TRANSaGRAM July/August 2018 Monthly / Issue No. 5

Transcription

1 July/August 2018 Monthly / Issue No. 5 TRANSFIGURATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Fr. Tom Chininis, Pastor Philoptochos Literacy Project PROMOTING A LOVE FOR READING by Olivia Sintros The Pawtucket Memorial Elementary School in Lowell was this year s recipient of book bags and books to support the school s summer reading program. At Pawtucket this year, all 526 students were given the opportunity to choose three to four just right books. Just right books are books that the children are able to read on their own depending on their reading level. Words cannot express the excitement on the children s faces while they choose their favorite books, and asked the question, Can we keep them? We gratefully thank the continued generosity of our parishioners and friends who have enabled us to donate books to the children of Lowell since Since then, we have distributed approximately 18,750 books and have supported summer reading initiatives in eleven elementary schools in Lowell. With four more schools to go, please keep those books coming. Continued on page 2 PHOTO BY OLIVIA SINTROS Sometimes choosing which book you want is easy sometimes it is a difficult choice, but one the children of Pawtucket Memorial Elementary School loved to make. IN THIS ISSUE PARISH COUNCIL NEWS page 2 Parish Council Message PARISH GROUPS page 5 Philoptochos, Youth Ministry, Sunday School and Outreach CHURCH INFORMATION page 9 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 more. PLEASE NOTE: Several sections of this edition of the Trans-a-Gram were deleted and will return with the September PAGE 1

2 PARISH COUNCIL NEWS President s Message THE CRAZY, HAZY, BUT NOT LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER by Olivia Sintros, Parish Council President According to the old song lyrics, July and August bring on the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Even before we entered July, the Golf Outing steering committee met to begin plans for our 8 th Annual Transfiguration Golf Outing. You need not be a golfer to support the Outing in some way. Please check out the enclosed Golf Outing flyer. This summer s Community Kitchen will be held on July 24 and August 28. Please come and enjoy a lovely lunch with family, friends and neighbors. August 5-6 celebrates the feast day of the Transfiguration with a Vespers reception and next day luncheon. Our 23 rd annual Vacation Church Camp (VCC) follows August VCC offers a wonderful program of faith, fellowship, and fun to our young people.it s never too late to register or to offer assistance! Again this summer, through the FOCUS program (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve), we are looking for backpack sponsors. For just $20 per child, we can offer needy children a backpack filled with supplies for back to school. July 14 and August 11 are our regularly scheduled nights for sponsoring and serving a meal at the Lowell Transitional Living Center. If you have never been, arrangements can be made to support your first visit. Please call the office or sign up in church. Well, hazy and crazy maybe lazy, I don t think so! Enjoy your summer and please join us. Literacy Continued from front page A special thanks to Philoptochos President and Billerica town librarian Ellen Dobi for her never-ending support of the program. Another special thanks to co-chair Karen Mitropoulis for her generosity in donating books and bookmarks, not to mention getting so many autographed books from her friend and author/ illustrator Peter Reynolds. Thanks to Karen s persistence and love for the program, each year Peter Reynolds has offered many personalized books to the children of the city. Another sincere thanks goes out to a very generous parish family who donated the book bags but wishes to remain anonymous. And as we know, it does take a village to make this all happen; so, many thanks to Amanda Apostolou, Pat Mahoney, Daphne Easton, Ellen Dobi, Beth Donovan, Erin Sintros, and Pam Sintros for their help in sorting the thousands of books. Also, thanks to Spike Sintros and Lisa Abramovich for delivering the twenty-five bins totaling 2,500 books and to Toula and Arthur Sparages, Soula Spaziani, and Pat Mahoney for book distribution. As I close, under the heading of kids say the funniest things one third grader was given his book bag and as he proceeded down the hall he was greeted by a teacher who said she liked the bag. The little boy turned to her and said, God gave it to me. His friend quickly corrected him and said, It wasn t God, it was a church. Our Apologies. We extend our thanks for the following Holy Week and Pascha donations that were either acknowledged errantly or omitted: Arthur Kostoulakos (not Koufagazos) The Skrekas family for the Resurrection Easter Lily donation in loving memory of Debbie Skrekas. PAGE 2

