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News & Events HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO JANUARY, 2018 VOLUME X

Nick s Net Parish News & Events From the Inter-NET Around the World Pg. 2 Pg. 3 Pg. 5 Pg.

Fest THE MISSION OF THE HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO, IS TO BE

1 News & Events HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO JANUARY, 2018 VOLUME X ISSUE 1 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 ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE: January Calendar Chian Post - Christmas Party Gyro Sale Chicken Fest 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: KARIN EWING 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 Tony Mougianis Marianne Balakos Pete Caleodis Rikki Kamarados Don Kronstein Joanne McCraley Maria Matzorkis George Berris Don Richardson PARISH COUNCIL President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Nick Riley Rana Levenderis Nick Demitras Philoptochos... Rikki Kamarados Religious Education... Stewardship... SUMMER... 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 January 2018 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Christ is Born! Glorifiy Him! Wow! What a blessing! - We have so much to be thankful for in 2018! We just completed 7 years of Christmas Day Dinners. This year over 600 meals were served in just a short period of time. Despite everything else that goes on in our parish lives and in our busy schedules, that dinner has continued to be a shining light - reminding us of why we are a parish: to love and serve others. Even our own mission statement says it: 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. That dinner, which so many people slave over and sponsor, truly shares the joy of our faith in Christ with so many. You many argue that our festival reaches more people, and you would be right. However, our Christmas day dinner, in a shorter amount of time, changes lives and revives souls in a different way than our festival is capable of. It s just turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread and soup. Nothing extraordinary about the meal itself. (Although after fasting for 40 days prior to Christmas, it tastes so good. Even the News 9 crew that was here, and had other dinners to cover on Christmas, stopped to eat our food and said how good it was.) Nevetheless it is time, money, efforts, care and smiles that we have in preparing and serving it that turn the heads of so many that come to eat it on Christmas Day. Jesus, Himself, took the time to save us. He could have used any means to save us. After all He is God. Nothing is impossible to Him. If He could create the universe by merely His spoken Word, then He could have found multiple ways to save us. It wasn t THAT He saved us, it was HOW He saved us. He took the time to be with us, to live with us, to eat with us, to cry with us. He felt our joys and pains. He felt our victories and our defeats. He saw the love of those who stayed with Him in His ministry on this earth. He also experienced the bitterness of having people reject Him, including one of his closest disciples. That is what makes His plan for salvation for us so unique. He was and is so far above us and yet He did not consider it beneath Him to make Himself lowly and poor for us. Our dinner is a similar thing. It brings Christ s love to so many people. It might be a simple meal, but it brings Christ to so many people. She might have been a peasant woman, but Mary brought Jesus to be born on this earth. It might have been a humble cave, but it was and forever will be the place His feet stepped on this earth for the first time. Nothing small and insignificant about that. Our faith in Christ, that we share with so many during that dinner, ignites a spark of love within each person that we truly encounter on that day. We not only share Christ s love with others, but they, after receiving it from us, in turn offer a measure of Christ s love to the next person that they see. This, then, is not merely offering Christ to others, but honoring and serving the Christ that is inside each and every person that joins us on this day. May we continue to serve Christ in others all the days of our lives. God Bless You All! 2 The Net January

