INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Pg. 2

Transcription

1 News & Events 3364 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Pg. 2 News & Events Pg. 3 Area Events Pg. 5 A Month in Review Pg. 6 From the Inter-NET Pg. 7 Around the World Pg. 8 A Good Word Pgs. 9&10 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO DECEMBER, 2018 VOLUME X ISSUE 11 ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE: December Calendar 2019 Stewardship Card Gyro Sale Flyer and Order Form Chicken Fest Sale Flyer 8th Annual Christmas Day Dinner Flyer GOYA B-ball Tournament Sponsorship Form THE MISSION OF THE HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO, IS TO BE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST BY SHARING THE JOY OF THE ORTHODOX FAITH THROUGH LOVE, COMPASSION AND CHARITY FOR ALL. 1 The Net January /August 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: PATRICIE ALLEN 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 ( Tony Mougianis Nick Riley Pete Caleodis Rikki Kamarados Don Kronstein Joanne McCraley Marianne Balakos Nick Demitras Maria Matzorkis PARISH MINISTRIES PARISH COUNCIL President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Asst. Treasurer George Berris Rana Mahfood Don Richardson Philoptochos... Joanne McCraley Religious Education... Stewardship... GOYA... Rikki Kamarados JOY... Maria Matzorkis HOPE... Maria Matzorkis Choir... Pete Caleodis Library / Bookstore... Louise Kronstein Senior Citizens... Barbara Lee Maragos Chian Society... John Kamarados Pan-Icarian Brotherhood... Stacey Kotsanis AHEPA... Tommy Kotsanis 2 The Net December 2018 December, 2018 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we enter yet another beautiful and joyous Christmas season, we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in so many wonderful ways. The whole earth rejoiced at the coming of the Savior back to this earth: The heavens gave a star; the angels gave their praise; the earth gave a cave; humanity gave its visitation and gifts; the waters washed Him after his birth; the animals gave their manger; and even the minerals were given as gifts to the newborn King. And why not? Could there ever have been, or could there ever be again, a more anticipated birth than that of God s own Son? Imagine that God s physical presence, that once walked with Adam and Eve on the cool of the morning (Genesis 3:8), was almost completely removed from the earth for thousands of years. The earth, that was God s beautiful creation, did not have the touch of its Creator in too long of a time. Furthermore, the earth existence, during that absence, had changed considerably. Sin and death accompanied that Godless drought, and so many other things came with sin and death: wars, disease, natural disasters, pain, suffering, hatred, jealousy; and that is just the short list. Then, all of a sudden, it feels its Creator coming. After so long, there was the jubilant cry of the most noble child the world would ever see. Is it any wonder that the world, understanding exactly Who this Child was, went overboard in expressing its praise of the Master? But unfortunately, the consequences of sin still remain on this earth. Even right after the Lord s birth, King Herod, in his jealous anger and rage, staged a murder of 14,000 of the most defenseless male babies in his kingdom. It was a massacre unlike anything the world had experienced since the death of the Jewish male children by Pharaoh in Egypt. The Church commemorates this genocide on December 29 every year. These Holy Innocents, as the Church calls them, were really the first to shed their blood for Christ the first martyrs. It is so sad that the greatest birth on this earth would also bring about a terrible and gruesome death. Why couldn t Herod see the blessing of this Baby? Indeed, he scarcely saw that value in any baby, person or even mother to treat them as violently as he did. This kind of reaction can only come when someone ceases to recognize God in their lives. The Earth knew Who was coming and rejoiced. King Herod didn t see God coming to this earth. He saw a rival -- a threat. We see the horror of hatred, tragedy and death still surrounding our world centuries after Jesus has defeated them. These ugly events still take place for the same reason as the death of the Holy Innocents: No one recognizes Christ anymore. They stopped seeing him in their lives, and in the lives of those surrounding them. And if Christ should pop up on their radar, they use Him as a puppet for their own gain - financial or otherwise. So, this year, beloved, let us train our souls to see Christ. Let us see Him for Who He really is, not as we would have Him. Then, let us, along with all the earth, praise His glorious and salvific coming on this earth! Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

