TRANSaGRAM GRECIAN FESTIVAL 2018 SHARING CULTURE, FOOD, FAITH, AND IN THIS ISSUE PASTORAL REFLECTIONS page 2

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1 May/June 2018 Monthly / Issue No. 4 TRANSFIGURATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Fr. Tom Chininis, Pastor GRECIAN FESTIVAL 2018 SHARING CULTURE, FOOD, FAITH, AND FELLOWSHIP by Olivia Sintros Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2, proved to be a wonderful success in a variety of ways. Central to our festival is the opportunity to share our Greek culture and food with our neighbors and friends in the greater Lowell community. Sincere thanks are offered to Fr. Tom and Dn. John; the Festival Chairman, Costas Tsioulis: and the Festival Steering Committee, Pat Mahoney, Jimmy Demetri, Ann Tavoularas and Spike Sintros. We offer our grateful appreciation to all the generous underwriters, donors, volunteers, parishioners and friends for their unwavering support of Grecian Festival Special thanks goes to non-parishioners who gave so much of their time: Elizabeth Tsioulis, Chris Tsioulis, Florence Desmarais, Chris Geoffrey, Debbi, Ron and Stephen Sevigny, Gail Merrill, Costas Nicolopoulos, and Peter Doulamis. The endless hours PHOTOS BY MELANIE PAPPAS of meeting, planning, designing, organizing, printing, cleaning, moving (tables, chairs, tents, grills), purchasing, baking, promoting, arranging, cooking, cleaning, serving, demonstrating, dancing and selling, led to a most successful two day event. God bless you all. Loukoumades are fun and tasty! You can tell by the smile on Matt Apostolou s face as he prepares another order of these delicious fried treats, Thousands of these deep fried delectables were consumed during the two day festival. IN THIS ISSUE PASTORAL REFLECTIONS page 2 Pastoral Report to the Parish Assembly PARISH COUNCIL NEWS page 3 Parish Council Message, Treasurer s Report; Parish Council Report, and Stewardship Information PASCHAL DONATIONS page 6 Lists of Lenten and Paschal Donors PARISH GROUPS page 8 Philoptochos, Youth Ministry, Sunday School and Outreach CHURCH INFORMATION page 13 How to contact the church and who to contact; Parish Council member names and contact information; and more. CALENDAR pages Regular and special services calendar; Sacraments; Church Calendar of Events; and PAGE 1

2 FROM FATHER TOM Parish Assembly Pastoral Report REFLECTIONS ON 2017 Fr. Thomas Chininis We give our thanks to our loving and compassionate God for the blessings He bestowed upon our parish during the past year. Through the hard work and diligent efforts of the faithful the parish, together, we strived to follow the mission of the parish by: Preserving and proclaiming the Gospel; Cultivating love of God and neighbor; Encouraging the faithful to participate in the sacramental life of the Church; and Welcoming all to learn about and experience the Orthodox faith. Key to all of our efforts is the worship of our parish. Through the worship we are strengthened and guided to fulfill the teachings of Christ and to draw closer to Him in faith. In addition to the regular Sunday worship we provided opportunities to our faithful through various other worship opportunities such as special weekday Liturgies, Paraklesis services, Memorial services, Compline, Pre-Sanctified Liturgies, salutations Services, Lenten Vesper Services, and Holy Week services. Additionally we ministered to our faithful this past year through, 2 marriages, 5 baptisms, and 30 funerals. The large number of funerals is more an outlier than the norm for the parish. In reviewing the 2017 funerals, approximately 10 were of individuals who were not currently connected with the parish, but at one-time were. What is of greater PAGE 2 interest than the number of funerals is the number of weddings and baptisms. This past year the number were lower than normal and we are already trending upward this year. Integral to the liturgical life of the parish are the faithful who support it. We offer our thanks to Deacon John Vaporis for his loving ministry; Melanie Pappas, Patty Vaporis, Irene Koulianos, and Nick Birbilis who chanted for us this past year; the members of the Choir under the leadership of Chuck Karayianis, Toula Sparges and Marc Gulezian; the parishioners who bake the prosfora throughout the year coordinated by Cindy Rios; and all the Altarboys who serve every week. The life of the parish is strengthened by the liturgical ministry but is also dependent upon the education and outreach to our young people. Through the Sunday School, the teachers and staff, supported by the director, Connie Gkolias, and the assistant director, Corrine Dubay, provide for the educational growth of our children in faith. We thank them for their dedication and love for our children. The education of our children is not confined to the classroom. Through youth ministries, VCC, GOYA and HOPE & JOY (through Family Fun Nights), we provide opportunities for our children to grow in fellowship and faith. These ministries provide for growth outside of the classroom and connections and understanding of what they have learned inside the classroom. The GOYA ministry has created a leadership team this past year from the teens of the parish that has formulated activities and events. They have increased the number of times they meet and added new activities. We thank Thea Tully, Mary Piper, and other parents, for supporting the GOYA leadership team, and Amanda Apostolou for leadership with the FFN ministry and Vacation Church Camp and Retreats. You will hear from all the various ministries of the parish and special events in separate reports. We thank the co-ordinators and participants of all these ministries and encourage the continued, and increased, participation of the parish faithful. We thank the Philoptochos under the leadership of Ellen Dobi and the Philoptochos Board, the Special Events chairs, chief among them is Costas Tsioulis, and the Outreach and Fellowship ministries led by AnnMarie Tsitsipis and Bill Arvanites, Costa Tsioulis, and Spike and Olivia Sintros. These ministries are tremendous opportunities to express our faith through our actions and are find their success and reward through our participation. Before I conclude, we must take a moment to thank the members of Continued on page 4

