INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net

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1 News & Events INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Parish News & Events From the Inter-NET Around the World Pg. 2 Pg. 3 Pg. 5 Pg. 6 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO APRIL 2015 VOLUME VII ISSUE 4 ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE: April Calendar Holy Week Schedule of Services Holy Week Youth Events Flyer THE MISSION OF THE HOLY TRINITY PARISH IS TO SEEK AND ACHIEVE ONENESS WITH GOD IN HIS REVEALED SON, JESUS CHRIST THROUGH DAILY SACRAMENTAL AND SACRIFICIAL LIVING. WE WILL STRIVE FOR THE PEACEFUL AND LOVING UNITY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS IN CHRIST WHICH MAKES US HIS DISCIPLES. / 1 The Net - April 2015

2 Fr. Nick s Net The Net is the Monthly Newsletter of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church PARISH INFORMATION PARISH PRIEST: FR. NICHOLAS M. HALKIAS PHONE: (740) HOME: (724) FRNICK@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG PARISH ADDRESS: 300 SOUTH FOURTH STREET P.O. BOX 788 STEUBENVILLE, OH PHONE: (740) FAX: (740) OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG WEB: Holy Trinity Church is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh (pittsburgh.goarch.org) and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ( under the Spiritual Jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( PARISH MINISTRIES John Scavdis Nick Riley Susan Vogagis Rikki Kamarados Don Kronstein Steve Pahides Marianne Balakos George Berris John Josai PARISH COUNCIL President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Asst. Treasurer 2 The Net - April 2015 Connie Shea John Synodinos Tina Van Dijk Philoptochos... Rikki Kamarados Religious Education... Stewardship... GOYA... Rikki Kamarados JOY... Maria Matzorkis HOPE... Maria Matzorkis Choir... Pete Caleodis Library / Bookstore... Mary Romios Senior Citizens... Barbara Lee Maragos Chian Society... John Synodinos Pan-Icarian Brotherhood... Stacey Kotsanis AHEPA... Tommy Kotsanis April 2015 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Christ is in our midst! He is and always shall be! As we draw closer to Holy Week, we find ourselves returning to the most solemn and introspective week of the church year. Yet, Holy Week does not begin in a quiet and reserved way in the church. How does it begin? It begins with glory. It begins with triumph. It begins with a sorrowful pilgrimage, and then triumphant parade. I always find it interesting that the greatest week of the year, that culminates with our Lord and Savior being betrayed and hung on the Cross, begins with the two most triumphant celebrations that had happened on the earth to date: The raising of a dead man after his body had started to decay, and the kingly entrance into the capital city of the kingdom of Judea. In the midst of hurrying to get to Pascha, or even to get to the Crucifixion and burial, we might miss two of the most important celebrations surrounding that same period: Saturday of Lazarus and Palm Sunday. Their significance cannot be overstated. On the one hand, Lazarus was Jesus dear friend, and upon hearing that His dear friend was sick, He still waited to help him. It can t even be said that Jesus was late to help him because the road was long, or because He was informed too late, or even because they were distant acquaintances. He deliberately stayed longer to wait for His dear friend Lazarus death. In other words, He knew exactly what he was doing. He waited until the raising from the dead of His dear friend could only be seen as His power over death. To date, that was the most significant miracle the world had ever seen. Then in the other feast, Palm Sunday, it is the triumphal entry of Jesus, after the raising of Lazarus, into Jerusalem. Everyone heard that Jesus raised a man from the dead, and they came to see the man with such power. Many of them proclaimed Him King of the Jews, shouting, Hosanna, blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Those words were prophetic words reserved for the Messiah, the one who would come and bring an eternal kingdom to the nation of Israel and the rest of the world. It is truly the only time, as an adult, that Jesus is treated like the royalty He truly is. The crowd carried palms in their hands, and laid their garments on the ground in front of Him. It only took thirty-three years, but finally Jesus was being recognized as the true King of Israel, as the true Son of God, and as the true Savior of our hope. What a scene! All people, of all races and of all class types, were praising Him in manner similarly to that which Angels had been praising Him since before time began. He finally arrived But only He knew what that meant. Only He could understand what this temporary glorification on earth symbolized. It was the beginning of the greatest double contrast the world had ever seen. From an earthly glory to an ethnic and political betrayal, and then back to an everlasting glory, this is indeed, The Greatest Story Ever Told. This is the reason that Holy Week doesn t start with the first Bridegroom service on Sunday night. His Passion, as significant as it was, stings harder when seen right on the heels of His greatest earthly glory to date. Let us, dear brethren, come and witness this temporary glory, and learn to praise Him for all eternity! God Bless You All!!!