3 News & Events WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Worship... December Our fall schedule for Sunday worship: Orthros begins at 9:00 A.M. and Liturgy begins at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday Paraklesis Services... December Paraklesis Services will be offered every Wednesday evening at 6:00 P.M. unless otherwise stated. DECEMBER These are the services for the month of December. Please check your schedules and plan to attend. Wednesday, December 5... St. Savas 9:00 A.M. Orthros & Liturgy - Metropolis PGH (Metropolitan Savas Name day) 7:00 P.M. Great Vespers St.Nicholas Cathedral, PGH Thursday, December 6... St. Nicholas 8:30 A.M. Orthros 9:30 A.M. Liturgy Tuesday, December 11 4:00 A.M. Confession Wednesday, December St. Spyridon 9:00 A.M. Orthros & Liturgy Monessen, PA Saturday, December St. Eleftherios 9:00 A.M. Holy Unction Thursday, December 20 11:00 A.M. Confession Monday, December Eve Holy Nativity 9:00 A.M. Royal Hours 5:00 P.M. Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil Tuesday, December Holy Nativity 9:00 A.M. Orthros 10:00 A.M. Liturgy Tuesday, December New Years Eve 5:30 P.M. Communion Prayers 6:00 P.M. Divine Liturgy of St. Basil HAPPY BIRTHDAY The following people will be celebrating their birthdays in the month of December George Atsalis Anthony Mahfood Angela Paidousis Clara Alexander Dean Alexander Holly Kirsch Jonah Moore Angeline Vitellas Anna Moten December Sophia Shea Connie Shea Carly Fuller Jenn Kisner 12=16 Frances Maragos Vasilios Niapas Ted Economos Charles Entinger Christopher Rebon Suzanne Synodinos12-27 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. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION BIBLE STUDY... December 19 The Bible Study normally meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 10:00 A.M. Due to the holiday season we will meet once in the month of December please check the weekly bulletins for any changes. We will be continuing the study of Isaiah. Do you know anyone interested in Orthodox Christianity? Contact Fr. Nick to learn how to have an introduction to Orthodoxy in your home! Invite your friends, and show them the faith of our ancestors! PARISH GROUPS CHOIR... December 3 Choir rehearsals will be held on the first Monday of each month at 5:00 P.M. (Changes will be made through the Notify-Now System). Anyone interested in joining the choir is welcome to do so. Please contact Pete Caleodis if you are interested in joining. Thank you. PHILOPTOCHOS... December 6 The Philoptochos Ladies will be having their Christmas Party, here at Holy Trinity at 6:30 P.M PARISH COUNCIL... December 11 Parish Council meetings are normally held the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 P.M. at the church unless otherwise stated. 3 The Net December 2018

4 News & Events AHEPA... December The AHEPA Society will now have their meetings scheduled through our Notify-Now system The Christmas Party will be on Thursday, December 13, at 6:00 P.M. at Scaffidi s Restaurant. METROPOLIS STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh will observe Metropolis Stewardship Sunday on Sunday, December 2, Please consider becoming a St. Photios Steward of the Metropolis Ministries. For more information, please see Fr. Nick. CHRISTMAS CARDS & POINSETTIAS Please remember that the community Christmas cards and poinsettia donations are due by December 2. Extra forms are available on the pangari. CHICKEN FEST SALE There will be a Chicken Fest on Tuesday, December 4; the sale is from 3:30-6:30 P.M. It is open to the public. Price of dinner is $11 which includes festival or lemon chicken, rice pilaf, & green beans. Eat in or carry out. Drinks and pastries sold separately. FORT STEUBEN CHRISTMAS PARADE The Fort Steuben Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, December 8 at noon. HOLY TRINITY AT THE NUTCRACKER VILLAGE Holy Trinity will have a chalet at the Nutcracker Village this year. We are looking for volunteers. Please sign up for a four-hour shift (There will be one three-hour shift on Dec. 8.) There will two people per shift. Sign-up sheets are in the office or see Rikki. STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY Sunday, December 9 is Stewardship Sunday. We will collect your completed 2019 stewardship cards; they will be brought in baskets to the front of the church. A special prayer will be given at that time asking the Lord to accept our stewardship offering and multiply it for the good of the church and its ministries. GYRO FUNDRAISER Philoptochos will be holding a Gyro Fund-raiser on Tuesday, December, 11, from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. This event is open to the public. Gyros are $7.00 each. There will be a $.25 up charge for extra tzatziki sauce. Koulourakia (twist cookies) are $6.00 a dozen. There will be free delivery for 4 The Net December 2018 orders of four or more gyros. Everyone is welcome to either eat with us, carry out, or to help us with this event. Please join us. AHEPA/ICARIAN CHRISTMAS PARTY The AHEPA/ICARIAN Christmas Party will be on Thursday, December 13, at 6:00 P.M. at Scaffidi s Restaurant and Tavern, Hollywood Plaza, Steubenville, Ohio. A buffet will be provided by the organizations. Cash bar will be available. All members, past and present and their families, are invited to join us! HOLY SAINTS GOYA LOCK-IN We would like to invite all GOYAns to join us for a lockin on December 21, at 7:00 P.M. There will be more information coming soon; watch the weekly bulletin. CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL DINNER Plans are underway for the 8th Annual Christmas Memorial Dinner on Christmas day from 11:30 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. It is not too early to get your donations in to the Agape Fund which sponsors that dinner. Please call the church secretary or Father Nick to offer your time or resources. Thank you. NEW PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS Congratulations to the newly elected Parish Council Members: Anthony Mougianis Michael Riley Steve Pahides Joanne McCraley God Bless all of you. We know that you will do a great job for our community. OCTOBER FINANCIALS October weekly income $ October weekly expense $

