Trans-a-Gram. Inside this issue. Epiphany Service Philoptochos Tea Family Night Mortgage update.. 7

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1 Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church January 2008 Monthly / Issue No. 1 Trans-a-Gram Rev. Demetrios T. Costarakis, Pastor Nicholas G. Pappas, Editor Inside this issue Epiphany Service... 2 Epiphany falls on a Sunday this year (Jan. 6), which will make it possible for many more parishioners to participate in the Blessing of the Water service. Since that also is the day of the Vasilopita ceremony, the Divine Liturgy will begin one-half hour earlier at 9:30 a.m. Philoptochos Tea... 4 More than 200 people men, women and children enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the Ladies Philoptochos Society s 54th-annual Benefit Tea on Dec. 2 in the church hall. The theme of the event was Tea, Bags & More, and entertainment was provided by Peking & the Mystics, an a cappella group that sang the hits from yesteryear. Family Night There was no shortage of gingerbread houses or pizza, for that matter for the parish s annual Family Night on Dec. 14 in the church hall. More than 150 people ventured out on a Friday night to decorate 45 gingerbread houses and share in the spirit of Christmas. Mortgage update.. 7 The mortgage elimination program for has raised nearly $30,000 in pledges from 105 families or individuals through mid- December. The goal of the program is to raise an average contribution of $300 from 300 families. O Come Let Us Adore Him Christine Nigzus and Boris Stanchev played the roles of Mary and Joseph during the Sunday s School s presentation of the Christmas pageant on Sunday, Dec. 23, after the Divine Liturgy. The baby Jesus was portrayed this year by Cameron Caron, the son of Christopher and Stacy Caron. More photos on Page 7. (Photo by Nick Pappas)

2 The sixth of January is the feast of the Epiphany. Originally it was the one Christian feast of the shining forth of God to the world in the human form of Jesus of Nazareth. It included the celebration of Christ s birth, the adoration of the Wisemen, and all of the childhood events of Christ such as his circumcision and presentation to the temple as well as His baptism by John in the Jordan. There seems to be little doubt that this feast, like Easter and Pentecost, was understood as the fulfillment of a previous Jewish festival, in this case the Feast of Lights. Epiphany means shining forth or manifestation. The feast is often called, as it is in the Orthodox service books, Theophany, which means the shining forth and manifestation of God. The emphasis in the present day celebration is on the appearance of Jesus as the human Messiah of Israel and the divine Son of God, One of the Holy Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Thus, in the baptism by John in the Jordan, Jesus identifies himself with sinners as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29), the Beloved of the Father whose messianic task it is to redeem men from their sins (Lk 3:21, Mk 1:35). And he is revealed as well as One of the Divine Trinity, testified to by the voice of the Father, and by the Spirit in the form of a dove. The services of Epiphany are set up exactly as those of Christmas, although historically it was most certainly Christmas which was made to imitate Epiphany since it was established later. Once again the Royal Hours and the Liturgy of Saint Basil are celebrated together with (Continued on page 8) TRANS-A-GRAM Epiphany is the shining forth of God PAGE 2 Epiphany service to start at 9:30 This year, Epiphany falls on Sunday, Jan. 6. This provides everyone with an opportunity to participate in the Service of the Blessing of the Water, which is missed by so many normally when the Feast Day falls on a weekday. This is excellent because we will each have an opportunity to take part in commemorating the Baptism of our Lord and to bless the water at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Following the Divine Liturgy and Agiasmo (blessing of the water) will be the Vasilopita cutting. For this reason, the Divine Liturgy will begin at 9:30 a.m. Please make every effort to come for worship on this Sunday. House blessings: One of the most beautiful and oldest traditions preserved by our Orthodox Church is the annual blessing of homes during the Epiphany season. If you wish to have your home blessed, please contact Father Demetri at or him at Demetric@imail.goarch.org To prepare for the priest s visit to bless your home, please: Make a list of the first names of those family members you wish to pray for when the priest arrives. The names should be for the living. On your dining room table or family altar, place a lighted candle, a Theophany icon or an icon of Christ and a bowl with water. Please secure any animals that may be in the home, so they are not frightened as the priest goes from room to room. + Father Demetri HOW TO REACH US Pastor: The Rev. Demetri Costarakis Secretary: Jeanne Brady Address: Father John Sarantos Way, Lowell, MA Telephone: Fax: Church transfig@hotmail.com Father Demetri demetric@imail.goarch.org Web page: Office hours: Secretary: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Priest: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Editor: Nick Pappas Telephone: npappas05@comcast.net WANTED Volunteers to help serve during the weekly coffee hour. Please call coordinator Susan Pappas at or smpappas16@yahoo.com. Volunteers to provide dinner to mothers and children once a month at the House of Hope. Please contact Lynne Karagianes at Anyone interested in placing an ad in the Transa-Gram to help offset the printing costs. Please contact Editor Nick Pappas at or npappas05@comcast.net for more information.