3 News & Events WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Worship... April Orthros is at 9:00 am and Divine Liturgy is at 10:00 am. Sunday School begins at 11:00 am. We will also be having Hymnology the first Sunday of the month starting at 11:00 am. Wednesday Presanctified Services... April Presanctified Liturgies will be offered every Wednesday at 6:00 pm unless otherwise stated. APRIL These are the services for the month of April please check your schedules and plan to attend. Wednesday, April 1 6:00 pm Presanctified Liturgy Saturday, April 4... Saturday of Lazarus 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Liturgy 11:00 am Pancake Breakfast / Palm Cross Making Sunday, April 5... Palm Sunday 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Liturgy 7:00 pm Bridegroom Service Monday, April 6... Holy Monday 7:00 pm Bridegroom Service Tuesday, April 7... Holy Tuesday 7:00 pm Bridegroom Service Wednesday, April 8... Holy Wednesday 3:00 pm Holy Unction 7:00 pm Bridegroom Service with Anointing Thursday, April 9... Holy Thursday 8:00 am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 11:00 am Confession 7:00 pm Service of the 12 Gospels 11:00 pm All Night Vigil/Royal Hours Friday, April Holy Friday 3:00 pm Apokatheilosis 7:00 pm Lamentations Saturday, April Holy Saturday 8:00 am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 10:30 pm Orthros of the Resurrection 11:15 pm Paschal Liturgy Sunday, April Great and Holy Pascha 11:00 am Agape Vespers 12:30 pm Easter Egg Hunt Tuesday, April 14 4:00 pm Confession Wednesday, April 15 6:00 pm Paschal Canon Friday, April Life-Giving Font 10:30 am Liturgy - Martins Ferry Wednesday, April 22 6:00 pm Great Vespers - St. George Thursday, April St. George 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Liturgy Wednesday, April 29 6:00 pm Paraklesis HAPPY BIRTHDAY The following people will be celebrating their birthday in the month of April: Steve Markis 4-03 Olivia Balakos 4-05 Jack Shea 4-07 Samantha Rebon 4-08 Aizek Demitras 4-09 Zoe Locascio 4-09 Gerrie Maragos 4-09 Peri Dimitriou 4-18 Jane Kirlangitis 4-25 Niko Dimitriou 4-28 Jennifer Caleodis 4-28 Dimitri Panagis 4-30 If your name was not listed and you had a birthday during this month, please contact the office and we will be happy to place it on our roster for next year. 6:40 pm Trisagion 3 The Net - April 2015

4 News & Events ST. PHOTIOS AWARDS BANQUET The 2015 Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh has set the St. Photios Awards banquet for April 18, 2015 at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown Hotel (formerly the Hilton). The doors will open at 4:00 pm for cocktails and we will sit down for dinner at 5:45 pm. The price for this dinner is $75 per adult and $25 per child. All proceeds will benefit the Metropolis Benevolence Fund. Those who attended last year were very blessed to attend. This year, our Holy Trinity St. Photios Designees are John Scavdis and Vi Buffone! We are so proud of their efforts for Holy Trinity and we hope and pray that their ministry and service to Holy Trinity continues. As a parish family, we should show them support by coming to the St. Photios Awards banquet! The deadline for buying tickets is April 5 th. Here is the contact information for the banquet: Phone: Mary Doreza Mail: 4 The Net - April 2015 Peter Clyde Papadakos St. Photios Banquet Reservations 109 Lindberg Drive McKeesport, PA All checks for your reservations should be made payable to Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh. Get your reservations in, time is running out for us to attend this banquet and show our support to John and Vi! FESTIVAL BAKING CALENDAR Please note: A tentative baking calendar is out for the Month of April. Please note that these dates are subject to change. You will be notified through the weekly bulletin if there is a change. April 1 9:00 am Easter Bread Baking 12-4 pm Easter Bread Pick-up April pm Easter Bread Pick-up April 13 9:00 am De-steming leaves April 14 9:00 am Grape leaves April 16 9:00 am Grape leaves April 20 9:00 am De-steming leaves April 21 9:00 am Grape leaves April 28 9:00 am Koulourakia April 30 9:00 am Koulourakia RELIGIOUS EDUCATION BIBLE STUDY... April 15 & 29 The Bible Study group normally holds it meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 10:00 am. Due to Easter we are moving the dates for this month. FAMILY FUN NIGHT... April 25 Each month Family Fun Night meets at a different location. This month we will be meeting