3 News & Events WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Worship... January Our Sunday Worship schedule is as follows: Orthros begins at 9:00 A.M., and Divine Liturgy begins at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday Paraklesis Services January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Paraklesis Services will be offered every Wednesday evening at 6:00 P.M. unless otherwise stated. JANUARY Monday, January 1... St. Basil the Great 8:30 A.M. Orthros 9:30 A.M. Liturgy Friday, January 5... Eve of Theophany 9:00 A.M. Royal Hours 6:00 P.M. Vesperal Liturgy w/ Blessing of Water Saturday, January 6... Holy Theophany 8:30 A.M. Orthros 9:30 A.M. Liturgy with Blessing of Water Wednesday, January St. Anthony 8:30 A.M. Orthros 9:30 A.M. Liturgy Thursday, January St. Gregory 9:00 A.M. Orthros 10:00 A.M. Divine Liturgy Tuesday, January Three Hierarchs 8:30 A.M. Orthros 9:30 A.M. Liturgy HAPPY BIRTHDAY The following people will be celebrating their birthday in the month of January: Christine Joyce January 07 Carmen Alexander January 10 Stephanie Kamarados January 12 Kim Paluch January 14 Angie Kirsch January 16 Kayla Koehnlein January 16 Kay Bellas January 17 Maria Calfa January 20 Nina Xidis January 22 Mary Markis January 25 George Sergakis January 25 Hope Halkias January 28 Eurydice Kamarados January 28 Angie Mahfood January 28 Jake Bostaph January 28 Nick Cheruvathoor January 29 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... January 3, 31 The Bible Study normally meets on the 1st and 3rd, Wednesday of the month at 10:00 A.M. Please check the monthly calendar and weekly bulletins for times and changes. Bible Study will resume in January. THEOLOGY ON TAP & OPA... January 11 Theology on Tap is our Men s and Women s (OPA) study group. The meeting will resume in January. You don t need to be Orthodox to come. Hope to see you there! PARISH GROUPS AHEPA... TBA The AHEPA Society will now have their meetings scheduled through our Notify-Now system. CHOIR... TBA Rehearsals are held whenever 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. Thank You. PARISH COUNCIL... January 9 Parish Council meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 P.M. at the church unless otherwise stated. PHILOPTOCHOS... January 4 The Philoptochos Ladies will be having their meeting at Murray s in Wintersville, OH Once again the Ladies Philoptochos Society will be having their famous Gyro sale. The month of January the sale will be on Tuesday, January 9, from 10:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. Please help support these ladies in this endeavor. GYRO FUNDRAISER Philoptochos will be holding a Gyro Fund-raiser on Tuesday, January, 9 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 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. 3 The Net January 2018

News & Events GOYA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Our Parish GOYA along with the

January 7, at 1:00 P.M. at Holy Trinity Hellenic Hall. The cost is $17.

Please call Rikki at 740-632-5681 or Pete at 740-264-5681 by January 2

others, we served over 600 meals Lots of people felt the warmth of the

Here are a few pictures from this most blessed day.

4 News & Events GOYA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Our Parish GOYA along with the entire Holy Saints GOYA is once again going to basketball tournaments this year! In January, the weekends are January 12-14, at Akron, and January 26-28, at Holy Trinity, Canton. Please contact Rikki Kamarados if you are planning to attend either of these weekend tournaments. CHIAN POST- CHRISTMAS PARTY The CHIAN holiday party will be Sunday, January 7, at 1:00 P.M. at Holy Trinity Hellenic Hall. The cost is $17.00 per person. Please bring a gift for a door prize. Please call Rikki at or Pete at by January 2 with your RSVP. NOVEMBER FINANCIALS November weekly income $5, November weekly expense $7, th ANNUAL MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS DINNER Thanks to you and so many others, we served over 600 meals this year! Lots of people felt the warmth of the Lord s love through Holy Trinity! Here are a few pictures from this most blessed day. A huge thank you goes out to all who helped prepare this meal days in advance. A big thank you goes out to all who donated the money and all the gifts for this meal. A special thank you goes out to all who cooked, served and delivered over 600 meals this year! May God continue to bless this ministry for years to come! 4 The Net January

Where did she go? As a father, that question sent chills up my spine! Our youngest had wandered off and I couldn t see her. It was a crowded area and all my police training had me imagining the worst.

