April 2012 - Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
Monthly Bulletin
APRIL2012
Inside this issue:
Clergy Brotherhood
2
From Father Anthony 3
Greek Message
5
Calendar
6
Philoptochos
7
Youth News
8
Sacraments
Donations
9
Parish News
9
Due Date for
May Bulletin
Tuesday, April 10th
Church Services
Saturdays
Great Vespers
6:00pm
Weekdays
Orthros
9:00am
Divine Liturgy
10:00am
Orthros
8:45am
Divine Liturgy
10:00am
Μ
6:00
Sundays
9:00
10:00
8:45
10:00
The Resurrection of Christ
Page 2
Ap r i l 2 0 1 2
An n u n c i a t i o n C h u r c h M o n t h l y B u l l e t i n
METROPOLIS OF BOSTON
CLERGY BROTHERHOOD
A Message from Father Christopher Makiej, SS Constantine & Helen Church, Andover MA
YOUR PASSOVER
“Pascha” means the New Passover. And its meant to bring about your passover into a new way of life. You see, the
old Passover is the story of the people of Israel who were in slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh for 400 years. And then God
raised up Moses and sent him to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt to confront him to release the people from bondage. And
through Moses God sent ten plagues upon Egypt, and the last was the worst of all, the death of the firstborn. But God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to spread the blood of a spring lamb on the door posts of their homes so that death would
not intrude but would pass over that home! (Exodus 12: 3-13)
So that was the first Passover. But the Church proclaims to us tonight that Jesus Himself is the New Passover, the
New Pascha. Jesus is new Lamb! As the blood of a lamb was spread over the doorposts - by His blood, shed and spread on
the Cross, He saves us so that death will pass over us! My brothers and sisters, do you accept this? Do you believe in Him as
your Pascha….as your Passover?
You see, because of Christ, our own death is not the end of us, but now it is a passing over into eternal life. John 5:24
says, “He who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has
passed over from death to life.” But we’re not to be just waiting around for heaven. Our Passover, our Pascha to new life begins here and now in this life! The Pascha life begins now, when we accept and believe in Christ Who helps us overcome sin.
You see, we still have to deal with sin.
Being a Christian does not mean that we don’t have to worry about sin any more. What it does mean is that through
Jesus we now have a way out! We can be free from it enslaving us. Yet many people today are still living in “Egypt” - they’re
still living in slavery – even though they may be successful, wealthy, well educated. Many of us here tonight may be enslaved
by something. It may be jealousy, it may be anger, it may be gossip. Something has you enslaved. It could be some type of
addiction, a food addiction, an online or electronic device addiction. There was a study done at college in Pennsylvania that
recently did a test on the students: a total black out of all technology for the weekend. No iPods, no blackberry’s no laptops.
The result: students exhibited severe symptoms of withdrawal and serious addiction, at the same levels as an alcohol or drug
addict.
Brothers and sisters, what is it in our lives that has us enslaved? As Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt –
and he released them from Bondage by the authority of God - after the first Passover…. Jesus, the new Passover - the new
Pascha leads us out and releases us from the slavery of sin! As Moses said to Pharaoh…”let my People go!” - for each and
every one of us, who believe in Jesus, He says to the devil…”let my people go!” Jesus says to our jealousies, our addictions,
our anger, our arrogance, “let my people go!” To our marital problems, to our anxieties and stresses, our paranoia, our stubbornness, Jesus says – “let my people go!”
Friends, we can’t do it ourselves. The Israelites in Egypt needed a deliverer – Moses. They could not free themselves. And Jesus is our deliverer, “litrota”(gr.) Will you accept that tonight? Will you accept and believe that there’s no way
out of sin without Christ. We all sin every day - somehow, some way, in word, deed or thought – everyday – we sin. If you
can’t say and admit that, then there’s something deeply and spiritually wrong in your life. I don’t say this for people to feel
bad or negative about themselves, but to declare the good news that we now don’t have to be enslaved by sin anymore!
People need to be able to say.. “Wow, I used to be so arrogant! I would look down on people - thinking I was better
than everyone else - it was my way or the highway. But I’ve been delivered from it - through the power of Jesus I have now
passed over from arrogance, into the promised land of humility, patience, and kindness.”
People need to be able to say, “Man I used to gossip! It helped me avoid my own issues because I didn’t feel good
about myself….so it felt good to talk about other people’s issues and faults. But now I’ve been delivered and I have passed
over from the Egypt of gossip into the promised land of uplifting words; words that are kind, affirming, positive and loving toward others. John the Baptist said of Jesus, “behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Will you allow
Jesus take away your sin? Will you allow the new Passover, the new Pascha to deliver you from all sin and addiction in your
life?
May we say with St. Paul who wrote in Romans 6: “We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the sinful
body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. So that as Christ was raised from the dead…, we too
might walk in newness of Life.”
A new life - A New Pascha – a Glorious Pascha! – from death to life - from slavery to freedom, in Jesus’ Name –
Amen!
Christ is Risen – Truly He is Risen!
