April 2012 - Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
Transcription
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 Page 8 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 annunciationbrockton.bookstore@gmail.com. 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 Annunciationbrockton.bookstore@gmail.com 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 office@annunciationbrockton.org We’re on the Web! www.annunciationbrockton.org DATED MATERIAL PLEASE EXPEDITE