3 PAGE 3 Church Services Schedule of Services Sunday Orthros.. 9 a.m. Special Services Divine Liturgy.. 10 a.m. Jan. 5 (Saturday).. Eve of Theophony Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m. Jan. 6 (Sunday)..... Theophony Divine Liturgy: 9:30 a.m. Jan. 7 (Monday)... St. John the Baptist Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m. Jan. 17 (Thursday). St. Anthony Divine Liturgy: 9 am. Jan. 18 (Friday)... St. Athanasios and Cyril Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m. Jan. 30 (Wednesday)... Three Hierarchs Divine Liturgy: 9 a.m. Funerals: Sacraments Georgia Metropolis of Lowell (Dec. 18) May her memory be eternal! Monthly Trisagia Names of the deceased are read the first Sunday of each month. Please send the names to be read in advance, listing the month you would like them read. If you would like the name to be read in Greek, please include the Greek spelling along with the English. If you have any questions, call Dyanne Mitropoulis at Oratorical Festival The Transfiguration Parish Oratorical Festival will take place on Sunday, March 2, following the Divine Liturgy in the St. Sophia Chapel. Students in Grades 7-12 are encouraged to participate. The Junior Division (Grades 7-9) and Senior Division (Grades 10-12) topics, tips and bibliography are available on the archdiocese Web site ( Entries must be submitted by Sunday, Jan. 27., to the church office. For further information contact Yiota Simoglou or Patricia Mahoney. Stella Anganes Eugene Archambault Ethel Ballas Afrodite Bavelas Arthur Bavelas Katherine Betses Arthur Contos Nicholas Contos George A. Danas Stephen A. Danas Anthony Dimitri Lillian Economopoulos Aphrodite Galanis Chrisanthy Gefteas Constantinos Georgacopoulos Marigo Georgacopoulos Mary Kalavetinos Soultana Kapsouris Demetrios Koniditsiotes James Konstantinakos Tula Konstantinakos Stergios Koravos Charles Kostoulakos Demetrios Kostoulakos Georgia Kostoulakos Marigo Kostoulakos Speros Lazouras Yianni Manelas Paraskevi Manolis Daniel Marcopoulos DECEMBER TRISAGIA (Additional Names) Pauline Chouprakos JANUARY TRISAGIA (To be read Jan. 13) Martin P. Martakos Continued on Page 14 Mary T. Mastas Nancy (Gickas) McCutcheon Eva Merageas Mary Metropolis Stella Mitropoulos Panagiota Molivas Eugene Moser Peter Moskovites Pantelis Nicholaou John Piazas Johnny Piazas Pauline Poulakos Peter Poulakos Arthur Poulios Louis Sakelakos Polita Sakelakos Helen Skaperdas Vasilios Stavrou Aristotle Tavoularis Carolyn Tavoularis Katherine Tavoularis Louis Tavoularis John Tavoularis Anastasia Tournas Chris Tournas George Tournas Joanne Tournas John Tournas Stephanos Tournas

4 PAGE 4 Peking & the Mystics provided the lively entertainment at the Ladies Philoptochos Society s 54thannual Benefit Tea on Dec. 2 in the church hall. The a cappella group performed songs from many decades between the 1890s and the 1980s. (Photos by Arthur Sparages) Tea, Bags & More Philoptochos 54th-annual fundraiser hits the right note By MELANIE PAPPAS Tea Committee Member T he Ladies Philoptochos Society hosted its 54thannual Benefit Tea on Sunday, Dec. 2. The theme for this year s event was Tea, Bags & More. Approximately 210 guests attended and enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship, music, and, of course, tea and bags! Shopping bags, lunch bags and travel bags were among the featured items. After an invocation by Father Demetri, President Susan Pappas and Metropolis Philoptochos President Diane Miminos welcomed family and friends. Co-chairpersons Olivia Sintros and Patricia Mahoney explained the theme of the afternoon in their opening remarks, which were fol- (Continued on page 5) Patricia Mahoney, left, and Olivia Sintros served as the cochairpersons of the Ladies Philoptochos Society s 54thannual Benefit Tea.