5 Area Events 5 The Net December 2018

6 A Month in Review Top Golf Outing 11/04 Youth Sunday, GOYA Officers & Thanksgiving Baskets 11/11 Nutcracker Village and Light up Night 6 The Net September

7 From the Inter-NET RUSSIAN CITY BANS ABORTION FOR A DAY 'IN MEMORY OF THE MASSACRE OF INNOCENTS' Siobhan Fenton - 12 January 2017 A region of Russia has banned abortions for one day in order to commemorate the religious day of The Slaughter of Innocents, it has been reported. Local religious leaders from the Russian Orthodox Church declared 11 January a day of silence without abortions to mark the religious feast day, Russia Today reports. The Church says that the ban will be in place in the city of Yaroslavl and that they have the backing of the local health department. Abortion is legal throughout Russia and the procedure is state funded. However, it continues to be controversial among some conservative, religious groups. In a statement, posted to the Yaroslavl diocese s website, the Chruch announces: The event is dedicated to the memory of Bethlehem children slaughtered by King Herod, who wanted to kill the newborn infant Christ. On this day it is forbidden to carry out abortions in all state medical institutions in Yaroslavl Region. A local newspaper for the area said an official at the local state health department confirm the temporary ban will take place. Local worshippers will also hold a Candle of Memory ceremony in memory of terminated foetuses and infants who were killed under the biblical King Herod. They are also calling on private clinics to opt in to the ban too. In September, the Orthodox Church stepped up its campaign efforts against abortion. Patriarch Kirill, who is head of the group, signed a petition calling for a nationwide ban on terminations. He has also spoken of his desire to eliminate state funding for abortions in a bid to make them harder to access for women with low incomes. However, public opinion remains in favour of legal abortions being offered by the state. A nationwide poll recently found 72 per cent of Russians which for abortion laws in the country to remain as they currently stand. Chief specialist of the organization of medical care for women and children at the Department of Health of the Yaroslavl Region Elena Vinogradova: We have no ban on abortion today. We simply supported the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church and recommended that medical organizations spend a day without abortion, a day of silence. We can't force medical organizations, that's all. We simply recommended them and they supported this initiative and agreed to spend this day of silence. So this is not a ban. 26 organizations that have abortions. We have organizations that generally refused to have abortions in some areas. They work with the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church is so developed there that they do not perform abortions there at all. Such actions are held here, for example, on Children's Day, on June 1, we are having this. There is the All-Russian initiative "Give me life" on the initiative of the [Svetlana] Medvedeva Foundation in July. At this time, organizations also have the opportunity to spend a day of silence - not to have an abortion. It turns out that we now have three dates. We [these days] also send out recommendations, in which we ask you to support the initiative of Medvedeva, to choose a certain day in July and not to conduct abortions. We recommend not to do them, but we do not prohibit anything to anyone and do not say that they are obliged. -Taken from: europe/russia-bans-abortion-one-day-massacre-of-innocentsa html and The Net September 2018