FROM FATHER ANTHONY
It seems strange that
we will be declaring
those precious words,
Christ is risen, so
early this year. We
will have barely seen
blossoms on trees
and bushes, yet we’ll
shortly be celebrating
the Lord’s Resurrection. We should realize however, that it
doesn’t depend on our physical environment to have a fulfilling celebration of
Pascha. In other words, whether plants
are blooming and the sun is out, has no
true bearing on the inner joy we feel during this holy season. In addition, our rich
liturgical traditions of the Orthodox
Church, which are great spiritual aids,
cannot fulfill us spiritually without and a
deep longing for God from within. In fact,
by understanding this, we should see a
major difference between a truly fulfilling
spiritual life, and a superficial life of constantly seeking pleasure through external
stimuli. This, my beloved, is the time of
year that we hopefully come to terms
with our true spiritual selves.
Knowing that we are temples of
the Holy Spirit through baptism and chrismation, is the basis of the spiritual life.
God resides within us through His Holy
Spirit. We continually fill ourselves with
God through physically consuming the
Body and Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
And as our faith teaches us, where one
person of the Trinity is, there are all
three; thus the Father is also present
within us at all times.
A serious prayer life also brings
us into communion with the living God.
Focused prayer turns us inward, as opposed to staring upward into nothingness, searching for a transcendent and
unreachable God. Our good works toward others also help us to see God
within ourselves and each other, for as
Christ said, “whatsoever you have done
to the least of my brethren, you have
done to me also.” (Mt 25:40)
The Lenten journey which we will
soon complete, hopefully included an
attempt toward more focused prayer and
charitable works toward our fellow man.
Perhaps for some of us, Great Lent has
yielded much spiritual fruit. Some years
we find ourselves a bit behind schedule,
so to speak, with our spiritual commitment during Great Lent. In those years
we may find ourselves playing “catch-up”
during Great and Holy Week in order to
be as best prepared for Holy Pascha as
possible. Whether we had a fruitful
Lenten season or not, we should always
rejoice in the Risen Lord, and seek to be
transformed by the spiritual power and
holiness of the season. Thus we can find
the lasting joy of the Resurrection within
us.
The following excerpts from the
catechetical sermon of St. John Chrysostom, heard at the liturgy of Pascha,
clearly bring to us this message of Paschal joy:
“Whosoever is a devout lover of
God, let him enjoy this beautiful and bright
Festival. And whosoever is a grateful servant, let him joyously enter into the joy of his
Lord…The master is gracious and…gives
rest to him who arrives at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him who has labored from the
first…Let all of you then enter into the joy of
our Lord…All of you enjoy the riches of His
goodness. Let no one grieve poverty, for the
universal Kingdom has been revealed…
Let no one grieve over sins, for forgiveness has dawned from the tomb. Let no
one fear death, for the death of our Savior
has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it. He despoiled Hades when He descended thereto. He embittered it, having
tasted of His flesh…O death, where is your
sting? O Hades, where is your victory?
CHRIST IS RISEN!...Christ, having risen
from the dead, has become the first fruit of
those who have fallen asleep. To Him be the
glory and the dominion to the ages of ages.
Amen.”
Beloved believers in the crucified
and risen Christ, we all love and appreciate our rich and meaningful liturgical traditions, most especially during Great
Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. Let us,
however, go beyond the “externals” of
our liturgical celebrations and traditions,
and seek the inner presence of God –
the undivided and life-giving Trinity who
resides in each and every one of us. For
when we do this, our divine services will
have a deeper and more profound effect
on our spirituals lives, as they should.
In the love of the Crucified and Risen
Christ,
+Fr. Anthony
IN APPRECIATION
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank Tulla Giannaros who chaired this
year’s Lenten luncheon, as well as the
many Parish Council members and volunteers who came for set-up and food
preparation, not only for the luncheon,
but for the Pan-Orthodox Vespers and
reception later that afternoon. We truly
appreciate the efforts of our Philoptochos women who did an amazing job,
along with other volunteers, to clean-up
the community center, and set it up so
beautifully for the evening reception.
We had many compliments that evening, for which we should be proud.
God bless all of you!
FASTING GUIDELINES OF GREAT
LENT & HOLY WEEK
Since many of our brethren seek to follow the fast of Great Lent to the best of
their ability, we offer the following traditional and widely accepted guidelines
(also illustrated on your Archdiocesan
calendars). Not everyone can follow
such a fast, especially people with certain health concerns, growing children,
expectant and nursing mothers, etc. In
all cases, our fasting should include intensified prayer, increased church attendance, and almsgiving and other charitable works. In order to celebrate Holy
Pascha with a pure and cleansed heart
and soul, our Lenten ascetic struggle
should also lead us to repentance and
Holy Confession.
Weekdays of Lent – strict fast from all
animal products (including fish), all alcoholic beverages, and olive oil (vegetable
oil may be substituted if desired)
Note: This strict fast also applies during Holy
Week
Weekends of Lent – wine and olive oil
are permitted
Note: The one major exception is Holy Saturday, which is treated as a weekday strict fast
all day, regardless if one has received Holy
Communion in the morning. In addition to
wine and olive oil, please note that fish is
permitted on both the Feast of the Annunciation – 3/25, and Palm Sunday – 4/8. It should
also be noted that the amount of food consumed on weekdays should be limited; however, there is no such restriction on weekends. Also, shellfish is permitted daily.