on Friday, April 25th. OPA... April 23 OPA is our Women s Study Group. You don t need to be Orthodox to come. So come on in, invite your friends, and enjoy the fun! This month, we will be meeting at the brand new Orthodox Coffee House in downtown Steubenville: The Agia Sophia Coffeehouse on Market Street, across from Huntington Bank at 6:30 pm. THEOLOGY ON TAP... April 16 Each month Theology on Tap meets at a different location. This month Theology on Tap will meet on April 16th at 6:00 pm. The location will be forthcoming at a later date. PARISH GROUPS AHEPA... TBA The AHEPA Society will now have their meetings scheduled through our Notify-Now system. CHOIR... TBA Rehearsals are held weekly when possible and the times vary. Anyone who would be interested in joining the Choir is welcome to do so. Please contact Pete Caleodis if you are interested in joining. PHILOPTOCHOS... April 2 The next scheduled meeting of the Philoptochos is scheduled for the first Thursday in April 2. This meeting will be held at Zalenski s at 6:30. PARISH COUNCIL... April 14 Parish Council meetings are held the 2 nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the church unless otherwise stated. FOURTH STREET HEALTH CLINIC For the month of April we are asking for: DISH SOAP, DUSTING Swiffer pads, Mr. Clean erasers, toilet bowl brushes, toilet bowl cleaner and toilet paper. Please be generous with your supplies as these go to a very worthy cause. FEBRUARY MONTHLY FINANCIALS February weekly income $3, February weekly expense $3,

5 From the Inter-NET THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF A UNIQUE YOUNG PRIEST: FR. MATTHEW BAKER By: Terry Mattingly / Published: Thursday, March 12, 2015 As a high school dropout, Matthew Baker worked the graveyard shift at a gas station because he wanted time to read. So he read for seven years, digging into philosophy, literature, history and poetry. This helped steer him away from his teenaged atheism and eventually toward Orthodox Christianity and the priesthood. He never graduated from college. But there was marriage and a large family to love. Then a seminary accepted Baker, and then another, leading to a Master of Divinity from St. Tikhon s Orthodox Seminary in Pennsylvania and a Master of Arts from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Massachusetts. This led to Fordham University doctoral work in theology, history and philosophy, and a dissertation that was nearly done allowing him to finally be ordained in 2014 and, this January, to move to his first parish. Then the 37-year-old Baker died March 1, when the family minivan crashed off a snowy road after evening prayers at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Norwich, Connecticut. His six children ages 2 to 12 were not seriously injured. His wife, Katherine, was home, still recovering from a recent miscarriage. This isn t just a tragic story. It s several tragic stories, said Father Andrew Stephen Damick of St. Paul Orthodox Church in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, whose family shared a backyard with the Bakers in seminary. You can write so many headlines on this story and they re all true. There s the story of a father who dies after years in near poverty, leaving behind a grieving wife and young family. There s the missing priest and his new parish, left mourning a lost future. There s the loss of a unique intellectual whose works were already being translated into other languages. After the funeral, a friend read comments by Metropolitan John Zizioulas, a world-famous Orthodox theologian at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. Baker s work, he said, had forced me to answer new questions which I had not thought of before.... We had the one, and we lost him. Seraphim Danckaert of the Orthodox Christian Network in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, quickly opened a GoFundMe.com drive to support Baker s family. Early this week, the total topped $600,000, including gifts from New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, Princeton Theological Seminary scholar George Hunsinger and Pittsburgh Steelers star Troy Polamalu, an Eastern Orthodox convert. Hunsinger worked with Baker on annual conferences about early Christianity and once hailed him as the most brilliant theologian of his generation I have ever met. Baker was our next great voice, stressed Danckaert. We expected to rely on his counsel for years, for our children to be taught by him, to read his books and for