Our Journey thru Great Lent Approaches Its Conclusion!

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1 VOLUME 28 NUMBER 4 April 2019 Our Journey thru Great Lent Approaches Its Conclusion! You have accounted us worthy to behold and embrace Your holy Cross with joy. We beg You now, O God our Savior, enable us also to attain Your most pure sufferings by being strengthened through the Fast, so that we may bow down and sing of Your crucifixion, by which You have snatched us from death, returning us to the joyous life of Paradise. We thankfully glorify You, O Lover of man. ~Hymn from 4th Thursday Vespers of Great Lent Dearest Spiritual Ohana, I wish you a Most Blessed Month of April as we continue and conclude our journey through Great Lent, enter into Holy Week and approach the Joyous and Glorious Celebration of Pascha! For me, this period goes by way too quickly. I bask in the Lenten Spring, the period which refreshes and renews us if we are willing to wholeheartedly take on the journey and all it entails. (I am speaking of the spirit and purpose of Great Lent, referencing the book The Lenten Spring by Fr. Thomas Hopko, which I highly recommended if anyone would like a great recipe toward living a fulfilled and purposeful life. By the way, it is still available, and I urge all of you to read it at your leisure, as I feel we can all benefit from it). I enjoy celebrating the services with your presence in and at them, as often and as many of 1 them you are able to attend. Though this season entails many struggles through fasting, which inevitably come, the benefits far outweigh the difficulties and challenges. The benefits include most especially the joy of partaking of and participating in Christ s Presence in our lives. Through the proper practice of fasting, we allow ourselves to hunger and thirst for God. Our inner longing for fulfillment is quenched, and we open the doors of our hearts to have Him dwelling in them. We come to acknowledge and greatly wonder that He is the Only Thing we ever needed in our lives. Fr. Thomas Hopko presents in his book, The Lenten Spring, what the true spirit of the Great Fast is, which is this: It is not enough for Christians to believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It is not enough for us to preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). It is not enough for us to bow down before the Cross, and to decorate and venerate and kiss it at church services. Christians must take up the Cross in their own lives. We must be co-crucified with Christ in order to share His glory and to experience, even in this world, the beauty and power, the peace and joy of the Kingdom of God. (Continued on page 2)

2 God and His Presence in them. It is time to recalibrate our priorities and place God at the helm of our lives rather than in a secondary position or completely out of them. As we conclude our Lenten Journey, I wish all of you strength to the end of it! Let us then embark, as participants, on a walk through Holy Week to experience our Lord s journey to the Cross which includes His raising of Lazarus, His Entry into Jerusalem, His betrayal, the Mystical Supper, and His Crucifixion, and His Descent into Hades. May your hearts be filled with joy as we come to celebrate the Lord s Resurrection and His Victory over Death! (Continued from page 1) Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha, which we journey through year to year, are not about attending mere rituals with empty and meaningless practices, nor are they special occasions for following cultural or religious customs passed down from generation to generation. These appointed times of fasting, solemnity and feasting are so much more! They are meant to be deeply personal and intimate for every Christian and open to the whole world to experience and share in. They provide the opportunity for having fulfilling peace and joy that only God can bring into our lives through His overabundant, overflowing Love and Mercy which touch the very core of our being so long as we allow them to, personally. In order to successfully move towards this intimate experience, we need to work very hard in synergy with God, which means we need to do our part and allow God to do His part along side with us as we toil. There is no going solo, meaning we cannot accomplish all this on our own, nor will God do all the work while we do nothing. Great Lent affords us the time to undertake a spiritual spring cleaning of our personal, spiritual lives and get rid of the clutter which takes our focus off of our essential need for Shorelines is published Monthly by: Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Pacific With Love in Christ, +Fr. Alexander Church Staff Debby McGraw - Office Coordinator office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Erica Jansen - Bookkeeper 930 Lunalilo Street Honolulu, Hawaii Phone : (808) Fax : (808) office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Parish Web Site: Parish Council pc@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Trish Kiladis, President Garry Ross, Vice President Roni Katsikas, Treasurer Cleopatra Kritikos, Secretary Stavros Emery, John Kiladis, Scott Pasieta, Susan Shaindlin & Andrew Tujios Regular Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday Sunday School Director Presbytera Nicole Leong Rev. Father Alexander M. Leong fralexanderleong@yahoo.com Sunday School Teachers Shawn Chu, Jesse Horiuchi, Peter Katsikas, Lexi Leventis, 2 Maria Naval, Dimitri Nicholas, Katherine Pasieta Philoptochos Board Anita Akel, President; Anita Higashi, 1st Vice President; Eres Eddy, 2nd Vice President; Alexandra Boval,Treasurer; Alice Malick, Recording Secretary; Valentina Varovaya, Corr. Secretary; Alma Chu, Advisor Choir-Chanters Orest Saikevych, Music Director Gregory Malick, Protopsaltis Parish Ministries Stelio Scordilis, Aloha Youth Choir; T.B.A., Bookstore; Dianna Graves, Greek Dance Groups; Stelio Scordilis, Greek School; Julie Ličina,Web Master; Anita Higashi, Facebook