FROM FATHER ANTHONY
LENTEN REFLECTIONS
(taken from The Lenten Spring, by Fr. Thomas Hopko, St.
Vladimir’s Press 1983)
The Lenten spirit in the Church is one of splendor
and delight. It breathes with the exhilaration of those girding up to ‘fight the good fight’ for the One who loves them
and has given Himself to them for the sake of their salvation…The lenten spring is welcomed by Christians in the
Church not as the time for self-inflicted agony or selfimproving therapy. It is greeted as the sanctified season
consecrated to the correction, purification and enlightenment of the total person through the fulfillment of the commandments of the crucified God. It is received as the time
for battling with evil spirits and blossoming with the fruit of
the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal. 5:22). It is
accepted as ‘the great and saving forty days’ set apart for
complete and total dedication to the things of God. It is the
‘tithe of the year’ which tells us that all times and seasons
belong to the Lord who has created and redeemed the
world…
From beginning to end the lenten services of the
Church call us to return to God our Father. The theme of
the parable of the prodigal son runs through the entire season. We have wasted what our good God has given us.
We have ruined our lives and our world. We have polluted
the air, the water and the earth. The birds and the fish, the
plants and the animals, grieve because of our wickedness.
We have corrupted our bodies and minds. We have abandoned communion with God and the joy of His dwelling.
We have gone off on our own, following our own ideas,
enacting our own plans…
People feel unhappy and they don’t know why.
They feel that something is wrong, but they can’t put their
finger on what. They feel uneasy in the world, confused
and frustrated, alienated and estranged, and they can’t
explain it. They have everything and yet they want more.
And when they get it, they are still left empty and dissatisfied. They want happiness and peace, and nothing seems
to bring it. They want fulfillment, and it never seems to
come. Everything is fine, and yet everything is wrong. In
America this is almost a national disease. It is covered
over by frantic activity and endless running around…Why
is this so? Because, the Church tells us, we are really not
at home. We are in exile. We are alienated and estranged from our true country. We are not with God our
Father in the land of the living. We are spiritually sick.
And some of us are already dead…The lenten season is
the time for our conscious return to our true home. It is the
time set aside for us to come to ourselves and to get up
and go to the divine reality to which we truly belong…
READERS NEEDED FOR AGAPE VESPERS
In the blessed tradition of the Orthodox Church, the resurrectional Gospel proclaimed at the Agape Vespers on the
Sunday of Pascha is read in various languages. This is
done to emphasize the universality of the message of
Christ’s resurrection. Anyone interested in assisting, please
contact Fr. Anthony as soon as possible. Please note that
a reader is needed in English, as well.
FROM THE HOLY FATHERS
Sinful habits and passions do not give way to healing without confession.
Without confession, every healing will be incomplete and insufficient; but
with confession, the sins will be uprooted in due order. It is always necessary to pay special attention to confession – to always prepare for it carefully, and sincerely confess all of your sins.
The most serious battles are with thoughts of lust and despair. One must
humble himself. Humility attracts the help of God. The corrupting effect
of lustful thoughts comes from enjoying them, and as a result, divine grace
withdraws for a long time. One can attract it back again, only through
sincere repentance and the rejection of these thoughts.
(St. Nicon, +1931)
Do not be surprised that thoughts arise during the time of services: when
you take up arms – i.e., prayer – against the enemies, then they arm
themselves against you more forcefully with provocative thoughts. Flee to
the Lord with prayer against them and do not become confused – they will
vanish. When you become confused, seeing that they
(the thoughts) do not leave you, they (the demons) arm themselves even
more against you; but when you chant unto God with humility, then you
will be at peace.
(St. Macarius, +1860)
HOLY THURSDAY MORNING LITURGY
As I have mentioned in the past, His Eminence asked all parishes
years ago, to cease the practice of communing people early on
Holy Thursday, outside of the context of the Divine Liturgy. The
enforcement of this guideline has greatly decreased the number
of parishioners coming to receive Holy Communion. Over the
past three years, the attendance each Holy Thursday morning
has been fairly low, consisting mostly of retired parishioners, and
not a plethora of working individuals. Thus, it is clearly unnecessary to conduct this liturgy at the break of dawn, rather than at a
normal timeframe. The time of the service will be announced in
the Holy Week schedule mailed to each parishioner’s home.
For our working brethren, please remember that there are many
other opportunities to receive Holy Communion, on days when
one may not be working and available to come to church. This
includes the Saturday of Lazarus, Palm Sunday, the Presanctified Liturgies of Holy Monday and Holy Wednesday, Holy Saturday morning, and the most appropriate time to receive Holy Communion – the Divine Liturgy of Pascha. Again, please refer to
your Holy Week schedules for the times of these services.
BLESSING OF FOOD BASKETS ON PASCHA
As many of you know, there is a pan-Orthodox tradition of blessing baskets with the various foods with which we will break the
fast after the Resurrection. This traditionally is done after the
liturgy of Holy Pascha. If you wish to bring a basket to the Resurrection at midnight, please place it in on the steps of the soleas.