5 Where did she go? As a father, that question sent chills up my spine! Our youngest had wandered off and I couldn t see her. It was a crowded area and all my police training had me imagining the worst. Not knowing where she was was a terror I don t think I had ever felt. And I have been shot at! By God s grace, she was found just moments later looking at some toy that had caught her eye in that very crowded store! But what a powerful moment to get a glimpse of the pain of loss and confusion, facing the missing one you love. Looking for the object of your love is a natural place for we humans, and that makes sense. You see, our Creator looks for us as well. Look at our lesson in Matthew 2:1-12: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.' Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him. When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. THE CHRIST IS BORN! December 25, 2017 Fr. Barnabas Powell From the Inter-NET We know this story so well, but on this first day of Christmas, let s revisit familiar words and see with new eyes the marvel of the Enfleshing of God for our sake! We see the three Wise Men from the East, more than likely followers of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia, who had discerned from their watching the stars, that the Jewish King had been born. These Gentiles seemed to be more aware of the events in Bethlehem even more than the Jewish leaders who had been prepared for 6000 years to expect the Messiah s coming. These Gentile pagans were looking for the King. So, naturally, they went to the king at the time, the Roman puppet king Herod, to ask about this momentous happening that they must have been convinced the whole city was focused on. But, alas, it was not so. The leaders in Jerusalem were still asleep to the coming of the Messiah. It took these pagan Gentiles to wake them up to the Event that would change the world. Herod s arrogance and fear were not enough to dissuade these seekers and they continued following the Star to the place where He was born! Their seeking paid off. Now let s switch to Another moment when Someone went looking for a missing child. Let s go all the way back to the beginning when Adam and Eve were hiding from God in the Garden. The Voice echoes through the paradise Adam, where are you? God, the loving Father knew where His disobedient children were, but He needed them to realize that they were the ones lost. So God comes looking for His missing children! Today, as the saying goes, wise men still seek Him. But, more importantly, He is still seeking you. He enfleshed Himself to come and find you. He lived, and lives, for you. Do you know that you are lost? Do you know you don t have to be anymore. No, Christ is born and now you can be found by Being Orthodox on Purpose! P.S. From all of us here at Faith Encouraged Ministries, we pray your 12 Days of Christmas are filled with being found! Kala Xristoogena! Merry Christmas! -Taken from faithencouraged/2017/12/the-christ-is-born/ 5 The Net January 2018

6 Around the World PATRIARCHAL PROCLAMATION OF CHRISTMAS 2017 Christmas Bartholomew of Constantinople - Your fervent supplicant before God By the grace of God, we are once again deemed worthy to reach the great feast of the birth of the divine Word in the flesh, who came into the world to grant us well-being, remission of sin, of captivity to the works of the law and death, in order to grant us true life and great joy, which no one can take from us. We welcome the all-perfect God, who brought love into the world, who becomes closer to us than we to ourselves. Through kenosis, the divine Word condescends to the created beings in a condescension inexplicable and incomprehensible. He whom nothing can contain is contained in the womb of the Virgin; the greatest exists in the least. This great chapter of our faith, of how the transcendent God became human for humankind, while remaining an inexpressible mystery. The great mystery of divine Incarnation ever remains a mystery. This strange and paradoxical event, which was hidden for ages and generations, is the foundation of the gift of human deification. There is no salvation in anyone else; for there is no other human name beneath heaven through which we must be saved. This is the supreme truth about salvation. That we belong to Christ. That everything is united in Christ. That our corruptible nature is refashioned in Christ, the image is restored and the road toward likeness is opened for all people. By assuming human nature, the divine Word establishes the unity of humanity through a common divine predestination and salvation. And it is not only humanity that is saved, but all of creation. Just as the fall of Adam and Eve impacts all of creation, so too the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God affects all of creation. Creation is recognized as free when those who were once in darkness become children of light. Basil the Great calls us to celebrate the holy Nativity of Christ as the common feast of all creation, as the salvation of the world humanity s day of birth. Once again, the words that Christ is born are unfortunately heard in a world filled with violence, perilous conflict, social inequality and contempt of foundational human rights marks the completion of seventy years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which, after the terrible experience and destruction of World War II, manifested the common and noble ideals that all peoples and countries must unwaveringly respect. However, the disregard of this Declaration continues, while various abuses and intentional misinterpretations of human rights undermine their respect and realization. We continue either not to learn from history or not to want to learn. Neither the tragic experience of violence and reduction of the human person, nor the proclamation of noble ideals have prevented the continuation of aggression and war, the exaltation of power and the exploitation of one another. Nor again have the domination of technology, the extraordinary achievements of science, and economic progress brought social justice and the peace that we so desire. Instead, in our time, the indulgence of the affluent has increased and globalization is destroying the conditions of social cohesion and harmony. The Church cannot ignore these threats against the human person. There is nothing as sacred as a human being, whose nature God Himself has shared. We struggle for human dignity, for the protection of human freedom and justice, knowing full well that true peace comes from God, that the transcendent mystery of the Incarnation of divine Word and the gift of human deification reveals the truth about freedom and humanity s divine destiny. In the Church, we experience freedom through Christ, in Christ and with Christ. And the very summit of this freedom is the place of love, which does not seek its own but derives from a pure heart. Whoever depends on himself, seeks his own will, and is self-sufficient whoever pursues deification by himself and congratulates himself only revolves around himself and his individual self-love and self-gratification; such a person only sees others as a suppression of individual freedom. Whereas freedom in Christ is always oriented to one s neighbor, always directed toward the other, always speaks the truth in love. The aim of the believer is not to assert his or her rights, but rather to follow and fulfill the rights of Christ in a spirit of humility and thanksgiving. This truth about the life in Christ, about freedom as love and love as freedom, is the cornerstone and assurance for the future of humankind. When we build on this inspired ethos, we are able to confront the great challenges of our world, which threaten not only our well-being but our very survival. The truth about the God-man is the response to the contemporary man-god and proof of our eternal destination proclaimed by the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, 2016): The Orthodox Church sets against the man-god of the contemporary world the God-man as the ultimate measure of all things. We do not speak of a man who has been deified, but of God who has become man. The Church reveals the saving truth of the God-man and His body, the Church, as the locus and mode of life in freedom, speaking the truth in love, and as participation even now on earth in the life of the resurrected Christ. The Incarnation of the divine Word is the affirmation and conviction that Christ personally guides history as a journey toward the heavenly kingdom. Of course, the journey of the Church toward the kingdom, which is not realized remotely or independently of historical reality or its contradictions and adventures has never been without difficulties. Nevertheless, it is in the midst of these difficulties that the Church witnesses to the truth and performs its sanctifying, pastoral and transfiguring mission. Truth is the pillar and ground of the Church... The pillar of the universe is the Church... and this is a great mystery, a mystery of godliness. Brothers and sisters, children in the Lord, Let us celebrate together with the grace of the divine Word, who dwelt in us, as well as with delight and fullness of joy the feasts of the Twelve Days of Christmas. From the Phanar we pray that our Lord and Savior who was incarnate out of condescension for all people may in this coming new year grant everyone physical and spiritual health, along with peace and love for one another. May He protect His holy Church and bless the works of its ministry for the glory of His most-holy and most-praised Name. -Taken from The Net January