5 PAGE 5 Tea, bags... (Continued from page 4) lowed by the entertainment, refreshments and two raffles. Entertainment for the event was provided by Peking & the Mystics, a singing group formed by graduates from Tufts University who performed an eclectic a cappella repertoire of hits from the 1890s through the 1980s. The group s light-hearted presentation peppered with humor was well-received by those in attendance and made for a memorable afternoon. The Benefit Tea is the largest annual fund-raiser for the Ladies Philoptochos Society, an organization whose mission is to promote the charitable, benevolent and philanthropic purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Proceeds from the event will help to provide aid on both the local and national levels to all those who are in need, including the poor, the aged, the sick, the hungry and those affected by natural disasters. Tea Committee Father Demetri is joined by the women who played a leadership role in this year s Benefit Tea. Among the chairpersons were (front row, from left): Yiota Simoglou, raffle; Patricia Mahoney, tea co-chairperson; Susan Pappas, Philoptochos president; guest Diane Miminos, president of the Metropolis Philoptochos Board; Olivia Sintros, tea co-chairperson; and Elizabeth de la Torre, invitations and tickets; (back row) Ann Tavoularis, super raffle; Lynne Karagianes, hostess; Soula Spaziani, super raffle; Cathy Economou, entertainment; Sophia Quinn, raffle; Melanie Pappas, program design; Sandra Gulezian, hostess; Diane Ziagos, refreshments; Georgia Dristiliaris, refreshments, Angela Hastings, reservations; Nancy Lane, decorations; and Annmarie Tsitsipas, refreshments. Missing from photo were Eleni Stavrou, refreshments, and Evanthea Vlahakis, publicity. (Photo by Arthur Sparages) Parishioner Eva Dukakis passes on the tradition of making biscotakia to granddaughters Evanthia, left, and Catherine Tully. Later, the Greek cookies were served to guests at the Philoptochos annual Benefit Tea. (Photo by Michael Tully) Jack Mahoney, one of about a dozen men who attended this year s tea, peruses the hors d oeuvres table that was set up in the downstairs lobby outside the church hall. (Photo by Arthur Sparages)

6 PAGE 6 A true Transfiguration family event Children of all ages enjoy Family Night. By SANDRA GULEZIAN HOPE/JOY Coordinator If you weren t one of the more than 160 people in attendance at the Dec. 14 Family Night, you missed out. We can tell you that 45 gingerbread houses were made, 45 pizzas were consumed and we had enough candy and icing to decorate a life sized replica of the Parthenon! It was a wonderful night where families came to the church for a fun night, to socialize with one another and, of course, to decorate a gingerbread house together. Dr. Dina Eliopoulos helps frost one of the gingerbread houses during Family Night on Dec. 14 in the church hall. Lending their support are her husband, Dr. Sebastian Sepulveda, and their two children, Isabella and Sebastian. (Photos by Marc Gulezian) Thanks to the contributions of the GOYA and HOPE and JOY, all the gingerbread houses were donated; the Ladies Philoptochos Society was generous in its donation of the pizza for all in attendance; and the Parish Council and Men s Guild contributed to the cost of soda, supplies and other overhead. This night was an example of the wonderful things that can happen when the entire parish works together towards a common goal. We look forward to more experiences in By SANDRA GULEZIAN HOPE/JOY Coordinator HOPE and JOY s participation in Family Night brought to a close an eventful year that started with a membership drive, roller skating with the GOYA during April vacation, a family cookout and hike on a perfect summer day in June, a day Katrina McCann enjoys some quality family time with children Athena and Dean. At right, Lexi Koravos teams up with parish secretary Jeanne Brady. Family Night caps promising first year for HOPE and JOY trip to Canobie Lake Park in August, and some charitable work, which included the stuffing of backpacks with school supplies for children in need. Thank you to Andrea Garibaldi, Lynne Karagianes and Katrina McCann for being active advisers to HOPE and JOY and to all parents who have made this ministry important in the lives of their children. If you have suggestions or would like to receive s regarding other HOPE and JOY events, please e- mail msgulezian@comcast.net. Happy and Healthy New Year to all from the HOPE and JOY youth groups!