3 PARISH COUNCIL NEWS President s Message LOOKING TO THE NEW YEAR WITH THANKS by Olivia Sintros, Parish Council President (The following is the Parish Council report offered by Olivia Sintros to the Parish Assembly on April 22, 2018) Christos Anesti! I humbly stand before you once again, as president of the Parish Council, and thank the council members for the trust they have placed in me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Fr. Tom Chininis and Deacon John Vaporis as our spiritual leaders, our friends and the unconditional love they show to all of us. Also, I would like to thank Jeanne Brady who came back to the office last spring after a brief retirement. I thank Costas Tsioulis, council vice president for the countless hours he gives not only to his responsibilities as a council member, but to his dedication in chairing many aspects of Grecian Festival for the past 8 years and our annual Golf Outing for the past 8years, also. The financial success of these events hold a great part to Costas leadership and of course, to the stewardship of our parishioners I thank Amanda Apostolou as council secretary for capturing every meeting for the past 4 years I thank newly elected council treasurer Marc Gulezian who has spent countless hours becoming acclimated to our varied accounts and systems assisted by assistant treasurer Nick Kouloungis I would be remiss if I didn t thank Ellen Dobi who has given tireless hours during the past 6 years working with four different treasurers to maintain continuity. As well as offering tireless hours, Ellen is President of Philoptochos a very busy church ministry unto itself whose members under her leadership never fail to supports the needs of the parish I also, thank council members Corrine Dubay, Stephen Nicholaides, Red Curry, Pat Mahoney, Bill Arvanites, Jim Demetri and Mike Fokas for their never ending dedication to the needs of the parish Finally, I gratefully thank all of the ministry teams represented here today whose offering of time, talent and treasurer is what keeps us a busy parish with much to offer. Could we and should we have better church attendance, could we and should we have more stewards, could more stewards participate in ministry events? Well, I guess we know the right answer, but let us not minimize what we do have and be grateful as we work forward. As you reflect on our Mission Statement posted in front of you, please give thought to the ministries and how they bear witness to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Today we will be listening to reports from ministries listed on the agenda, but there is one not listed that I would like to share with you this afternoon and that is the Ministry of Evangelism. As quoted on the Archdiocese website, the parish is called to witness to those within and those outside the community of believers. If we believe that in Orthodoxy we have the fullness of the Truth, then we have the great responsibility - the Great Commission - to share it with all people. That being said, did you know that for the past few years we have opened our doors through a city program called Doors Open Lowell? We thank Deacon John and members of the Bible Study Ministry who have received visitors many of whom have never stepped foot in an orthodox church. This year Doors Open Lowell will take place on May 5th. Did you know that every year for the past 5 years the Innovation Academy from Chelmsford, under the direction of Lynn Karagiannis, has brought 5th and 6th graders twice a year to visit our church as part of their studies on World Religions? Thank you to Fr. Tom for educating the students who are eager to learn about us and our orthodox Christianity. Did you know that recently a group of people toured our church as part of the American Mosaic Artist s Conference? The Society of American Mosaic Artists is an organization dedicated to educating, inspiring Continued on next page PAGE 3