his mature voice to be one which transcended our own tradition.... The unexpectedly large outpouring of love in the wake of his death is proof that he was already doing that. But so much more has been lost. Truth is, this man s approach to life was truly radical in this age of narrow academia niches, stressed Father Eugen Pentiuc of Holy Cross seminary, who knew Baker as a student and as a research colleague. Matthew was crazy about theology, a total idealist about studying theology.... But he wanted to learn history and philosophy and art and everything else, Pentiuc said. I don t know anyone else who read so much and absorbed so much, so soon. It was going to take him 10 or 15 years to fully synthesize what he knew and to find his mature voice. Friends joked that they could say Go! and challenge Baker to connect random subjects such as rock band Duran Duran, genetics term GMOs, and 4th century heresy Apollinarianism and he would come up with authentically deep links between them, said Damick. This is how Father Matthew will now be introduced to the world, said Damick. Yes, people will read his books.... But rather than a brilliant 50-year academic career, people will hear about him as a Christian, a husband, a father and a priest. His legacy will be all of us who loved him and are determined to keep his legacy alive. -Taken from: The Net - April 2015

6 Around the World IKARIA: A VISIT TO THE ISLAND WHERE PEOPLE FORGET TO DIE In the middle of the Aegean Sea, roughly 50 miles from bustling Mykonos, you might expect to find an actual fountain of youth on the remote island of Ikaria, Greece. How else would one explain the legendary longevity of its approximately 8000 residents, who are two-and-a-half times as likely to live to the ripe old age of 90 as we are in America? And 10 times as likely to see their 100th birthday? Bill Weir, host of The Wonder List, set sail for this intriguing island for the newest episode of his CNN series, which explores the way in which the modern world is impacting (and often endangering) some of its own unique cultures. The first thing any visitor to Ikaria realizes is the difficulty it takes to get there. With its rocky shoreline, infamously strong winds and rough seas (which were referenced by Homer in The Iliad), and seemingly desolate oceanfront, Ikaria is not the most outwardly hospitable looking of the Greek isles. Neighboring islands, which you can see from Ikaria, are bustling ports and tourist attractions, Weir explains. But it was this strange quirk of geology and geography that kept ships from docking there for many years. Then, in the age of the pirates, a lot of the locals moved up into the hills. So those quirks of history and wind and geography all led to this sort of isolated community. That isolation may very well be one of the reasons why Ikarians live longer but it s only one of many reasons. Ikarians, who abide by a traditional Mediterranean diet, live by an eat what you grow and serve what's fresh mentality. And the hilly locale means that in order to eat what you grow, you must climb your way up and down to it first. There s also the wine, which they grow locally and serve by the liter in unassuming plastic bottles. And which they regularly enjoy with friends and family. I went there thinking it would be the particular kind of honey they eat every morning or some antioxidant in the plant life, Weir says. But the lesson I got from person after person was: all things in moderation. They know how to blow it out they have huge parties but it s a treat. It s a once-a-week event. And they eat meat as a special treat, as part of a festival or a celebration, so they always have something to look forward to. Whereas we re so used to instant gratification: I deserve to treat myself, so let me order another rack of ribs! It s hardly an earth-shaking revelation to hear that, but to see how they practiced that was really interesting. Still, modern life is creeping in even if it has taken several decades longer than in most parts of the world. They got 6 The Net - April 2015 telephones in the early 80s and now they all have Internet, says Weir. So they re discovering the joys of sitting on the couch with a bag of chips and binge-watching their favorite shows like we do. Which means it s up to the younger generation of Ikarians to recognize the specialness of their own community and carry on its tradition of centenarians. It s not a very exciting place and that has something to do with the longevity, Weir