The baskets will be blessed along with the red eggs after the liturgy. For those with children who might not be able to come at
midnight, you may bring your basket to the Agape Vespers on
the Sunday morning of Pascha to be blessed.
GREEK MESSAGE
Ἀ γαπητο ὶ ἐ ν Χριστ ῷ ἀ δελφο ὶ καὶ τέκνα ἐν Κυρί ῳ ,
Κατὰ τὸν τελευταῖον καιρὸν παρατηρεῖται μία ἔξαρσις ἀνησυχιῶν. Πολλὰ προβλήματα ἀναφύονται. Ὁ κόσμος ὑποφέρει
καὶ ζητεῖ βοήθειαν. Διερχόμεθα πράγματι μίαν γενικωτέραν δοκιμασίαν. Ἄλλοι τὴν ὀνομάζουν ὕφεσιν οἰκονομικήν,
ἄλλοι κρίσιν πολιτικήν. Δι᾿ ἡμᾶς εἶναι ἐκτροπὴ πνευματική. Καὶ ὑπάρχει θεραπεία. Πολλαὶ λύσεις δίδονται καὶ ἀπόψεις
ἀκούγονται. Ἀλλὰ τὰ προβλήματα παραμένουν. Ὁ ἄνθρωπος αἰσθάνεται ἐγκαταλελειμμένος καὶ μόνος. Ἀγνοεῖται ἡ
βαθυτέρα φύσις του. Παραμένει εἰς τὴν κατήφειαν τῆς ἀσαφείας καὶ τῆς ἀπογνώσεως.
Αἱ προτεινόμεναι λύσεις, ὁποιανδήποτε κατεύθυνσιν ἢ ἔκβασιν καὶ ἂν ἔχουν, δὲν λυτρώνουν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, διότι ἐκ
προοιμίου τὸν ἀφήνουν δέσμιον τῆς φθορᾶς καὶ τοῦ θανάτου. Ἡ Ἐκκλησία εἶναι ὁ Θεάνθρωπος Κύριος, ὁ ἐλευθερωτὴς
τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. Εἰσερχόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν χῶρον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὸ κλῖμα τῆς θείας
παρακλήσεως, τῆς συμφιλιώσεως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἔρχεται εἰς τὰ ἴδια. Ἠρεμεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα του. Εὑρίσκει ἕν
οὐράνιον κάλλος καὶ μίαν ὡριμότητα πνευματικὴν «εὐωδίας ἐνθέου πληροῦσαν πέρατα κόσμου».Ἡ Ἐκκλησία γνωρίζει
ὅλα ὅσα ὑποφέρομεν. Καὶ ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν νὰ μᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ. Μᾶς καλεῖ εἰς μετάνοιαν. Δὲν ὡραιοποιεῖ τὸ ψεῦδος
οὔτε ἀποκρύπτει τὰ δεινά. Λέγει ὅλην τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Καὶ προτρέπει τὸν ἄνθρωπον νὰ ἀντικρύσῃ τὴν πραγματικότητα
ὡς ἔχει. Νὰ συνειδητοποιήσωμεν ὅτι εἴμεθα γῆ καὶ σποδός.
Εἰς τὸν Μέγαν Κανόνα τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου γίνεται λόγος διὰ τὰ δάκρυα τῆς μετανοίας καὶ τὸν κλαυθμὸν τοῦ πένθους,
τὸν πόνον τῶν τραυμάτων. Ἀλλὰ ἀκολουθεῖ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ἡ ὑγεία τοῦ πνεύματος. Ὑπάρχει ὁ Πλάστης καὶ
Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν. Ἐκεῖνος διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέους Του μᾶς ἐτοποθέτησεν εἰς τὸ μεθόριον τῆς ἀφθαρσίας καὶ τῆς
θνητότητος. Δὲν μᾶς ἐγκατέλειψεν. Ἦλθε καὶ μᾶς ἔσωσε. Κατέλυσε τῷ Σταυρῷ Του τὸν θάνατον. Ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν τὴν
ἀφθαρσίαν τῆς σαρκός.
Ἐφ᾿ ὅσον εἴμεθα σύμφυτοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, διατὶ ταρασσόμεθα ματαίως; Διατὶ δὲν προστρέχομεν εἰς Αὐτόν; Ἡ Ἐκκλησία
δὲν σχολιάζει τὴν φθορὰν οὔτε μᾶς ἐγκαταλείπει εἰς αὐτήν. Γνωρίζει τὰς βαθυτέρας ἐφέσεις τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἔρχεται
ὡς ἀρωγὸς καὶ λυτρωτὴς ἡμῶν. Ἔχομεν ἀνάγκην τῆς τροφῆς. Ἀλλ᾿ «οὐκ ἐπ᾿ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος» (Ματθ. δ΄
4). ῎Εχομεν ἀνάγκην τῆς πνευματικῆς κατανοήσεως, ἀλλὰ δὲν εἴμεθα ἀσώματοι. Εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν εὑρίσκομεν τὸ
πλήρωμα τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς κατανοήσεως ὡς θεανθρωπίνην ἰσορροπίαν. Μακρὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐξαχρειοῦται
καὶ διαφθείρεται. Ἐκεῖ ὅπου ἀφθονοῦν τὰ ὑλικὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ θεοποιεῖται ἡ σπατάλη, εὐδοκιμοῦν οἱ πειρασμοὶ τῶν
σκανδάλων καὶ ἡ σύγχυσις τῆς σκοτώσεως.