8 Around the World GREECE'S CHURCH SAYS PRIESTS SHOULD KEEP STATE JOBS By DEREK GATOPOULOS, Associated Press - Nov. 16, 2018 The government is seeking church support for a proposed constitutional revision that would be finalized by the next parliament and would include provisions to scrap the religious oath for lawmakers, declaring the Greek state "religiously neutral." In Friday's Holy Synod decision, the church said it wished to have continued dialogue with the state and announced it would establish a special commission to examine "issues of common interest." ATHENS, Greece (AP) Greece's powerful Orthodox Church says it wants priests to remain civil servants, rejecting part of a recent government offer to switch a payroll system for clergymen. The church's governing Holy Synod said Friday that it had voted unanimously "to retain the existing payroll status of the clergy and laymen of the Church of Greece." Earlier this month, left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on the church to back a series of government proposed reforms aimed at settling decades-old property disputes and moving priests off the state payroll to a separate publicly-funded structure. Tsipras had met Church leader, Archbishop Hieronymos, and later said the scheme would free up 10,000 new positions in the public sector amid hiring restrictions that remain in place after the country's international bailouts. Hieronymos had appeared to agree with the proposals at the Nov. 6 meeting. Currently trailing conservative rivals in polls, Tsipras is facing a general election next year. The number of salaried employees on the state payroll was reduced by nearly 20 percent during three successive bailouts, dropping to some 560,000. They include military and police personnel, teachers and university staff and public hospital workers and well as state administrative staff. The Greek Church has frequently been at odds with the Tsipras government which legalized same-sex civil partnerships, and revised the school curriculum to increase references to other major religions. 8 The Net September 2018 According to reports, the decision was unanimous, and has been taken as a rejection of the historic agreement. However that isn t to say that there wasn t tension, with a number of walkouts reported, including Bishops of Messinia and Kesariani who in protest left the meeting midway through. The idea had been to create a joint fund, which would manage the church s assets, holdings and investments, in addition to covering the salary of the 10,000 clergymen currently serving the Church, who are listed as part of the civil servant payroll. Meanwhile the statement also revealed that a committee will be established to present a report to the Church s hierarchy over pending issues. and -Taken and excerpted from: news/world/article/greece-s-church-says-priests-should-keepstate php

9 A Good Word (pg. 1) 9 The Net December 2018

10 A Good Word (pg. 2) 10 The Net December

11 The NET-Minders The Parish of Holy Trinity would like to thank the following benefactors for making this Monthly Newsletter possible: YOUR AD HERE In Loving Memory Of Nicholas Mougianis 11 The Net December 2018

12 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 14,000 INFANTS (HOLY INNOCENTS) SLAIN BY HEROD IN BETHLEHEM The infant-slaying Herod mentioned here is the same one that ruled at the time of Christ's Nativity. In those days, certain Magi, who were wise and noble men, perhaps even kings, set forth from the East, and came to Jerusalem, seeking the King of the Jews, Who had been born; and they said that in the East, where their homeland was, an unusual and strange star had appeared two years before, which, according to an ancient oracle (Num 24:17), was to signify the birth of some great king of the Jews. "For we have seen His star in the east," they said, "and have come to worship Him" (Matt. 2:2). Hearing these things, Herod was troubled, and the whole city together with him. Then, having inquired and been informed by the high priests and scribes of the people that, according to the prophecies, Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, he sent the Magi thither and ordered them that, when they would find the Child, to inform him, so that he also - as he affirmed - might go and worship Him. But the Magi, after they had worshipped, departed by another way to their own country by a divine command. Then Herod was wroth and sent men to slay all the infants of Bethlehem and the parts round about, from two years old and under, thinking that with them he would also certainly slay the King Who had been born. But this vain man who fought against God was mocked, since Jesus the Child, with Mary His Mother, under the protection of Joseph the Betrothed, fled into Egypt at the command of an Angel. As for those innocent infants, they became the first Martyrs slain in behalf of Christ. But their blood-thirsty executioner, the persecutor of Christ, came down with dropsy after a short time, with his members rotting and being eaten by worms, and he ended his life in a most wretched manner. -Taken from