says. It s not like Mykonos. To keep an energetic twentysomething on that island and keep that lineage going is their biggest challenge. Unfortunately, it may very well take leaving Ikaria to understand its rarity. And jumping to the obvious conclusion that the odds of living longer in a place that sees 20 percent less cancer than we do, half the amount of heart disease, and almost no depression or dementia are stacked in your favor. Wherever you go in the world, a lot of the health of the community is based on how comfortable everyone is in hugging each other and how close people are with their neighbors and with their family, Weir says. Ikarians have an intense social bond that I haven t experienced in any other place. That social bond is particularly important within the family structure, where several generations of family living together under one roof and all contributing equally is the norm. Whereas approximately half of all Americans over the age of 95 are living in nursing homes, Ikarians in the same age bracket are still making daily treks from the hilltops into town to socialize. In Ikaria, it s only after age 103 that banks would consider a loan a risky endeavor. There is no generation gap. Maintaining close personal connections is just as important outside of the family. After leaving Ikaria, Weir was intent on adapting some of what he had learned there to his own life. I came home and I told my wife: We ve got to plan a party. My Ikarian resolution was to connect with the people I care about in life more often. And it s difficult. We get busy. But no one looks back from their death bed and says, I wish I d spent some more time at the office. It takes an effort. But the big [takeaway] for me was being jealous of that fierce human connection that these folks have. And how that keeps you living well and as long as possible. -Taken from:

7 The NET-Minders The Parish of Holy Trinity would like to thank the following benefactors for making this Monthly Newsletter possible: Place your ADVERTISMENT HERE Place your ADVERTISMENT HERE In Loving Memory Of Nicholas Mougianis 7 The Net - April 2015

8 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church P.O. Box South Fourth Street Steubenville, OH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE P A I D STEUBENVILLE, OH PERMIT NO. 83 Submissions for THE NET are to be submitted by the 20 th of each month About the Icon on the Cover PALM SUNDAY Five days before the Passover, Jesus came from Bethany to Jerusalem. Having sent two of His disciples to bring Him a colt of a donkey, Jesus sat upon it and entered the city. People had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover and were looking for Jesus, both because of His great works and teaching and because they had heard of the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus. When they heard that Christ was entering the city, they went out to meet Him with palm branches, laying their garments on the ground before Him, and shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel! At the outset of His public ministry Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God and announced that the powers of the age to come were already active in the present age (Luke 7:18-22). His words and mighty works were performed "to produce repentance as the response to His call, a call to an inward change of mind and heart which would result in concrete changes in one's life, a call to follow Him and accept His messianic destiny. The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is a messianic event, through which His divine authority was declared. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our king: the Word of God made flesh. We are called to behold Him not simply as the One who came to us once riding on a colt, but as the One who is always present in His Church, coming ceaselessly to us in power and glory at every Eucharist, in every prayer and sacrament, and in every act of love, kindness and mercy. He comes to free us from all our fears and insecurities, "to take solemn possession of our soul, and to be enthroned in our heart," as someone has said. He comes not only to deliver us from our deaths by His death and Resurrection, but also to make us capable of attaining the most perfect fellowship or union with Him. He is the King, who liberates us from the darkness of sin and the bondage of death. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our King: the vanquisher of death and the giver of life. -Taken from: