Nov. 25: Sponsored by John and Aphrodite
Blatsos and Matthew Blake in memory of
Elaine Blake; also by Chris Tournas in
memory of Anna Tournas.
Dec. 23: Sponsored by the Men’s Guild and by the Greek
School students and teachers to wish all parishioners a
Merry Christmas.
Volunteers needed: We are always looking for new people who are willing to help serve during the weekly coffee
hour. If you would like to volunteer to serve, or if you
would like to sponsor a coffee hour for any occasion,
please call coffee hour coordinator Susan Pappas at 603886-4717, e-mail her at [email protected] or see
her any Sunday after the Divine Liturgy.
Greek School
Christmas program: The Greek School is
pleased to announce that Christmas program was a great success on Sunday, Dec.
23, after a postponement due to snow on
Dec. 16. It was wonderful seeing how well
the youth of our parish have learned our
Greek language and songs. Remember it is never too late
to sign up for classes and, as always, please keep your
eye on the weekly bulletins for updates on Greek School
events and programs.
(Continued on page 14)
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 14
CHURCH NEWS
(Continued from page 13)
Winter Camps
The Metropolis of Boston is preparing for next month’s
winter camps at the St. Methodios Faith and Heritage
Center in Contoocook, N.H. The JOY winter camp is
scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 8-10, while the GOYA
camp will take place the weekend of Feb. 15-18. The
GOYA camp will be followed by an optional two-day winter chant camp. If you are interested in attending either
of the winter camps, please call 603-746-4400 or e-mail
[email protected].
Hospital/Nursing Home Visits
If you or a loved one are not able to come to church to
receive Holy Communion and would like a visit, please
contact Father Demetri during normal business hours to
set up a time.
Tuesday Morning Group
The Tuesday Morning Ladies Group would like to invite
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
other ladies of the parish to come join them on Tuesdays
from about 9:30 a.m. until noon. It’s a great place to
meet, socialize, enjoy a cup of coffee, bring your ideas for
crafts or whatever and enjoy new or “old” friendships on
Tuesday mornings.
Newsletter Deadline
Transfiguration organizations are asked to submit entries for this newsletter as early in the month as possible
and no later than the 15th. If at all possible, please submit your material by e-mail to Editor Nick Pappas at
[email protected]. Entries also can be faxed to the
church office at 978-458-8726 or dropped off in the office
during normal business hours. It is important that all
church organizations be represented in the Trans-a
Gram, so please make an effort to participate.
JANUARY TRISAGIA
(Continued from Page 3)
Angelike Tsaknopoulos
Steve Xifaris
Katherine Tsaknopoulos
Costas Zymaris
Vasilike Tsaknopoulos
Maria Zymaris
Vasilios Tsaknopoulos
PAGE 15
T RA N S - A -G R A M
SPONSORSHIP PAGE
Thank you for your support
AD SPACE AVAILABLE
Contact Editor Nick Pappas
603-886-4717
[email protected]
1140 Lakeview Ave.
Dracut, MA 01826
978-957-7117
T RA N S - A -G R A M
PAGE 16
SPONSORSHIP PAGE
Thank you for your support
Tewksbury / Andover
Four Highwood Drive (Exit 39, Route 133)
Tewksbury, MA 01876
978-640-9000
Weddings * Rehearsal Dinners * Showers
*Christenings * Class Reunions
*All Types of Banquets
For your personal tour, call Melanie at Ext. 162
Please visit www.holiday-inn.com for additional information