7 PAGE 7 Christmas Pageant There were plenty of little lambs and donkeys when the Sunday School presented its interpretation of the birth of Jesus on Dec. 23. Joseph and Mary were played by Boris Stanchev and Christine Nigzus, while Cameron Caron portrayed the baby Jesus. (Photos by Nick Pappas) Mortgage program draws support from 105 families By JIM MURPHY Mortgage Elimination Chairman The total amount of pledges received for our mortgage elimination program as of Dec. 17 was $29,225, and we have collected $28,150. Only 105 families have made a pledge for the mortgage elimination program. In November, I wrote what I considered a strong appeal to all parishioners to work together and eliminate this debt. I asked you to put personal differences aside and focus on our parish s needs. I think it is important that you know that I was approached by a number of parishioners regarding my appeal, and the overall consensus was we need to put our differences aside and work together. I am asking everyone to take their lead and make a contribution to the program Another point of information I think some of you should know is that I did not vote in favor of the building when it was presented during the Parish Assembly; I was actually against it. Even though I was against the building, I have participated in every fundraising event for the building since the building was approved by the Parish Assembly. Personal differences have to be put aside when it comes to our church, and I am once again making this appeal. This is our parish, not mine or yours but ours. We need everyone to help eliminate this debt. Remember the key here is an average contribution of $300. No contribution amount is too small. I ask everyone to remember a $300 annual contribution is less than 83 cents per day. Commitments can be paid monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually. I am asking if you haven t made a pledge, please do so.

8 PAGE 8 FEAST DAY OF THE MONTH Filled with all the fullness of God (Continued from page 2) Vespers on the eve of the feast; and the Vigil is made up of Great Compline and Matins. The prophecies of Epiphany repeat the God is with us from Isaiah and stress the foretelling of the Messiah as well as the coming of his forerunner, John the Baptist: (Is 40:3-5; Lk 3:4-6). Once more special psalms are sung to begin the Divine Liturgy of the feast, and the baptismal line of Galatians 3:27 replaces the song of the Thrice-Holy. The gospel readings of all the Epiphany services tell of the Lord's baptism by John in the Jordan River. The epistle reading of the Divine Liturgy tells of the consequences of the Lord's appearing which is the divine epiphany. For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:11-14). The main feature of the feast of the Epiphany is the Great Blessing of Water. It begins with the singing of special hymns and the censing of the water which has been placed in the center of the church building. This water stands for the beautiful world of God s original creation and ultimate glorification by Christ in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes this service of blessing is done out of doors at a place where the water is flowing naturally. After the epistle (1 Cor 1:10-14) and the gospel reading (Mk 1:9-11) the special great litany is chanted invoking the grace of the Holy Spirit upon the water and upon those who will partake of it. It ends with the great prayer of the cosmic glorification of God in which Christ is called upon to sanctify the water, and all men and all creation, by the manifestation of his saving and sanctifying divine presence by the indwelling of the Holy and Good and Life-creating Spirit. As the troparion of the feast is sung, the celebrant immerses the Cross into the water three times and then proceeds to sprinkle the water in the four directions of the world. He then blesses the people and their homes with the sanctified water which stands for the salvation of all men and all creation which Christ has effected by His Epiphany in the flesh for the life of the world. The world and everything in it is indeed "very good" (Gen 1:31) and when it becomes polluted, corrupted and dead, God saves it once more by effecting the new creation in Christ, his divine Son and our Lord by the grace of the Holy Spirit (Gal 6:15). This is what is celebrated on Epiphany, particularly in the Great Blessing of Water. The consecration of the waters on this feast places the entire world through its "prime element" of watering the perspective of the cosmic creation, sanctification, and glorification of the Kingdom of God in Christ arid the Spirit. It tells us that man and the world were indeed created and saved in order to be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph 3:19), the fullness of him who fills all in all (Eph 1:22). It tells us that Christ, in who in the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, is and shall be truly all, and in all (Col 2:9, 3:11). It tells us as well that the new heavens and the new earth which God has promised through his prophets and apostles (Is 66:2; 2 Peter 3:13, Rev 21:1) are truly with us already now in the, mystery of Christ and his Church. Thus, the sanctification and sprinkling of the Epiphany water is no pagan ritual. It is the expression of the most central fact of the Christian vision of man, his life and his world. It is the liturgical testimony that the vocation and destiny of creation is to be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph 3:19). * * * Courtesy of the Orthodox Church of America Web site at Throwing of the Cross His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios will preside over the annual blessing of the waters at Spring Bayou and the throwing of the Cross on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. in Tarpon Springs, Fla. The ceremony will follow a Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. at St. Nicholas Cathedral.