3 Congratulations to Our Graduates On Sunday, June 17, the Transfiguration Philoptochos honored the new graduates of our parish. Each high school graduate was presented a $500 scholarship offered by the Philoptochos and several families of the parish. In addition, college graduates were recognized and presented with a gift from the Philoptochos. Congratulations to all the graduates! Kai eis anotera. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES Christian Anthony Finn Son of Andrew & Deanne Finn Chelmsford High School Will attend St. Anselm College Selected Major: Undecided Honors/Activities: National Honor Society, Business National Honor Society; Football 9-12 Captain (12); Lacrosse 9-12 Captain (12); Swim & Dive 9-10; Volunteer Football & Lacrosse Youth Clinics; Science Fair Judge 10-12; Freshman Mentor(11-12)Executive Board (12) Parish Involvement: Sunday School, GOYA, Grecian Festival Volunteer, VCC Volunteer Scholarship: Spiros Sintros Scholarship Alexis Marie Genna Daughter of Brian& Georgia Genna Westford Academy Will attend University of Pittsburgh Selected Major: Health Sciences Honors/Activities: National Honor Society, French Honor Society, Academic Achievement Awards, Girl Scouts (13 years) - Bronze & Silver Awards, Peer Counselor, Club Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, French Club. Parish Involvement: Sunday School, GOYA, Greeter, VCC Volunteer, Grecian Festival Volunteer Scholarship: Crystal & William Laganas Memorial Scholarship Andrew Joseph Garas Son of Anthony & Kelly Garas Alvirne High School Will attend Emmanuel College Selected Major: Communications Honors/ Activities: Drumline & Percussion Ensemble; Cabaret music Festival; Fish & Game Club volunteer; Model UN - Vice President (12) Scholarship: Roland Moore Memorial Scholarship Edward Jeffrey Hastings Son of Jeffrey & Angela Hastings Groton Dunstable Regional High School Will attend Vermont Technical College Selected Major: Agriculture Business Honors/Activities: JV &Varsity Indoor Track- Hurdler of the Year;Varsity Track & Field- Top 10 Hurdler; Varsity Football -MVP in Defense; President of the Young Republicans Club; John Carson Road Race (4yrs); Grotonfest Volunteer (3yrs); 2015 PISA Volunteer. Parish Involvement: Sunday School,GOYA, Altar Server, Grecian Festival Volunteer, VCC volunteer, Philoptochos volunteer ( Literacy Program, House of Hope). Scholarship: Philoptochos Scholarship James Thomas Hastings Son of Jeffrey & Angela Hastings Groton Dunstable Regional High School Will attend U MASS Lowell Selected Major: Criminal Justice with Minor in Psychology PHOTO BY AMANDA APOSTOLOU This year s high school graduates are honored by the Transfiguration family and awarded scholarships for their studies this fall. Honors/Activities: JV & Varsity Football, Lacrosse, & Indoor Track; Football Captain (12); John Carson Road Race (3 yrs); Best Buddies Club (2yrs); Helped build home in Nicaragua. Parish Involvement: Sunday School, GOYA, Altar Server, VCC Volunteer, Grecian Volunteer, Philoptochos Volunteer( Literacy Program, House of Hope). Scholarship: Peter A. Eliopoulos Memorial Scholarship Ariana Marie Kouloungis Daughter of Niclis & Daphne Kouloungis Chelmsford High School Will attend Assumption College Selected Major: Business Honors/ Activities: Honor Roll, JV Hockey (9-10),0rchestra (9-11), Theater Guild Makeup Crew, Voice Lessons (3yrs), Girl Scouts (1yr) Parish Involvement:Sunday School, GOYA, Choir, Greeter, VCC volunteer Scholarship: Eugenia & Daniel Marcus Memorial Scholarship Continued on next page PAGE 3