7 The NET-Minders The Parish of Holy Trinity would like to thank the following benefactors for making this Monthly Newsletter possible: In Loving Memory Of Nicholas Mougianis 7 The Net January 2018

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church P.O. Box 788-300 South Fourth Street Steubenville, OH 43952 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE P A I D STEUBENVILLE, OH PERMIT NO.

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 ST. MAXIMOS THE CONFESSOR The most important Byzantine theologian of the 7th century, whose commentaries on the early 6thcentury Christian Neoplatonist Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and on the Greek Church Fathers considerably influenced the theology and mysticism of the Middle Ages. A court secretary of the Eastern Roman emperor Heraclius I, Maximus became a monk c. 613 at a monastery near Chrysopolis in Bithynia. Fleeing to North Africa because of the Persian invasion of 626, he took part at Carthage (near modern Tunis) in the Monothelite controversy over the doctrine that Christ, while having two distinct natures, divine and human, in his one Person (a doctrine firmly established) nonetheless had only one will and one operation. Arguing for a dual-will faculty in Christ, Maximus was called to Rome, where he supported the condemnation of Monothelitism by a regional church council under Pope Martin I in 649. Maximus and Martin were arrested by the emperor Constans II in an intricate theological political tactic, and, after imprisonment from 653 to 655, Maximus was later tortured and exiled; he died in the wilderness near the Black Sea. Throughout his approximately 90 major works Maximus developed a Christocentric theology and mysticism. His Opuscula theologica et polemica ( Short Theological and Polemical Treatises ), Ambigua ( Ambiguities in the works of Gregory of Nazianzus), and Scholia (on Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite), mostly authentic, express Maximus teaching on the transcendental, nonpredicable nature of the divinity, his intrinsic Trinitarian existence, and his definitive communication in Christ. In his 400 Capita de caritate ( Four Hundred Chapters on Charity ), Maximus counselled a Christian humanism, integrating asceticism with ordinary life and active charity. -Taken from

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Pg. 2

News & Events INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Pg. 2 News & Events Pg. 3 From the Inter-NET Pg. 5 Around the World Pg. 6 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO JANUARY, 2019 VOLUME XI ISSUE