9 PAGE 9 Parish Council Church News Stewardship 2007 By MARGO DiBENEDETTO Parish Council President The Parish Council conducted its final meeting of the year on Dec. 19. Among the items that were discussed that evening were: New bookstore: The new display case in the foyer was purchased to house the new church bookstore. Four parishioners have stepped forward to run it on Sundays. New Year s Eve service: A Vesperal Liturgy will be celebrated on New Year s Eve starting at 6 p.m. Epiphany services: The Eve of Epiphany will be celebrated with a Divine Liturgy on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 9 a.m.; Epiphany will be celebrated with a Divine Liturgy on Sunday, Jan. 6, at 9:30 a.m. The service will begin one-half hour earlier than usual to accommodate the Vasilopita ceremony, which is also scheduled to take place that day. Council swearing-in: The Parish Council of 2008 will be administered the oath of office at the close of the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, Jan.13. Financial update: The council discussed one of its certificates of deposit, which was scheduled to mature at the end of December. Board members planned to check the current interest rates. Next meeting: The council will next meet on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. in the boardroom. Treasurer s Report Here is a brief summary of income and expenses as of Nov. 30 and how they compare to the same period last year. Overall, with one month left in the year, income was down by more than $15,000, which was offset somewhat by expenses also being down by nearly $13,000. By NICK PAPPAS Trans-a-Gram Editor With just two weeks left in the year, the 2007 stewardship program appears in danger of falling significantly behind the levels set in the previous year both in terms of the number of stewards and the amount of money contributed to the parish s annual stewardship program. As of mid- December, 470 families or individuals had returned their stewardship cards for 2007, well short of the 496 Stewards (2006) Cards Returned Cards Outstanding Return Rate Average Pledge who had done so at this time last year. That represents a decline of more than 5 percent. The news isn t much better on the financial front. The $158, pledged to date $148, collected and another $9,184 in outstanding pledges pales in comparison to the $165, pledged last year at this time, a similar drop of nearly 5 percent. Based on those numbers, the average pledge to date this year stands at $336.36, up $1.96 from the same time last year. In order to meet the year s stewardship goal of $160,000 set at the November 2006 Parish Assembly, all the outstanding pledges would have to be collected plus another $1, by the end of the year. If you have not yet made your stewardship commitment for 2007, please do so as soon as possible. Extra stewardship cards are available in the church office or by contacting the secretary during regular business hours. STEWARDSHIP percent $ (+$1.96) Category Change Stewardship 143, , % Other income 119, , % Total Income 263, , % Expenses 245, , % Balance 18, , % , , ,000 COLLECTED PLEDGED BUDGET

10 PAGE 10 By SUSAN PAPPAS Philoptochos President Philoptochos Society Annual Benefit Tea: The 54 th- annual Benefit Tea, Tea, Bags and More, was held Sunday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. in our church hall. This year was very successful with more than 200 men, women and children in attendance. The theme was beautifully carried throughout the church hall. The a cappella group of Peking & the Mystics delighted the audience with songs and stories. Following the entertainment, the thematic bag lunch was served and some lucky winners won a myriad of prizes. Thanks to chairladies Patricia Mahoney and Olivia Sintros and their extensive committee for a job well done: Invitations and Tickets: Elizabeth de la Torre Reservations: Angela Hastings Publicity: Evanthea Vlahakis Program Design: Melanie Pappas Hostesses: Sandra Gulezian and Lynne Karagianes Decorations: Debbe Daley and Nancy Lane Entertainment: Cathy Economou Raffle: Sophia Quinn and Yiota Simoglou Super Raffle: Soula Spaziani and Ann Tavoularis Refreshments: Georgia Dristiliaris, Corrine Dubay, Eva Dukakis, Angela Hastings, Eleni Stavrou, Elizabeth Tsioulis, Annmarie Tsitsipas and Diane Ziagos Photographer: Arthur Sparages Also joining us for the festivities this year were members of the Philoptochos Metropolis Board, including President Diane Miminos, and National board members as well. We were also pleased to have the support of our sister chapters of Sts. Constantine and Helen of Andover, Holy Trinity of Lowell and the Annunciation Church of Woburn. Adopt-a-Family project: A special thanks goes to Nancy Lane, Ellen Dobi and Martha Simpson for coordinating this year s project of collecting Christmas gifts for local shelters. There were123 mothers, fathers and children given to us through Community Teamwork Inc. of Greater Lowell. Thank you to all the parishioners who so generously gave of their time to shop for these individuals to help make Christmas a little brighter, as well as for the monetary donations. Great job! D Youville Manor: Thanks to Christine Faneros and all who attended the liturgy service and helped on Saturday, Dec. 8. The residents appreciated the friendship and gifts as part of the Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches of the Merrimack Valley. Calendar Raffle Ladies Philoptochos Society President Susan Pappas, right, assisted by Treasurer Elizabeth de la Torre, conduct the final drawing of its annual Calendar Raffle on Nov. 25 in the church hall. Erene Koukias was the grand-prize winner of $100. (Photo by Nick Pappas) Nursing home and shut-in visits: Thanks to Christine Faneros, who coordinated the visits with Holy Trinity Philoptochos President Christine Themelis. A thank-you also goes to Eva Dukakis, Eugenia Marcus, Dyanne Mitropoulis, Mary Nicholaides, Christine Stamas and Agnes Yankopoulos, who visited with many of our patients as well. Christmas decorations: On Saturday, Dec. 8, our church was decorated for the Christmas season. Thank you to all the parishioners who support our flower collection in the spring. It is through these donations that we are able to decorate the church all year long. A special thank you to the elves who decorated: Matthew Blake, Marc Gulezian, Jack Mahoney, and Olivia and Spike Sintros. Fall Calendar Raffle winners: Thank you to Elizabeth de la Torre for organizing this year s fall fundraiser. Congratulations to the following winners: $100: Erene Koukias. $50: Cathy Karagozie, Erene Koukias, Venus Matczak, Somtrps Matjamoe, Dyanne Mitropoulis, Lexie Pereira, Joan Tournas and Avery Vainas. $25: Dennis and Diane Casavant, Thelma Coravos, Georgia Dristiliaris, George Economou, Mary Favas (twice), Joseph Greathead, Cynthia Kaklaman, Ar- (Continued on page 11)