4 Continued from previous page and promoting excellence in mosaic art. Did you know that Lisa Abramovich who has been a neighbor of our church for seven years has recently reconfirmed into Orthodoxy? Jesus tells us to love our neighbor. Over the course of seven years we spoke with Lisa, we invited her to many a dinner (she did not attend), but last year we invited her to volunteer at the festival. She volunteered and never left. Lisa quickly joined Bible Study, Office Angels, Cleaning Crew and the Coffee Hour team. We welcome Lisa to the Transfiguration family. Perhaps you know by now that Team Transfiguration will be walking on May 12 th to help raise funds for the Lowell Transitional Living Center in the Steps to Home Walk 2018? Thank you to Melanie Pappas for coordinating the Team for a great cause and for cultivating love of God and neighbor as listed in our Mission Statement. Thank you for your presence, your attention and the faith you have placed in me. God Bless Respectfully submitted, Olivia Sintros Parish Council President Stewardship 2018 SCHOOL IS OUT CHURCH IS NOT by Olivia Sintros, Parish Council President June 10 th heralded the close of another year of Sunday School. Energy filled the air as the children proudly stepped forward to accept their certificates from loving teachers, as proud parents look on. As we approach the lazy, hazy days of summer the energy level lessens and we often find our pews less populated. You might ask what this has to do with stewardship? Fewer people, less candle offering, less basket offering during the summer has continued to be a perpetual concern. Imagine less money coming into your home during the summer. Offering online gives us the opportunity to give any day of the week even if you don t plan to be in church on Sunday morning. If you are not able to attend, but perhaps feel motivated to help the church online giving is the way to go. Even if you have already sent in a onetime stewardship offering, online giving offers the opportunity to do a little more in an easy way. Please take a look at the WeShare flyer in this issue and seriously consider adding your name to the list of online givers. As Jesus told us, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also Stewardship January May as of 5/31/18 Participating stewards 245 Total pledged $94,912 Received to date $89,724 Budgeted stewardship goal $168,000 Overall budget $288,300 Fr. Tom Continued from page 2 the 2017 Parish Council and the officers, under the leadership of Christian Zouzas. The responsibilities of the Parish Council are great and we thank them for their leadership and dedication to our parish. The Council faced both administrative and financial challenges, but did so with collegial respect and always with the hope of bettering the Transfiguration parish. (This report was offered to the Parish Assembly on Sunday, April 29.) PAGE 4

5 Treasurer s Report by Marc Gulezian, Parish Council Treasurer ACCOUNT SUMMARY (AS OF MAY 31, 2018) 2018 INCOME AND EXPENSE (UNAUDITED) Account Balance Altar Fund $1, Special Events Checking $32, General Checking $30, Kitchen & Hall Fund $249, Money Market Savings $250, Building Maintenance $63, Endowment Fund $ Rental Account (restricted) $13, Youth Ministr y $4, GOYA $4, Outreach Center 5, Account Totals: $666, Income 1/1-5/31/ Budget Change Donations 41,087 58,800 (17,713) Special Events 0 60,000 (60,000) Stewardship 80, ,000 (87,860) Other 115 1,500 (1,385) Total 121, ,300 (166,958) Expenses Maint & Facilities 11,536 20,750 9,214 Admin/Operation 41,580 77,850 36,270 Ministries 44,047 63,699 19,652 Salaries/Comp 53, ,100 71,968 Total 150, , ,104 Profit/Loss (28,953) In addition to the listing of accounts, I have included a basic chart of income and expenses for 2018 in comparison to the 2018 Budget. Please note that this report is unaudited. Also note that expenses in the ministries category are higher than normal because we have paid our total 2018 Archdiocese Assessment. Contact me with any questions. Parish Council Report NOTES FROM THE MAY MEETING by Amanda Apostolou, Parish Council Secretary The Parish Council met on May 8 for its regular monthly meeting. Following are the main topics of discussion and actions taken. A discussion pertaining to the upcoming Clergy Laity Congress to be held in Boston on July 1-6. The Parish has the opportunity to send up to four official delegates. The opportunity to represent the parish was made available to all members of the council. Even if they chose not to be an official delegate, the members of the Parish Council were encouraged to participate in the workshops as they are able. A lengthy discussion about providing camperships to the youth of the parish to participate in the Metropolis Summer Camp. Due to the late start in process, it was decided to equally distribute the budgeted funds among the registered campers from the parish for one week at camp. The festival is upcoming and to date we have received $18,000 in underwriting funds. Everyone is encouraged to assist with the festival and encourage others to volunteer and to sell raffle tickets. An estimate to clean the church chandeliers was received and additional estimates will be solicited. Meeting dates for the summer are June 10, no July, and August 21, and September 4. Services for the feast day of the parish are Great Vespers on August 5 at 7 pm and Orthros and Liturgy on August 6 starting at 8:30 and 9:30 am.. PAGE 5

6 Our Thanks for Your Donations at Pascha General Pascha Donations David and Sophia Thomas Jim and Noule Demetri Wallace and Demi Flanagan Charles and Maria Tournas William and Joyce Limbropoulos Sandra Musgrave Richard and Katherine Russell Pamela and Kenneth Kopsiaftis Michael and Angeline Limperis Pamela Kalavetinos Elizabeth Balamotis (in Loving Memory of my departed family) Antoinette Eliopoulos Stephen and Catherine Economou Gail Malliaros Golec Valerie C. Letsou Thomas C. Letsou Faye Z. Lyons Mary D. Ploof Catherine Monoxelos Christine and Ethel Eliopoulos George Eliopoulos Melanie Pappas Connie Tsoubanika Joseph A. Licciardello Mary Nicholaides Deanne Finn Redvers and Christina Curry Georgia D. Dristiliaris George Economou Angie G. Rigs Amy and Zachary Spera George and Jill Laganas Arthur and Pauline Sparages Dina A. Eliopoulos Anonymous Patricia A. Mahoney Edward and Patricia Costa Marina Balkas Christine Nicholaou J. Thomas and Ellen-Joan Amick Gary and Sandra Mastas Marc and Sandra Gulezian Catherine Mastacouris Mr. & Mrs. George Pappas Nicholas and Stephanie Moisakis Michael and Diane Fokas Mr. & Mrs. Constantine and Elizabeth Tsioulis Dr. & Mrs. Charles and Stella Mitsakos Mr. & Mrs. Andrew and Yiota Simoglou Spiros and Olivia Sintros Pete and Patricia Apostolou Fr. Greg & Presb Cassandra Floor Donation of Lenten and Holy Week Items SALUTATION SERVICES Philoptochos Society Marina Balkas (In loving memory of husband, father & grandfather George Balkas) George Eliopoulos Ann Karakatsanis (In loving memory of Kathleen Mullan) HOLY WEEK Flowers to Adorn Icon of Lazarus Arthur Koufagozos Palm trees Iris Mitropoulis Palm tree Angie Rigs Flowers to Adorn Palm Sunday Icon Connie,Freda,Clara Gkolias (in memory of John & Irene Gkolias and Mark Gkolias) Flowers to Adorn Nymphios Icon Jim & Elaine (in memory of Johnny Piazas) Wreath for Holy Cross Tanya Zouzas and Kevin Malone Flowers at base of Cross George Eliopoulos Flowers at base of Cross Evan Coravos Candles on Holy Cross Ellen Dobi Flowers to Adorn Icon of Myrrh Bearing Women Cyrus,Helen and Rhea in memory of our parents, Dr. Cyrus & Jane Comninos Resurrection Candle George & Jill Laganas (In memory of Crystal Laganas and Billy Laganas) Flowers to Adorn Icon of Resurrection Andrew & Thelma Coravos Arrangement for Anastasi Olga P. Letsou (In memory of Costas G. Letsou) Arrangement for Anastasi Mary D. Ploof Anastasi Banner Christine Nicholaou and family (In memory of Nichlos Nicholaou) Paschal Reception John and Elaine Thibault Greek Language Classes Offered at Middlesex Community College The beau5ful languages of Greece are offered at Middlesex Community College. Professor Andreas Triantafyllou will be teaching Modern Greek and Culture classes on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8:45 p.m. in the fall semester. Also, Professor Elizabeth Sutherland will be teaching Classical Greek Language and Ancient Greek Culture on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8:45 p.m. Both classes are offered on the Lowell Campus Interested? Please contact Marilyn Glazer-Weisner, the Director of MCC s World Language Ins5tute, at GLAZERM@middlesex.mass.edu or by telephone PAGE 6

7 Our Thanks for Your Donations at Pascha (continued) Easter Lily Donations Charles and Maria Tournas (In memory of Sophia Karamanolis & Spero & Stella Tournas) Demi Flanagan (In memory of the Koniditsiotes Family) Sophia Thomas (In memory of Mary & Daniel Favas and the good health of the Thomas Families) Sandra Musgrave (For the Good Health of Dyanne Mitropoulis) Joyce and Billy Limberopoulos (In memory of Nicholas, Hermine and Nick Limberopoulos and Nicholas Kessaris) Ann Marie Stelman (In memory of Louis N. Heliotis) Pamela Kopsiaftis (In memory of Catherine Garas) Leonard and Mary Nugent (In memory of Antonios and Olga Semekis) Arthur Kostoulakos (In memory of Departed Family) Jennie Coumas (In memory of Louis Coumas) Alice Danas (In memory of Arthur G. Danas) Tanya Zouzas and Kevin Malone (For the Health of the Zouzas, Malone and Thibault Families) Richard and Katherine Russell (For the Health of the Russell, Keithley and Cakounes Families) Noule and Jimmy Demetri (In memory of our beloved parents) Christa (Tsoukalas) Danisewicz (In memory of Spiro Tsoukalas and for the Good Health of the Tsoukalas Family) Susan Sintros (In memory of Coula Alexandris) Thomas Letsou (In memory of Costas Letsou and for the Good Health of Olga Letsou) Jean Kareores (In memory of Louis Kareores and Linda Ellen Gravel) Elaine, Bob and Teddy Masse (In memory of Tina Sarantos) Mary D. Ploof (For the Good Health of the Ploof Family) Pamela Kalavetinos (In memory of Mary Kalavetinos) Antoinette Eliopoulos (In memory of Michael P. Eliopoulos) George Eliopoulos (In memory of the Eliopoulos Families and for the Good Health of the Eliopoulos Families) Daphne Easton (In memory of Amalia Kostoulakos) Gerry Andricopoulos (In memory of Andrew (Perry) Andricopoulos) Beverly M. Patsourakos (In memory of Vasilios P. Patsourakos) Nick and Susan Pappas (For the Good Health of Joan Pappas & Mary Nicholaides) George Economou (In memory of Steve and Christine Economou) Arthur and Regina Dabilis (For the Good Health of all the parishioners of the Transfiguration Church) Antonios and Maria E. Tjionas Maria Sarantos Kowal (In memory of Tina Sarantos) Angelo and Lisa M. Koukos Redvers J. and Christina Curry Dina Eliopoulos (In memory of Michael Eliopoulos & for the Health of Antoinette Eliopoulos and Family Mary Nicholaides (In memory of Nicholas and Vasiliki Nicholaides & for the Good Health of Nicholaides, Pappas, and Gill Families) Angie G. Rigs (In memory of Grandparents, parents, brother and friends) George and Jill Laganas (In memory of Crystal, William, Scott, Debra, John and Evangeline Laganas and William and JeanetteMcKee) Ellen Dobi (For the health of Koutsis and Dobi families) Irene and James Manelas (To give thanks to Jesus) Fred J. Block (In memory of Fred Block, Sr., & for the Good Health of the Block, Fulmer, Richman and Christopher Families) Harry and Christine Stamas (In memory of our parents) Demetrios Karamanolis (In memory of Sophia Karamanolis) Dottie Costa and Ann Stamas (In memory of Christos and Stella Anganes) Patricia Mahoney (In memory of Jack Mahoney) Mr. & Mrs. George Pappas Anna B. Tavoularis (In memory of Nicholas J. Tavoularis from loving family) John and Virginia Bertos (In memory of Bertos, Schielke, and Wendell Families) Philoptochos "Clothing for Cash" Fall Fundraiser - A fundraiser is being planned for some time in September. We are asking all parishioners to begin filling bags with 'textiles' in any condition. This includes clothing, curtains, blankets, towels, belts, pocketbooks and shoes/boots. More details to come!! See Sandra Gulezian with questions. PAGE 7

8 PARISH GROUPS Philoptochos Society Report by Ellen Dobi, Philoptochos Society President Membership: Thank you to the 130 members who have sent in their 2018 stewardship. Membership cards have been mailed out. If you haven t received your card, please contact Daphne Easton at daphneeaston1@yahoo.com or Flower Collection: Thank you to all parishioners for your continued generosity towards this year s collection. Your donations help to adorn the church, not only at Easter, but also throughout the year. Spring Calendar Raffle: Thank you to all who participated in our Spring Calendar Raffle fundraiser. Winners will be notified via mail. Proceeds benefit our philanthropic ministries. Thank you to our chairladies, Amanda Apostolou & Melanie Pappas. The winners are as follows: ($25) Betty Balamotis (twice), Ed Costa, Charlie Mitsakos, Charles Nestor (three times!), Thomas Letsou, Cynthia Purdis, Milton Monoxelos, Arthur Faneros (twice), Steve and Pam Sintros, Melissa Troy, Vangie Manolopoulos, Mary Nugent Elaine Lazouras, Leonard Nugent, Pat Mahoney, Frank Asimakopoulos, Barbara Souza, Peter Dulchinos, Kasiani Litsikas ($50)Arthur Faneros, Bill Manolopoulos, Emily Russell, Sandy Carey, Peter Ginieres, Arthur Kostoulakos, Charlie Mitsakos PAGE 8 ($100 Mother s Day) Renee Carey-Schindler UPCOMING OUTREACH & EVENTS: Scholarships: Graduate Sunday will be celebrated on Sunday, June 17 th. We will honor our high school graduates and distribute scholarships to them. College and post secondary graduates will also be recognized following services. Marina Apostolou sings at the Philoptochos Meeting, Luau and Karaoke Night.. May Meeting: Our May meeting was held on Thursday, May 4th. After a business meeting where we made donations totaling $2800 to the Philoxenia House and the Metropolis camp to provide scholarships to the camp, we had an enjoyable meal with a luau theme. The evening was hosted by Connie, Freda and Clara Gkolias. During the meal we enjoyed the entertainment of DJ Joey B Bop as well as that of some of our members who sang karaoke. It was a wonderful time. Literacy Project: Literacy Day at the Pawtucketville Elementary School - will take place in June. Thank you to all who contributed books. Special thanks go out to our Literacy coordinators, Karen Mitropoulis who provides bookmarks to the children, Amanda Apostolou and Olivia Sintros. Thank you to Sandra Gulezian for once again selling candles during Great and Holy Lent and earmarking the money for the Literacy Project. We are now collecting for next year! Festival: As you see throughout this issue we held our parish Grecian Festival on June 1 st and 2 nd. Thank you to the many who volunteered baking or helping in the Pastry booth or the food line or the Raffle booth. The Philoptochos through the leadership of Ann Tavoularis and Soula Spaziani was responsible for the Pastry booth. Mother s Day & Father s Day: Many thanks to Connie, Freda, and Clara Gkolias for distributing carnations in celebration of Mothers Day. They will also be on hand to distribute flowers in celebration of Fathers Day. Name Day: Please remember our parish celebrates its feast day on Monday, August 6. We welcome your help during the reception after the Great Vespers on the 5 th and with the luncheon on the 6 th. Contact me at ekdobi@verizon.net or to help. Vacation Church Camp: If you have time to help, the Camp will be held August 6 thru 10 th.

9 Photos from the Philoptochos Meeting, Luau and Karaoke Night GOYA News by Talia Merrill Hello everyone! GOYA is currently accepting applications for leadership positions for next year. If you are interested contact a GOYA leadership member for more information, and make sure to fill out those applications. The GOYA has planned a group field trip to the Canobie Lake Park on June 9 th. Please check your for more GOYA information and activities during the summer months! We offer our congratulations to all our GOYAns who graduated this year and are leaving GOYA. We also thank all the GOYAns who volunteered at this year s Grecian Festival. Sunday School News by Connie Gkolias, Sunday School Director How quickly this school year has flown by. On Sunday, June 10, we graduated our 12 th graders from the Sunday School program and promoted our children to the next grade level. We thank all who joined us, parents, grandparents, godparents and special relatives, on this special graduation and promotion day. During the summer months we encourage the children of the Sunday School to attend the Divine Liturgy with their parents. We know it is easy to go on vacation from services during the summer months, but this is a wonderful time to worship as a family and put into action what the children learned during the school year. Many thanks to our dedicated Sunday school staff, who week after week, prepared lessons for the classes. We also thank Father Tom for his help and guidance throughout the year. The new academic year for the Sunday School will resume on Sunday, September 10. PAGE 9