3 WEEKDAY SERVICES IN APRIL PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY Wed. 4/3, 10 & 17 6 pm 4TH SALUTATIONS Fri. 4/5 6:30 pm SATURDAY GREAT VESPERS Sat. 4/6 & 13 Vespers 5:30 pm AKATHIST HYMN Fri. 4/12 6:30 pm HOLY WEEK SERVICES (Schedule will be available in the narthex, also see April Calendar) NO MAUI SERVICES THIS MONTH ST. GEORGE THE GREAT MARTYR Mon. 4/29 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am April Parish Council Teams 4/7 Andy 4/14 Cleo 4/21 Roni 4/28 Garry Announcements Please remember in your prayers Judy Economou Dina Giannakopoulos Paul Kelley Julie Licina Alice Marie Malick The Melzack Family George Missias John Mitsis Christina Yepez and all those needing our prayers. Adult Religious Education Fellowship/Book Club/Sharing with the Reading of The Lenten Spring by Fr. Thomas Hopko Tuesdays during Great Lent- 5 to 6:30 p.m. See Weekly Bulletin for upcoming sessions. Learn Greek! Beginners Sunday 12:00 1:00 PM Beginners II Friday 5:30 6:30 PM Intermediate Sunday 1:00 2:00 PM Advanced Friday 6:30 7:30 PM 3

4 Our Vision Be a beacon of Orthodoxy in Hawaii Our Mission Proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox Faith. Goals To sanctify and minister to the spiritual growth and needs of the faithful through liturgical worship and spiritual programs. To safeguard and keep the traditions, values, and faith of the Share your news! Announcements that you would like to see in the May issue of Shorelines should be submitted to the church office by April 15. Weekly Bulletin announcements should be submitted by noon on Thursday for the upcoming Sunday. office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org, call , or drop by with a copy of your announcement. Maui Orthodox Christian Mission reminds those who attend services on Maui to visit or call to verify services. or look for other activities that may be posted. 4

5 Christ is in our midst! Spring has come. As much as I enjoyed this past cold Hawaiian winter, it is nice to see and feel beginnings of new life cycles around me. Pascha is coming too! This is such a beautiful and joyful celebration. Since Holy Week through Pascha is so filled with special services, teachings, beauty and love, Fr. Alex and the Sunday School Ministry are offering a Retreat on the Saturday of Lazarus. The Retreat is open for everyone. Please see the adjacent flyer for more information. Have a fruitful, wonderful Great Lent, Holy Week, and Holy Pascha! With Aloha in Christ, Pres. Nicole, Sunday School Director SATURDAY OF LAZARUS RETREAT 2019 When: Saturday, April 20th, 11:00 am to 2:30 pm (until pau) Where: Ss. Constantine & Helen Cathedral Social Hall For Whom: All are invited! What we will do: Enjoy a Lenten Potluck Brunch Fold Palm Crosses See, Touch, and Learn about the Holy Week Services Materials (such as oil, flour, white linen) Bake Cookies for our Kupuna Decorate Cookie Bags & Paschal Candle Clean Sunday School Rooms Come and join in the retreat! Your participation will help our children learn and experience our faith with love and joy. Fr. Alex is also seeking volunteers to decorate the Church for Palm Sunday. Please contact Pres. Nicole Leong, nicolehleong@gmail.com, for any questions. 5

6 PHILOPTOCHOS CORNER Sisterhood of Saint Basil Academy The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:5 As Orthodox Christians, we are dedicated in syndiakonia--common ministry, to serve and do the Lord s work, each day of our lives. Lent allows us time to reflect and be thankful for our families and our blessings. It is a time to help those in need, to give of our time and talents and pray for peace in the world. As we approach Holy Week, anticipating the resurrection of our Lord, remember those in our almsgiving with love and generosity. Giving focus in April: International Orthodox Christian Charities International Orthodox Christian Charities offer emergency relief and programs to those in need worldwide. IOCC provides food, shelter and economic self-sufficiency to those who are suffering or in distress, to enable them to improve their lives and their communities. The Sisterhood provides for the physical needs of the children of Saint Basil Academy in New York as well as graduation costs, awards and gifts. The Order of the Sisterhood was founded by St. Basil the Great and his sister, St. Macrina in the 4 th century. The Saints urged their followers to be coworkers with God in the task of developing each human being through education and the development of the whole person. March Happenings: New! Philoptochos is working to identify volunteer opportunities with our local charities in Hawaii for the parish to participate in. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements. W ant to know more about some of the organizations our Philoptochos Aloha Chapter supports? Check the Philoptochos Bulletin Board located outside the Social Hall. The Ss. Constantine and Helen Cathedral s Philoptochos Society Aloha Chapter is a non-profit 501(c)(3) and is a philanthropic group of the parish and supports both the Metropolis of San Francisco & the National Philoptochos Societies. Mission Statement: To promote charitable, benevolent and philanthropic outreach to preserve the sanctity of the life and family and to perpetuate and promote our Orthodox faith and traditions. 6