4 Continued from previous page Brendan Malone Son of Drs. Kevin Malone & Tanya Zouzas Chelmsford High School Will attend Northeastern University Selected Major: Bioengineering Honors/Activities: National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Pride Award, Leadership in Motion Everywhere (11-12), Yearbook (10-11), International Relations (10-12), Science Team (10-11), Theater Guild (9-12), Class Representative (9-10), Class Secretary(10-12), MCAS Tutoring, Band Leader( plays piano,guitar,bass guitar); Lowell General Hospital Volunteer (9-12). Parish Involvement: Sunday School, VCC, Festival Volunteer (10-11), St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Participant. Scholarship: Helen Kokkales & Helen Finocchiaro Memorial Scholarship Dimosthenis Doulamis Graduated with honors from Virginia Tech B.S. in Human Development Commissioned 2nd Lt. USAF Talia Rose Merrill Daughter of Mark & Louise Merrill Lowell Catholic High School Will attend Framingham State College Selected Major: Elementary Education Honors/Activities: Effort in Honors English I, Effort in Honors Biology, Effort in French II, III, IV, Drama Club, SADD, Cross Country, Student Ambassador Club, Crusaders in Action Service Club, Senior Service Week: Lowell Catholic Elementary - kindergarten classroom Parish Involvement: Sunday School, GOYA, VCC Volunteer, Choir, Greeter Scholarship: Dr. Christos Daoulas Memorial Scholarship Nicholas Arthur Natsios Son of Arthur & Lisa Natsios Dracut High School Will attend UMASS Lowell Selected Major: Undeclared Engineering PHOTO BY AMANDA APOSTOLOU Caroline Elizabeth Eliopoulos Graduated Cum Laude from Bentley University B.A. in Public Policy Employed by Massachusetts General Hospital Harry Exarhopulos Graduated Magna Cum Laude from UMass Lowell Representing all the college graduates are Stephanie B.S. in Finance & Gulezian and Catherine Tully. International Business Employed by Moody, College Graduates Famiglietti & Andronico, LLP Stephanie Gulezian Graduated from WPI B.S. in Chemical Engineering Employed by Millipore Sigma Honors/Activities: National Business Honor Society, John and Abigail Adams Award Work Experience: Inventory/ Customer Service - Market Basket Scholarship: Cavoures Family Scholarship Eli Alden Piper Son of Derek & Mary Piper Chelmsford High School Will attend Wentworth Institute of Technology Selected Major: Computer Science Honors/Activities: Honor Roll (9-10), high Honor Roll (11-12) Boy Scouts - Life Scout, Senior Patrol Leader, DECA - top 10 in State Final, 1st place in written exam, TV Crew, Piano Lessons 12 yrs. Parish Involvement: Sunday School (perfect attendance), GOYA (Co- President), Altar Server, Festival volunteer Scholarship: Peter & Sally Manousas Memorial Scholarship Timothy N. Koufogazos Graduated from UMass Lowell B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Employed by Sterilite Corporation Elizabeth Natsios Graduated from University of Maine B.A. in Communication Sciences & Disorders Plans to pursue a MBA Catherine Tully Graduated from UMass Lowell B.A. in Mathematics Employed by Putnam Investments Soteria Zouzas Graduated Cum Laude from UMass Lowell B.A. in Psychology Will attend Fitchburg State University to pursue a graduate degree in School Counseling PAGE 4

5 PARISH GROUPS Philoptochos Society Report by Ellen Dobi, Philoptochos Society President Literacy Project: Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners and friends, the Philoptochos provided books and book bags to the children of the Pawtucketville Elementary School. This year marks the 11 th anniversary of our literacy program; over 15,000 books have been distributed to local children over these eleven years. Special thanks go out to our Literacy coordinators, Karen Mitropoulis, Amanda Apostolou, and Olivia Sintros. Thank you to Sandra Gulezian for selling candles during Great and Holy Lent and earmarking the money for the Literacy Project. We also thank Karen Mitropoulis for donating bookmarks and a private donor for the book bags. Believe it or not we are already now collecting books for next year! Scholarship/Graduate Sunday: Scholarships to qualifying high school students planning on attending college next year were awarded on Sunday, June 17, after Divine Liturgy. Students who completed college, graduate, or advanced degree work were also recognized for their achievement. Thank you to our Scholarship chairperson, Pat Mahoney, Program Design, Melanie Pappas, and Scholarship Committee: Ellen Dobi, Soula Spaziani, Georgia Dristiliaris, Yiota Simoglou, and Olivia Sintros. Many thanks to the families who have supported and contributed to scholarships in memory of loved ones. House of Hope: Thank you to Cindy Rios for coordinating the schedule of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer your time preparing a dinner (at home) and serving at the House of Hope, contact Cindy at cerios3@hotmail.com or We don t serve during July and August, but will start up again in September. Mother s Day & Father s Day: Many thanks to Connie, Freda, and Clara Gkolias for distributing carnations following Divine Liturgy. and in so doing, honoring our mothers and fathers. Name Day: Please remember the Church s Name Day on August 6. We will need help with a reception after the evening vespers on the 5 th and with the luncheon on the 6 th. Contact me at ekdobi@verizon.net or to volunteer to help. Vacation Church Camp: If you have time to help, VCC will be held August Please speak with Olivia Sintros or Father Tom. No Bake Cake Sale for Hellenic College Holy Cross: You should soon receive a request for contributions to the No Bake Sale to benefit Hellenic College and Holy Cross. Please be generous. There will also be a basket collection on Sunday, September 16. SAVE THE DATES: September 13 : Our first General Meeting of the Ecclesiastical year. 6:30 - Potluck Dinner; 7:00 - Meeting December 2 : The 65th Annual Benefit Christmas Tea. Reservation letters will go out soon. Reservations may be mailed in or brought to the church office during office hours. A table will be set up on Sundays after Liturgy starting late October. PHOTO BY OLIVIA SINTROS Toula Sparages provides a book bag to a student so she can fill it with the books she will choose. PHOTO BY PATTY VAPORIS Rodis Scholarships presented to Melanie Pappas and Sophia Exarhopulos by Iris Metropolis and Father Tom. PAGE 5