10 Heartfelt Thanks to Our 2018 Festival Underwriters Market Basket, Adam and Iris Hatch, Effie Mavraides, Charles and Mary Nestor, Marc and Sandra Gulezian, Chris Tsaknopoulos, Arthur and Toula Sparages, Niclis and Daphne Kouloungis, Arthur and Christine Faneros, Costas and Elizabeth Tsioulis, James O Donnell and Sons, Inc., Christos and Kleanthi Tsamikas, Peter and Mary Ginieres, In memory of Milton Monoxelos, Scott and Despina Moore, Angie Rigs, Transfiguration Ladies Philoptochos Society, Arthur and Regina Dabilis, Ahepha Hellas Chapter #102, Steven and Cathy Economou, George and Jill Laganas, Bill and Joyce Limberopoulos, Ann Maher, Nick and Susan Pappas, Mary Ploof, Nicholas and Stephanie Moisakis, Fred Block, Peter Eliopoulos D.M.D., Carl Maib, Melanie Pappas, Mike and Diane Fokas, Enterprise Bank, Tom and Ellen Amick, Commonwealth Motors, Red and Christina Curry, Monoxelos Family, Spike and Olivia Sintros, Stratos and Eva Dukakis, Constantino and Eleni Spandagos, Christopher and Erin Sintros, Daphne Easton, Ernie and Ellen Dobi, Steven and Pam Sintros, Andrew and Yiota Simoglou, George and Kathy Pappas, Matt and Amanda Apostolou, Jimmy and Noule Demetri, Dina Eliopoulos MD, John Faneros, Antoinette Eliopoulos, Georgia Dristilaris, Corrine Dubay, Kevin Malone D.O.P.C., Jeff and Angela Hastings, Arthur Kostoulakos, Alice Danas, Nicholaou Family, Al Finocchiaro, Derek and Mary Piper, Brain and Georgia Genna, Michael and Kate Sintros, Chininis Family, Mike and Thea Tully, Nick Diamond, Mama s Italian Restaurant Raffle Prize Sponsors Arthur Faneros, Soula Spaziani, Patricia Mahoney and Family, Longmeodow Golf Club, Olivia Sintros, Deborah Sevigny, Marc and Sandra Gulezian, Nancy Lane FFN MINISTRY OPENING Being the Family Fun Night Coordinator has been great but it's time for me to pass the torch. If you, or someone you know, may be interested in coordinating family friendly events, either monthly or bi-monthly, please contact the office and speak to Fr. Tom or Olivia Sintros. PAGE 10 WE NEED YOU!

11 Dracut Funeral Home Proudly serving the Greek Community in Dracut and Greater Lowell for 25 years 2159 Lakeview Avenue Dracut, MA Mark P. Gacek (978) Owner/Director Robin Ley TOP DONUT 700 Aiken St. Lowell, MA Tel. (978) Store Hours Open 7 days a week 5 a.m. 9 p.m. Realtor James F. O Donnell & Sons FUNERAL DIRECTORS since 1884 Serving members of the Lowell and Greek community for over 120 years Soula.Spaziani@NEmoves.com John W. Crane 276 Pawtucket Street Lowell, Massachusetts (978) James F. O Donnell, Jr.! Established in 1930 M. R. Laurin & Son Funeral Home Funeral Directors Louis M. Fazio, III M. Richard Laurin Scott Laurin Pre Need Counseling Handicap Accessible Ample Parking 295 Pawtucket Street, Lowell, Massachusetts Mama s Italian Restaurant 1140 Lakeview Avenue Tel: (978) Dracut, MA Fax: (978) When you re hungry, come to Mama s! JAMES MONOXELOS NORTHEAST VISIT OUR E MAIL: jmonoxelos@neref.com PHONE: x15 FAX: SHAWSHEEN ST., TEWKSBURY, MA PAGE 11

12 Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church Outreach Ministry Hosts A COMMUNITY KITCHEN At the OUTREACH CENTRE Located at 465 Fletcher Street FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS June 26, July 24 and August 28 at 11:30am For additional information: Contact the Church at PAGE 12

13 CHURCH INFORMATION Contact Information CHURCH Secretary: Jeanne Brady Address: 25 Father John Sarantos Way, Lowell, MA Telephone: Fax: Office Hours: Secretary: Mon. Fri., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Priest: Tuesday Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by appointment WEBSITE FACEBOOK CLERGY Rev. Father Thomas Chininis Telephone: FrTom@transchurch.org Rev. Deacon John Vaporis Telephone: DeaconJohn@transchurch.org PHILOPTOCHOS Ellen Dobi Telephone: ekdobi@verizon.net CHOIR Toula Sparages Telephone: toulaarthur@gmail.com SUNDAY SCHOOL Connie Gkolias connie@garston.com Corrine Dubay corrinedubay@gmail.com BOOKSTORE Joan Tsoukalas joantsoukalas@gmail.com Virginia Kimball virginiakimball@comcast.net WEBSITE Melanie Pappas Telephone: melanie.pappas@gmail.com TRANS A GRAM Rev. Thomas Chininis Telephone: frtom@transchurch.org 2018 Parish Council Members PRESIDENT Olivia Sintros Home: Cell: osintros@comcast.net VICE PRESIDENT Costa Tsioulis Cell: costasusa@hotmail.com TREASURER Marc Gulezian Home: gulezians@gmail.com ASSISTANT TREASURER Nick Kouloungis Home: koulclan@comcast.net SECRETARY Amanda Apostolou Cell: su_lou22@me.com William (Bill) Arvanites Home: Cell: arvanites.willy@gmail.com Redvers Curry redvers.curry@gmail.com James Demetri Home: Cell: jdemetri56@hotmail.com Corrine Dubay corrinedubay@gmail.com Michael Fokas Cell: fokasm@comcast.net Patricia Mahoney Cell: pmahoney7@comcast.net Stephen Nicholaides Cell: corfu@comcast.net PARISHPAY BECOMES WESHARE Recently ParishPay, the company that handles our online giving, became WeShare. The migration of data has taken place and ready to go. If you were already using ParishPay, your giving will continue as scheduled, but you need to log on to verify your information. Interested in online giving go to: transchurch.churchgiving.org PAGE 13