7 Are You an Avid Reader?? Or even a casual reader who would like to share their love of books with others? We are starting a Men s Reading Club where we choose a book by lottery, then have informal meetings to discuss it. Sorry, women will only be welcome as guests. Our Organizational meeting will be held on Thursday 18 Apr 19 in the conference room at Church at 6:00 PM This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY Social Hall Policy Requests to reserve the Social Hall are handled on a first come first served basis and must be approved and reserved in advance with the office. A copy of the policy and checklist is posted on the Parish Council board upstairs. Please contact the office if you have any questions. Ph: (808) office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Agape Picnic 2019 Sunday, April 28, 12noon Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church Tickets: $20 per person $15 Children 6-11 Children 5 & under Free No Host Bar, Dancing, Live Music and Easter Egg Hunt Contact Eres Eddy to purchase tickets and for more information. 7

8 Dance Group News RECYCLING is dance group s yearly fundraiser, so please continue to recycle. Recyclables should be deposited in the blue bin in the upstairs hall or see Dianna or Barry Graves if you want us to transfer them from your car to our car. Remember, only HI 5 aluminum cans, plastic and glass are accepted. ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ There will be no dance practice after liturgy on Palm Sunday, April 21. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Please Kokua Dance is in charge of cleaning out the trash every Sunday after coffee hour. We also clean the coffee pot and take care of the laundry. On March 9, we cleaned out all four trash cans, and we are asking for parishioners help going forward. In order to keep the trash bins as clean as possible, make sure your trash goes in the plastic bag lining the bins. Please ask your children to do this, as well. If you have liquid to discard, please use the kitchen sink to dispose of the liquid before putting the container in the trash. Your help is greatly appreciated! 8

9 LEARN BYZANTINE CHANT EVERY FRIDAY AT 1:30PM (WITH OCCASIONAL EXCEPTIONS SEE WEEKLY BULLETIN) SS CONSTANTINE & HELEN GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL OF THE PACIFIC Every Friday, 10:30 am to Noon, unless otherwise noted. 930 LUNALILO ST. HONOLULU, HI All are welcomed to join the group. No vocal experience required. This is a laity group under the direction of Rev. Fr. Alexander Leong. Time commitment: 1.5hr. practice sessions on Fridays FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: ALICE MARIE MALICK (ALICEMARIEMALICK@HAWAII.RR.COM) C O F F E E H O U R Each individual/family is requested to sponsor a coffee hour one Sunday per year. Sign up on the calendar posted outside the Social Hall or contact Frances R. Instructions/tips for sponsoring a coffee hour are a v a i l a b l e i n a 3-ring binder in a cupboard in the hall. The Ladies of Philoptochos appreciate any donations of coffee supplies, including paper supplies to help defray some of the coffee hour expenses. If you are hesitant to prepare and serve a coffee hour yourself, consider making a monetary donation. Please do not bring non- Lenten food including cake & ice cream during fasting periods. Thank you to our March Sunday Coffee Hour Sponsors! 3/3 Chu Family 3/10 Ross Family 3/17 Tina Dimitrion & Marie Kramer 3/24 Mary Herr 3/31 Leonidas K., Jesse H. & Tino G. 9

10 You are the Voice of Christ in a Changing World The base from which we serve as the Voice of Christ in a Changing World is the parish. A strong parish provides opportunities for sharing the Good News of Christ, for welcoming those that are searching for a spiritual home, and a base from which we are sent out into the world. The parish also provides a place for worship, community and education in the faith. To be stewards of the Gospel, we need to be stewards of our parish. This requires the vision and inspiration to see the parish, not as it is, but as it could be. We are called to offer ourselves and our treasure to make our local church all that it can be. 10

11 When we believe, stewardship follows. Stewardship is faith in action; action motivated by humble gratitude to God for his blessings in our life. 11

12 Holy Week Needs Donations are needed for numerous items used throughout Holy Week, the Paschal Season and the entire year. If you or your family wishes to make a donation toward any of the items below, please contact the Church Office directly. Questions about any of the items? See Fr. Alexander. Incense Palm Branches Flowers for Nymphios Icon (Palm Sunday evening) Olive Oil (for Holy Unction on Holy Wednesday) Wreath for the Cross of Christ Flowers for Epitaphios Flowering Plants (Easter Lilies for Pascha) ***General donations in cash or check help defray the costs for all items.*** Agape Vespers Readers At the Agape Vespers (Pascha Day), volunteers are needed to read the Gospel passage in languages other than English. If you wish to participate, please contact Fr. Alexander with your intention, particularly if you do not have access to the text in your language. Myrrh-bearers Young ladies wishing to be Myrrh-bearers at Friday and Saturday evening services during Holy Week, please call our office. 12

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