6 Sunday School News by Connie Gkolias, Sunday School Director Congratulations to all our Sunday School students who have completed another year of religious studies. We especially congratulate our 12 th grade graduates who have completed the Sunday school curriculum. The entire Sunday School staff are proud of you and your accomplishments and look forward to hearing of your future successes. PHOTOS BY MATTHEW APOSTOLOU Thank you to Father Tom and Deacon John, the Sunday school staff, and parents for all your help. May everyone have a safe and happy summer. We look forward to seeing you again soon after a short break. Sunday School classes will resume on Sunday, September 9, At the Sunday School Year End Program, the parish recognizes and celebrates the success of the students during the past school year and looks forward to an exciting new academic year. PAGE 6

7 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 7

8 Greek Language Classes Offered at Middlesex Community College The beautiful 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 Institute, at GLAZERM@middlesex.mass.edu or by telephone 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 FFN MINISTRY OPENING If you are interested in coordinating family friendly events, please contact the office and speak to Fr. Tom or Olivia Sintros. Help us continue this wonderful program for HOPE/JOY families! HOPE/JOY NEEDS YOUR TIME & TALENT! Philoptochos "Clothing for Cash" Fall Fundraiser Please put aside your textiles! A fundraiser is being planned for some time in September. We are asking all parishioners to fill bags with textiles in any condition. This includes clothing, curtains, blankets, towels, belts, pocketbooks and shoes/boots. Philoptochos will earn money for every pound we donate, so we really need folks to clean their closets, attics and basements! A key to our success last time around was based on seeking donations from friends and relatives. So don't be shy spread the word! You'll be doing folks a favor by accepting their contributions. Donating to this cause is a win-win for all. The textiles are sorted for us. Many items can be resold by the Epilepsy Foundation, and other items will be recycled but avoid filling up our landfills. If you have any questions, please contact Sandra Gulezian at gulezians@gmail.com. If you'd like to help with this very easy fundraiser, please let her know! PAGE 8

9 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: Tues. Fri., 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? Visit transchurch.churchgiving.org. PAGE 9

10 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 10

11 Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church Lowell, MA August 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Monthly Trisagion Great Vespers 7pm Reception following Center 10am Paraclesis 6:30p Paraclesis 6:30p Feast of Transfiguration Paraclesis 6:30p Center 10am Paraclesis 6:30p Vacation Church Camp 9:30 am 2 pm Paraclesis 6:30p LTLC dinner Paraclesis 6:30p Great Vespers Feast of Dracut Dormition Orthros 9 am Liturgy 10 Dracut Parish Council Meeting 6:30pm Center 10am Community Kitchen Center 10am 11:30am PAGE 11

12 SERVICES, SACRAMENTS, AND CALENDAR OF EVENTS Services SUNDAY SERVICES Orthros: 8:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy: 9:30 a.m. Monthly Trisagion July 1 & August 5 following Liturgy SPECIAL SERVICES (JUNE - AUGUST) 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 Assumption) August Orthros 9:00 am & Liturgy 10:00 Dracut (Feast of the Assumption) Sacraments BAPTISMS & CHRISMATIONS: June 23: Quin Thomas, son of Willey and Candace Keithley. Sponsor Gina and Jeff Oliver FUNERALS: None WEDDING & MARRIAGE BLESSINGS June 23: Anthony and Kaitlin Gray III. Sponsor George Gray Do you have a Change of Name, Phone Number, Address, or ? Please contact the parish office to update your information. Calendar of Events VACATION CHURCH CAMP (VCC) August 6-10: Vacation Church Camp CHOIR Rehearsals as announced BIBLE STUDY AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Will resume in September SUNDAY SCHOOL September 9: First day of classes PHILOPTOCHOS September 13: General meeting FAMILY AND YOUTH ACTIVITIES Enjoy your summer OTHER CHURCH ACTIVITIES July 11, 18, 25: Transfiguration Outreach Center 10 am to 2 pm August 1, 8, 22 & 29 : Transfiguration Outreach Center 10 am to 2 pm OUTREACH AND SPECIAL EVENTS July 14 (Saturday): LTLC (Shelter) Meal July 24: Community Kitchen 11:30 am Outreach Center August 28: Community Kitchen 11:30 am Outreach Center WeShare Stewardship Giving Online Weekly, Monthly, or One-Time Go to transchurch.churchgiving.com to enroll or call the Parish Office (Formerly ParishPay) PAGE 12