14 Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church Lowell, MA June 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Grecian Grecian Festival 2018 Festival Bible Study 10am LTLC dinner Monthly Trisagion Last Day of Sunday School Metropolis Award Dinner Father s Day Philoptochos Scholarship Sunday Parish Council Meeting 6:30pm Center 10am Bible Study 10am Center 10am Bible Study House of Hope 10am Center 10am Community Sts Peter & Kitchen Center 10am Paul 11:30am Liturgy 9:30am PAGE 14

15 Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church Lowell, MA July 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Monthly Trisagion th of July Office closed Clergy-Laity Congress at Boston July Center 10am LTLC dinner Center 10am Community Kitchen Center 10am 11:30am Fr. Tom will be attending the Clergy-Laity Congress July 1-5 and on vacation July In case of pastoral emergency please contact the parish office for assistance. Choose Community Choose Enterprise Bank The Enterprise Bank team helps create successful businesses, jobs, opportunities, wealth, and vibrant prosperous communities. Choose-Community.com Member FDIC Acton Andover Billerica Chelmsford Derry, NH Dracut Fitchburg Hudson, NH (Coming Soon) Leominster Lowell Methuen Tewksbury Salem, NH Westford PAGE 15

16 SERVICES, SACRAMENTS, AND CALENDAR OF EVENTS Services SUNDAY SERVICES Orthros: 8:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy: 9:30 a.m. Monthly Trisagion June 3, July 1 & August 5 following Liturgy Do you have a Change of Name, Phone Number, Address, or ? Please contact the parish office to update your information. Sacraments BAPTISMS & CHRISMATIONS: April 28: Mason, son of Peter and Megan Moisakis. Sponsor Lisa and Charles Moisakis May 6: Thomas, son of Eric and Stephanie Morin. Sponsor Stacey Felix May 20: Will, son of Paul and Amy Mihailidis. Sponsor Marina Mihailidis May 20: Lucas, son of Aaron and Vicki Villemaire. Sponsor Kathryn Demetri Calendar of Events VACATION CHURCH CAMP (VCC) August 6-10: Vacation Church Camp CHOIR Rehearsals as announced BIBLE STUDY AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION June 6, 13 & 20: Bible Study 10 am SUNDAY SCHOOL June 3 (Sunday): Classes June 10 (Sunday): Year End Program PHILOPTOCHOS June 17: Philoptochos Graduate Sunday July 1-6: Nation Philoptochos Conference at Boston, MA SPECIAL SERVICES (JUNE - AUGUST) June Liturgy 9:30 am (Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul) August 1, 3, 6, 8, 10 &13... Paraclesis 6:30 pm August 5... Great Vespers 7:00 pm (Feast of the Transfiguration) August 6... Orthros 8:30 am & Liturgy 9:30 am (Feast of the Transfiguration) August Great Vespers 7:00 Assumption, Dracut (Feast of the Sssumption) August Orthros 9:00 am & Liturgy 10:00 Dracut (Feast of the Assumption) May 27: Mariah Vazquez. Sponsors Jill and George Laganas FUNERALS: April 19: Jason Hirschfel May 20: Anna Pappadopoulos May their memory be eternal WEDDING & MARRIAGE BLESSINGS June 6: Lance and Lynn Ribeiro. Sponsor Kaitlyn Sarantos- Bunnell FAMILY AND YOUTH ACTIVITIES June 9: Day at Canobie Lake OTHER CHURCH ACTIVITIES June 6, 13, 20 & 27: Transfiguration Outreach Center 10 am to 2 pm July 11, 18 & 25: Transfiguration Outreach Center 10 am to 2 pm OUTREACH AND SPECIAL EVENTS June 9 (Saturday): LTLC (Shelter) Meal June 21: House of Hope Meal June 26: Community Kitchen 11:30 am Outreach Center July 1-6: Clergy-Laity Congress at Boston, MA WeShare Stewardship Giving Online Weekly, Monthly, or One-Time Go to transchurch.churchgiving.com to enroll or call the Parish Office (Formerly ParishPay) PAGE 16