11 PAGE 11 (Continued from page 10) thur Kourembis, Shyanne Laganas, Elaine Lazouras, Vangie Manolopoulos, Alice Martakos, Dr. Charles Mitsakos, Frances Pappas, Harry and Christine Stamas, David Thomas, Avery Vainas (twice), Bessie Volianites and Thea Zaralidis. Membership: Philoptochos members soon will be receiving information for the 2008 membership year. Please return your membership donation upon receipt so we can forward our membership list to the National and Metropolis Philoptochos in a timely manner. Thank you always for your generous support. If you are not a member and would like to join, please contact Membership Chairperson Jill Laganas. In addition to your donation, we ask all members to lend a hand in some way. We all have something to offer the organization. Over the last few months, it has become obvious that Monday evening meetings are not well attended. We have more than 200 members and yet only 21 members have attended the October and November meetings. Some of you may be able to knit, crochet, sew or quilt for our newborn babies or nursing home patients, or even for future raffle items. Many of you are able to bake, make phone calls, send out mailings and many other things our organization needs to keep moving forward. Since one of our main functions is to fund raise in order to meet our commitments to the church, local and national ministries, we are always looking for new ideas to make fundraising fun and would gladly like to hear from any of you who have ideas that we have not thought of. The small group of ladies that we currently have working can only do so much. So please give some thought to what you can do to help keep the Transfiguration Philoptochos moving forward. The meeting schedule has been set for the rest of the year to accommodate the other ministries of the church, however the board will re-evaluate the meeting day and time when we meet in June. Meetings for 2008 are as follows: Saturday, Jan. 12, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m. Monday, March 10, after the Vesper service. Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. Family Literacy Program: Our literacy outreach program is ongoing. The goal is to provide a bag of books to the 475 pre-kindergarten to Grade 4 children at the Christmas Meeting Men s Guild officers, from left, Frank Stevens, Tom Amick, Marc Gulezian and John Gkolias conduct a brief business meeting Dec. 12 during the organization s annual Christmas party at the Dracut House of Pizza. Nearly 40 members were on hand to participate in the annual event. (Photo by Nick Pappas) McAvinnue School in Lowell, which equals 1,425 books. At publication time, we had more than 1,200 books. A special thanks to Varvara and Boris Stanchev for counting and organizing the books. Keep those books coming. Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated. Vasilopita: Our traditional gold-coin celebration will be held on Jan. 6. Chairing this event is Mary Nicholaides. Members are needed to help with the cutting and wrapping on Saturday morning, Jan. 5. The proceeds of this event enable us to give a substantial donation to St. Basil s Academy, which is one of our National commitments, each January. I will be collecting names until Friday, Jan. 4. Family Dinner: Mark your calendars for the annual Philoptochos Family Dinner, which will be held on Sunday, Jan. 27, after the Divine Liturgy. We are in need of volunteers to help set up on Saturday, the 26 th. We also need donations for the family friendly raffle. If you are able to help in any way whether making a pastitsio, preparing salad, setting up, serving or cleaning please let me know. Next meeting: Our next meeting will be Saturday, Jan. 12, at 10 a.m. in the Philoptochos room. Our hostesses for the morning will be Kathy Allen and Ellen Vercontaire. The outreach collection for the month will be diapers and cereal. Watch your mail for our reminder postcards. Looking forward to seeing you all and starting the New Year on the right foot. (Continued on page 12)