Ἐκεῖ ὅπου μὲ δέος ζῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ δέχεται τὰ πάντα μὲ εὐχαριστίαν καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνην, ὅλα ἁγιάζονται. Τὸ ὀλίγον
εὐλογεῖται ὡς ἀρκετόν, καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν ἐνδύεται τὴν αἴγλην τῆς ἀφθαρσίας. Ἀπολαμβάνει ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ πρόσκαιρον
ὡς δῶρον Θεοῦ. Καὶ τρέφεται μὲ τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς ἀπὸ σήμερον. Ὄχι μόνον λύνονται τὰ
προβλήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πόνοι τῶν δοκιμασιῶν μεταβάλλονται εἰς δύναμιν ζωῆς καὶ ἀφορμὴν δοξολογίας. Ὅταν αὐτὸ
συμβῇ ἐντὸς ἡμῶν∙ ὅταν ὁ ἄνθρωπος εὑρίσκῃ τὴν προσωπικήν του ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ σωτηρίαν διὰ τῆς παρακαταθέσεως
τῶν πάντων Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ, τότε φωτίζεται ὁ νοῦς του. Γνωρίζει τὸν ἑαυτόν του καὶ τὸν κόσμον ὅλον. Ἔχει
ἐμπιστοσύνην εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Δυνατοῦ. Αὐτὸ τὸ γεγονὸς τὸν ἴδιον τὸν πιστὸν στηρίζει. Καὶ μεταδίδεται δι᾿ ἀοράτου
ἀκτινοβολίας ὡς ἐνίσχυσις πρὸς ὅλους τοὺς πεινῶντας καὶ διψῶντας τὴν ἀλήθειαν.
Ὁ κόσμος ὅλος ἔχει ἀνάγκην τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπὸ τὸν Δημιουργὸν καὶ Πλάστην του. Ὁ κόσμος ὅλος ἔχει ἀνάγκην ἀπὸ τὴν
παρουσίαν τῆς πίστεως καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῶν Ἁγίων. Ἂς εὐχαριστήσωμεν τὸν Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ἡμῶν δι᾿ ὅλας τὰς
εὐεργεσίας Του, καὶ διὰ τὴν παροῦσαν περίοδον τῆς Ἁγίας Τεσσαρακοστῆς.
Ἰδοὺ καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἰδοὺ καιρὸς μετανοίας.
Εἴθε νὰ διαπλεύσωμεν τὸ τῆς Νηστείας πέλαγος διὰ συντριβῆς καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως, ὥστε νὰ φθάσωμεν εἰς τὴν ἄληκτον
χαρὰν τῆς Ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸν Ὁποῖον πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα,
τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστὴ , βιβ´
+ Ὁ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως
April Calendar
An n u n c i a t i o n C h u r c h M o n t h l y B u l l e t i n
Ap r i l 2 0 1 2
Page 7
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
2012 Calendar of Events
Philoptochos Meeting
Tuesday, April 3rd
Palm Making
Friday, April 6th
Palm Sunday Annual Bake Sale
Sunday, April 8th
Egg Dying/Holy Thursday
Thursday, April 12th
Easter is the most significant and
sacred time of the year for us Orthodox Christians. The Ladies
Philoptochos will be in full swing as
they make preparations for Holy
Week and for their upcoming festival, and your
help is needed. Below is a list of some of the
events that are planned and hope you will be
able to attend.
Decorating of the Epitaphio
Friday, April 13th
Easter Bake Sale, Palm Sunday, April 8th
Annual Greek Independence Day Parade
Sunday, April 22nd
Philoptochos Meeting
Tuesday, May 1st
Philoptochos Food Festival
May 19th & May 20th
Philoptochos Meeting/End of Year Dinner
TBA for June
Annual Philoxenia Luncheon
TBD
Food Festival Baking
Monday, August 20th
Annual Christmas Party
Thursday, December 6th
Annual Christmas Luncheon
Sunday, December 16th
The Easter Bake Sale will be held on Palm
Sunday, April 8th. The Ladies of the Philoptochos, along with all of the other talented bakers
of our parish family, will have many tsourekia
and baked goods for sale at reasonable prices.
All proceeds will be used to benefit the Annual
Scholarship that is awarded to college students. We always appreciate your support, and
we look forward to seeing you on Palm Sunday!
Holy Thursday, April 12th
The Ladies Philoptochos Society is proud to
continue its annual tradition of the red Easter
egg offering at the end of the Divine Liturgy
after the Anastasi. We will be dying the eggs
that morning in the kitchen and we will also be
holding our nightly vigil in the church singing
hymns. Everyone is welcomed to join us.
Good Friday, April 13th
For Koliva please call the
church office at 508-559-0910.
We would appreciate one
weeks notice in advance of the
memorial service to prepare
your koliva. The cost is $85
and checks should be made
payable to the Ladies Philoptochos Society.