12 (Continued from page 11) By FRANK STEVENS Men s Guild President Men s Guild December meeting: We just beat the snow! Thirty-seven Guild members gathered at the Dracut House of Pizza on Dec. 12 to enjoy our annual Christmas gathering. Special thanks to Nick Manolis and his wonderful staff for hosting this special evening. All enjoyed choice of the menu, desserts galore and the best of company. After voting a Christmas donation to the Salvation Army, members elected officers for Stepping forward to lead the Guild are: President: Frank Stevens Vice President: Harry Stamas Treasurer: Marc Gulezian Recording secretary: Thomas Amick Corresponding secretary: John Gkolias Heading home with the door prizes were Ted Sarantos, Nick Nicholaou and Ioannis Zaralidis. A special commendation was read into the record thanking Jim Veves for his generous donation to the Guild. Holiday raffle: At this writing, the raffle was scheduled to take place at the coffee hour on Dec. 23, weather permitting. Participation to date has been brisk, as well over 100 parishioners had returned their raffle tickets by Dec. 14. Major prize winners will be announced in the next issue of the Trans-a-Gram. A complete list of winners will be available at the church office. Hopefully, you will be one of them! Past presidents to be honored: Enclosed with this issue of the Trans-a-Gram is a flier describing a gala evening planned for Sunday, Jan. 13, to honor the past presidents of our Guild. The following gentlemen served their church and our Guild well, and we hope to see many of their family and friends gather together to honor them at this special event: Charles Sarantos (1976) Michael Zymaris (1977) Peter Marioles (1978) Charles Manousos ( ) Wesley Stillwagon ( ) George Skrekas ( and ) Nicholas Dristiliaris ( ) Christopher Selvaggio ( , and ) TRANS-A-GRAM John Gkolias ( ) Nikolaos Manolis ( ) Harry Stamas ( ) PAGE 12 Won t you join us in dedicating what promises to be an extraordinary event to these fine gentlemen. Note: Any past presidents or family members of the deceased who have not been contacted by the time you read this should contact me at church at or at Remember This: Leap Year provides us with an extra gift. Cherish all 366 of them. By MARGO DiBENEDETTO Parish Council President President s Message Another wonderful Christmas season has passed, and I hope that everyone celebrated with friends and family. January is also going to be an event-filled month: Holy Theophany on the 6 th with the cutting of the Vasilopita; the Men s Guild Past Presidents dinner/dance and raffle on the 13th; and the GOYA Glendi at Sts. Constantine and Helen in Andover on the 19th. On Jan. 13, the new Parish Council will take its oath of office and elect its executive board. For the past two years, I have served the Transfiguration Church as the Parish Council president. I am very proud of the work the council has done in those two years, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve our church in that capacity. I am very appreciative of the dedication of the wonderful group of gentlemen who have served along with me, including Father Chris Foustoukos and Father Demetri Costarakis. I will not be seeking a third year as the Parish Council president, but I will continue to serve on the board and support the next president. Thank you for allowing me to serve you and may God bless you and your families. By CONNIE GKOLIAS Sunday School Director Sunday School New Year wishes: The Sunday School staff wishes everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Let s begin the new year all of us working together to give our children the best religious education we can give (Continued on page 13)

13 PAGE 13 (Continued from page 12) them. After all, these children are the future of our church. Religious education is not only on Sundays for an hour. We need everyone s help parents, grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles to put our children first. Christmas pageant: Congratulations to all our girls and boys on their presentation of our annual Christmas pageant. Great job as always. Dates to remember: Please mark your calendar for the following event: Feb. 3: Sunday School bake sale. Please support the Sunday School. Staff appreciation: Special thanks to all the Sunday School staff for all their hard work and dedication to our Sunday School and our children. House of Hope and the other to Dracut House of Pizza for all of its support over the years. Family Glendi: The GOYA will be co-hosting a Family Glendi with the Andover GOYA on Jan. 19 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Sts. Constantine and Helen. As in years past, the proceeds from tickets purchased from our GOYA members ahead of time will benefit them directly; anything sold at the door will be split between the two GOYAs. We are looking for another sellout like last year. The prices are $25 for adults, $15 for children between the ages of 5 and 12, and children under 5 are free. Tickets will be on sale during the coffee hour on Jan. 6 and 13. New members wanted: The GOYA is always looking for more participants. If you are in Grades 7 through 12 and are interested in becoming part of GOYA, please contact the church office and leave your name and phone number. Choir Coffee Hour By LOUIS STAMAS Assistant Choir Director As we begin the new year, I want to thank all of our dedicated choir members, including our youth members, for their ministry to our Transfiguration community and for allowing me to lead them musically since September. I especially want to thank Donna Spanos for subbing for me several times, Toula and Marc for their extra help, and Father Demetri for his guidance. Good time to join us: The beginning of the new calendar year is another excellent opportunity for any parishioners who are looking for a way to contribute something more to our community. The choir is in need of new members, especially men, and we know that there are faithful parishioners who sing the hymns and responses from the pews (or would like to) and could contribute immensely to the choir. No formal musical background is required, just a desire to praise God with your voice! Anybody interested should see me or Father Demetri, even if you just want to talk about it and/or give it a try. I will be going on the road again for a few weeks, and Donna will be taking over while I'm gone. See you all again possibly in late January or mid-february. God bless and be well! By JIM MURPHY GOYA Adviser GOYA Family Night: The GOYA decorated two gingerbread houses during the Family Night on Dec. 14. GOYA members were pleased to present one of the houses to the By SUSAN PAPPAS Coffee Hour Coordinator Nov. 25: Sponsored by John and Aphrodite Blatsos and Matthew Blake in memory of Elaine Blake; also by Chris Tournas in memory of Anna Tournas. Dec. 23: Sponsored by the Men s Guild and by the Greek School students and teachers to wish all parishioners a Merry Christmas. Volunteers needed: We are always looking for new people who are willing to help serve during the weekly coffee hour. If you would like to volunteer to serve, or if you would like to sponsor a coffee hour for any occasion, please call coffee hour coordinator Susan Pappas at , her at smpappas16@yahoo.com or see her any Sunday after the Divine Liturgy. Greek School Christmas program: The Greek School is pleased to announce that Christmas program was a great success on Sunday, Dec. 23, after a postponement due to snow on Dec. 16. It was wonderful seeing how well the youth of our parish have learned our Greek language and songs. Remember it is never too late to sign up for classes and, as always, please keep your eye on the weekly bulletins for updates on Greek School events and programs. (Continued on page 14)

14 PAGE 14 (Continued from page 13) Winter Camps The Metropolis of Boston is preparing for next month s winter camps at the St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center in Contoocook, N.H. The JOY winter camp is scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 8-10, while the GOYA camp will take place the weekend of Feb The GOYA camp will be followed by an optional two-day winter chant camp. If you are interested in attending either of the winter camps, please call or smfhcenter@boston.goarch.org. Hospital/Nursing Home Visits If you or a loved one are not able to come to church to receive Holy Communion and would like a visit, please contact Father Demetri during normal business hours to set up a time. Tuesday Morning Group The Tuesday Morning Ladies Group would like to invite other ladies of the parish to come join them on Tuesdays from about 9:30 a.m. until noon. It s a great place to meet, socialize, enjoy a cup of coffee, bring your ideas for crafts or whatever and enjoy new or old friendships on Tuesday mornings. Newsletter Deadline Transfiguration organizations are asked to submit entries for this newsletter as early in the month as possible and no later than the 15th. If at all possible, please submit your material by to Editor Nick Pappas at npappas05@comcast.net. Entries also can be faxed to the church office at or dropped off in the office during normal business hours. It is important that all church organizations be represented in the Trans-a Gram, so please make an effort to participate. Angelike Tsaknopoulos Katherine Tsaknopoulos Vasilike Tsaknopoulos Vasilios Tsaknopoulos JANUARY TRISAGIA (Continued from Page 3) Steve Xifaris Costas Zymaris Maria Zymaris THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

15 SPONSORSHIP PAGE PAGE 15 Thank you for your support AD SPACE AVAILABLE Contact Editor Nick Pappas Lakeview Ave. Dracut, MA

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