Don't forget to join or renew
your membership for 2012!
The decorating of the Epitaphio will take place
in the morning hours. Please join us if you can.
Food Fest, May 19th and May 20th
Ladies Philoptochos
Annual Palm Sunday
Bake Sale
It is that time of year again, for our 3rd Annual
Food Fest. In order to make this year’s event
successful, WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you
would like to help please contact me. We are
looking for volunteers for group cooking and
baking. Please remember that baking and
cooking is not just for Philoptochos members.
Everyone is welcomed!
It is with great pleasure that I serve this ministry, but without ALL OF YOU who volunteer,
these events could not happen. Thank you all
for your dedicated support.
Anyone who would like a visit
from the Ladies of Philoptochos, or knows of someone
who would like some company, please contact our chairlady Soultana Kotsiopoulos at
508-584-8338.
Homemade Tsourekia
and Baked Goods
Wishing you and your families a blessed
Easter,
Despina Papadopoulos
President, Philoptochos
Thank You For Your
Support
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Ap r i l 2 0 1 2
An n u n c i a t i o n C h u r c h M o n t h l y B u l l e t i n
YOUTH NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday, April 1st
GOYA Meeting
Dance Practice
Friday, April 6th
Palm Making All Youth Groups
GOYA Lock-in/Lenten Retreat
Saturday, April 7th
GOYA Lock-in/Lenten Retreat
Sunday, April 8th
Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 15th
EASTER
Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Sunday, April 22nd
Independence Day Parade-Boston
Saturday, May 5th
Red Cross Blood Drive
Sunday, May 6th
GOYA Meeting
Sunday, May 20th
Sunday School Graduation
GOYA Meeting
GOYA NEWS
We would like to thank members of our parish who contributed
to our February "Souper Bowl" Food & Fund Raiser. We
raised $270 which will be donated to the IOCC. In addition, we
collected over 8 cases of food which we are distributing to local
Food Pantries/Kitchens.
We would like to welcome our new youth ministry, Jr. GOYA!
Our first official meeting with our new JR GOYA Advisor Suzanne Barrus was held on Sunday March 18th.
GOYA will be busy the next few month. See the upcoming
events schedule to see what we have planned for April and
May. Please note that at our Lenten retreat we will have some
of the staff member s from our MBC camp join us. We will also
be discussing plans for a car wash and an end of the year trip
to Six Flags or another amusement park.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
April brings us to the highlight of our Orthodox Christian faith,
Pascha , the feast of feasts. Our lessons will be focused on
the events that come before during and after. We hope our
Sunday school children are able to attend the services that
lead up to Pascha as they take us on a journey to the resurrection of our Lord.
Classes will be as follows:
Friday, May 25th
GOYA Fun Night
Sunday, June 3rd
Greek School Graduation
Sunday, June 10th
GOYA Monthly Meeting
April 1st regular classes
April 8th Palm Sunday (no classes)
April 15th Holy Pascha!!! (no classes)
EASTER CANDLES NOW ON SALE!
April 22nd regular classes
Help support our Youth Dance Group!
April 29th regular classes
The Preschool Sunday School class prepares for
Sunday of Orthodoxy
Beautifully handcrafted Easter
Cadles/lambathes reasonably priced for
your child or Godchild
MYRRHBEARERS FOR HOLY FRIDAY
Again this year, we are asking girls to participate as Myrrhbearers on Holy Friday. We will use Myrrhbearers both
at the 3 pm burial service, and at the lamentation service
at 7 pm. Any girls who are interested, please contact the
church office as soon as possible.
Alexander Bellas, Demetri Karolemeas, Zoi Ginis, Ava Mitoulis,
Alexander Nenopoulos, & Alex Efremidis
An n u n c i a t i o n C h u r c h M o n t h l y B u l l e t i n
Page 9
Ap r i l 2 0 1 2
DONATIONS
PARISH NEWS
Memorial Donations as of March 16, 2012
Charlie Savas
$361
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Savas
$250
Androniki Raptis
$25
George Beltsios
$75
Michael Dalkouras
$155
Theodore Fitopoulos & Anastasia Michailidis $75
Stella Panagoulopoulos
$50
George Panagoulopoulos (special items account)
$500
George Hatsiopoulos
$50
Elias Papadopoulos—1 year remembrance
Penny, Andrea, Maria, Steve & Kathy Papadopoulos
$100
Florence Wisneski
$50
Madeline Demakopoulos
$50
Other Donations
Decoration of Icon of Theotokos for Salutations
1st Friday – Penny Kazis & family, IMO of Anargyros
Kazis
2nd Friday – Peter Tsokanis & family, IMO Bessie
Tsokanis
3rd Friday – Heidi Mason IMO Katherine Papalam
bros
4th Friday – Anonymous
Akathist Hymn – Mr. & Mrs. Tony Calogrias
Flowers for the Veneration of the Holy Cross
Mr. & Mrs. George Costas - $450
Penny, Andrea, Maria, Steve & Kathy Papadopoulos
as a birthday remembrance for Elias - $100
Floral decoration of Icons for the Feast of the Annunciation
Professor and Mrs. Peter Karavites
Lenten Luncheon Donations
Mr. Nick Giannaros and family—Shrimp
Mrs. Stephanie Koupelis I.M.O. Hristos Koupelis-Produce
Mr. Jim Jamoulis and family—Pizza
Mr. Sotirios Arvanitidis and family—Rice & Salad
Mr. Irakli Savas and family—String beans
Little Sami’s—Pizza
SACRAMENTS
FUNERALS
March 10th
Michael Dalkouras
Dear Parishioners,
On behalf of Fr Anthony and
The Parish Council, we wish you a
Happy Easter! It’s official! On Sunday April 22nd, the Greek Parade in
Boston will be taking place on Boylston Street. We welcome all of our
children to attend and we will be serving pizza for them
before departure. Please sign up early in the church
lounge if you are taking the bus in order to plan appropriately. The Parish Council would like to thank the
AHEPANS and the Macedonians for their donations for
the two buses.
The Parish Council would like to also thank all
the families for their donations during the Lenten
Luncheon. A special thank you to Tulla Giannaros,
Despina Papadopoulos and all of the Philoptochos Ladies for a successful planned day and evening event.
This was a wonderful gathering and we thank you for
your support and tradition.
On a special note, the Parish Council has been
approached by a family to fully fund the donation of a
playground on the church grounds. An exploratory
playground committee formalized and lead by Steve
Passias is reviewing options on several types of playgrounds and the right location for the playground site.
The Parish Council and the playground committee are
committed to complete transparency of the project and
the feasibility in order to move forward. All projects like
the playground project must go through a thorough
and detail process. That includes, Parish Council approval, General Assembly approval and finally the Metropolis approval before the project is to take place.
The community’s consensus and support is very important. For more information on the playground planning,
please visit our website at
www.annunciationbrockton.org/playground.
Finally, a special thank you from the bottom of
our hearts to the Savas Family for their recent donation
to the Savas Trust Fund in memory of Charles Savas.
We appreciate the considerable increase to the endowment. The church receives a wonderful dividend annually that helps our operating expenses throughout the
year.
Please take a moment to view the website and
our calendar of events for other upcoming events.
God Bless
John Karolemeas
Parish Council President
2012 Parish Council Meetings
March 17th
Ourania Psilekaris
April 19th
March 20th
George Bandas
May 8th
October 9th
June 12th
November 13th
July (no meeting)
December 11th
May Their Memory Be Eternal
Αιωνία η Μνήμη Αυτών
August 16th
September 11th
NEW VOTIVE LIGHT STANDS
A generous donation has been made to our
church in loving memory of Leila Savas by her
husband Irakli, which are two wrought iron
stands for votive candles. These new stands
will be a very positive upgrade in many ways.
First of all, they can accommodate 50 votive
glasses each, allowing many more of the faithful to have a candle lit. Also, we will be using 4
-hour, pure beeswax tealights which will be
allowed to burn completely throughout services. This way, there will be no more blowing
out and re-using partly burned candles. Most
importantly, unlike paraffin candles, the use of
pure beeswax ensures clean burning candles,
which will benefit the current and future iconography of the church. The new candles will
continue to be offered for the suggested donation of $5.00 each.
2012 Calendar of Events
Greek Independence Day Parade
Sunday, April 22nd
182 Hungry Friends Dinner
Thursday, May 3rd
Spring General Assembly
Sunday, May 6th
Philoptochos Food Festival
Saturday, May 19th &
May 20th
Sunday School Graduation
Sunday, May 20th
Greek School Graduation
Sunday, June 3rd
Ministry Awards Banquet
Sunday, June 10th
Golf Tournament
July, TBD
Summer Picnic
Sunday, August 19th
During the remainder of Great Lent, Fr. Anthony
Annual Food Festival
will be available to hear confessions as follows:
Thursday, September
20th to 23rd
each Saturday evening after Great Vespers
Festival Appreciation Luncheon
(all year)
during office hours by appointment (all year)
As per Holy Week schedule received by mail Harvest Ball Dance
Please take advantage of this most healing mys- Fall General Assembly
tery (sacrament) of love and forgiveness, as you
make your spiritual journey toward Holy Pascha. Parish Council Elections
Sunday, September 30th
Saturday, November 3rd
Sunday, November 18th
Sunday, December 2nd
Parish Council Oath & Election of Officers
Sunday, December 23rd
MAJOR DONATION
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind about how much Constantine (Charlie)
Savas loved and cared for his church. This was demonstrated through his
on-going generosity, which was always offered in a quiet, humble manner.
In this same Christian spirit, Constantine has once more demonstrated his
love and commitment to his church. Days prior to his 40-day memorial, his
family informed me of a gift from his estate for $100,000, to be commingled
with the funds of the existing Savas Family Trust for the benefit of our parish. (It is important to note that these funds were not given directly to the
church, but to the trust. Our parish has benefited from the proceeds of this
trust for many years now.) Let us all pray for the eternal repose of Constantine’s soul, in thanksgiving for this most loving gift toward the future
benefit of the parish he so loved.
Είναι παγκοίνως γνωστό πόσο ο Κωνσταντίνος (Τσάρλης) Σάββας αγαπούσε καί υπεστήριζε την εκκλησία μας. Το
αποκάλυπτε με την γενναιοδωρία του, που πάντα έπαιρνε τη μορφή της ταπεινότητας και της απλο ι κότητας, υπακούοντας έτσι
στο κέλευσμα του ιδρυτού της θρησκείας μας, που μας συνιστούσε να μην γνωρίζει η αριστερά μας της δεξιάς μας το έργον.
Στο ίδιο χριστιανικό πνεύμα έγινε και η ταλευταία προ του θανάτου του Κωνσταντίνου χριστιανική προσφορά προς την
εκκλησία μας. Λιγες ημέρες προ του τεσσαρακονθήμερου μνημοσύνου του, η οικογένεια του μας επληροφόρησε την δωρεά
του των εκατό χιλιάδων δολλαριων τα οποία προστεθησαν στο ήδη υπάρχον χρεωλυτικόν κεφάλαιον της οικογένειας Σαββα,
για τις ανάγκες της εκκλησίας. Σημειωτέον ότι το χρηματικό αυτό ποσόν αυτό δεν δόθηκε κατ’ ευθειαν στην εκκλησια αλλα
στη Διαθήκη Σάββα (Trust Fund) επ’ ωφελεία της εκκλησίας. Η εκκλησία μας καρπούται τα ωφέλη της διαθήκης αυτής για
πολλά χρόνια τωρα. Ας προσευχηθούμε όλοι στον Πανάγαθο γιά την ανάπαυση της ψυχής του Κωνσταντίνου και ας
ευχαριστήσουμε τον Υψιστο για το δώρο της αγάπης που μας εκληροδότησε ο αδελφός μας εν Χριστώ Κωνσταντινος.
Books, Icons, Incense and more
Orthodox treats
Raffle News
We have small icons and other Orthodox items that would be a
nice addition to Easter baskets. We can also order an icon of
your child’s Patron Saint so contact us at [email protected].
Nikoletta Evangelatos was the winner of February’s raffle of the Orthodox Study Bible.
The April 29 raffle will offer the
Our collection of children’s books is quite good, so come by our
Children’s Bible Reader
table. A copy of My First Book of Prayers would be a lovely thing
to share with a little one. We also have inexpensive pamphlets,
the God, I Need to Talk to You series, designed to make children
think about using bad language, being temperamental, lying, whining or stealing.
Lenten features
Our Lenten cookbook provides ideas for meatless meals year round, including bean burgers, spicy rice and
beans and vegetable curry.
This is your chance to get Lenten books, including The Service of the Akathist Hymn ($16), Holy Wednesday
Evening Services ($13), The Great Compline ($13), The Divine Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts ($23), and
the black Holy Week service book ($25).
For the Thinking Person
Wonder where the Orthodox Church stands on life after death? Wonder how the Church sees the current
morality of American life? We have an assortment of thought provoking books along those lines including
the God, Hear Me prayer book for teenagers.
Annunciation Bookstore
Open Every Sunday After Liturgy
[email protected]
2012 Scholarship Recipients
Varros Foundation
$1,000
Alexander Papadopoulos
Stathis L. Dimou
$500
Alexander Papadopoulos
Matthew Coon
Chris & Bessie
Tsaganis
$400
Nicole Bostic
Eric Ciulla
Elizabeth Mantalos
Elizabeth Mantalos, Nicole Bostic, Alexander Papadopoulos, Eric Ciulla, David Walsh, Matthew Coon
Paul A. Tasho
$500
Matthew Coon
Charlene Fields
$500
David Walsh
Georgantas
$350
Nicole Bostic
James C. Mihos
$1,000
Alexander Papadopoulos
$500
Eric Ciulla
Joanna Christopoulos
$500
Nicole Bostic
Mary Davilas
$500
Aikaterini Hatzidis
Areti Potsis
$500
Alexander Papadopoulos
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL RECIPIENTS
The Sunday School children joined in the procession of the Holy
Icons following the
Divine Liturgy on Sunday, March 4th
Vespers of the Sunday of Orthodoxy
We are now reserving space in our monthly bulletin for advertising purposes in .
order to defer from the high costs of publishing. You can now advertise your
business for a small cost.
The following are the advertising costs
Full Page Inside Front Cover
Full Page Inside Back Cover
¼ Year
$525.00
$525.00
½ Year
1 Full Year
$1,000.00 $1,500.00
$1,000.00 $1,500.00
½ Page Outside Back Cover
$525.00
$1,000.00 $1,500.00
Full Page
$420.00
$ 800.00 $1,200.00
½ Page
$210.00
$ 400.00 $ 600.00
Business Card Size
$105.00
$ 200.00 $ 300.00
Space is limited and will be available “On a First Come, First Serve Basis.”
The deadline for including your advertisement will be on the 10 th of each month.
If you have any questions and are interested in an opportunity that will support
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
457 Oak Street
Brockton, MA 02301
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Brockton, MA
Permit No. 258
Phone
508-559-0910
Fax
508-584-8679
Email
[email protected]
We’re on the Web!
www.annunciationbrockton.org
DATED MATERIAL PLEASE EXPEDITE