INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net

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1 *0 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Parish News & Events From the Inter-Net Around the World Pg. 2 Pg. 3 Pg. 5 Pg. 6 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO MARCH 2011 VOLUME III ISSUE 3 ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE: March Parish Calendar JOY Spring Retreat Flyer Fr. Nick s Agape Fund Letter THE MISSION OF THE HOLY TRINITY PARISH IS TO SEEK AND ACHIEVE ONENESS WITH GOD IN HIS REVEALED SON, JESUS CHRIST THROUGH DAILY SACRAMENTAL AND SACRIFICIAL LIVING. WE WILL STRIVE FOR THE PEACEFUL AND LOVING UNITY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS IN CHRIST WHICH MAKES US HIS DISCIPLES.

2 Fr. Nick s Net March 2011 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Net is the Monthly Newsletter of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church PARISH INFORMATION PARISH PRIEST: FR. NICHOLAS M. HALKIAS PHONE: (740) HOME: (724) FRNICK@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: MARY ANNE JACOBS OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG PARISH ADDRESS: 300 SOUTH 4 TH STREET P.O. BOX 788 STEUBENVILLE, OH PHONE: (740) FAX: (740) OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG WEB: Holy Trinity Church is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh ( and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ( under the Spiritual Jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( PARISH MINISTRIES PARISH COUNCIL Anthony Mougianis, President Spiro Alexander Vice President Greg Matzorkis Secretary Rikki Kamarados Treasurer John Scavdis Asst. Treasurer Tom Kotsanis Asst. Treasurer Milton Kayafas Greg Matzorkis George Parikakis John Synodinos Maria Terezis Angela Mastros Philoptochos... Mary McElhaney Religious Education... Louise Kronstein Stewardship... George Parikakis GOYA... Rikki Kamarados JOY... Connie Shea/Nicole Zorne HOPE... Angela Mastros / Shanley Demitras Choir... Pete Caleodis Library / Bookstore... Mary Romios Senior Citizens... Angie Kayafas Aghia Markella Society... Marie Kamarados Chian Society... John Synodinos Pan-Icarian Brotherhood... Stacey Kotsanis AHEPA... Nicholas Kotsanis Life is filled with beginnings. Every time a child is born, we have a new beginning. Every time we pick up a book, we have a new beginning. Every time we start a movie, we have a new beginning. Every time we start a new job, or a new project in that job, we have a new beginning. With every beginning that we face there is a wonderful excitement: the excitement of starting a brand new endeavor that will teach us new things. There is also the joy of expanding our horizons to include this new journey, without knowing exactly where it will lead us. But in any beginning there is also the fear of the unknown and the point at which we must commit to this undertaking no matter how tough it maybe. It can even come with disillusionment or disappointment. C.S. Lewis speaks of this in his book The Screwtape Letters: [This disappointment] occurs when the boy who has been enchanted in the nursery by Stories from the Odyssey buckles down to really learning Greek. It occurs when lovers have got married and begin the real task of learning to live together. In every department of life it marks the transition from dreaming aspiration to laborious doing. As we embark on yet another season of Great Lent, we find ourselves in this situation. We are at the start of another wonderful journey: a journey within ourselves. In other words, we have another beginning. But how many Lents have come and gone and we are left empty? How many seasons of the Great fast have passed us by and we haven t completed our journey? How can we avoid this same experience this year? The first thing is to honor this beginning with the same commitment that we honor other endeavors in life. No one begins a movie and then doesn t finish it. Not many people pick up a book without intending to finish it. No one starts a job or project within that job without trying to finish it. So as we begin Lent this year, bear in mind the same commitment that we must make. It isn t a commitment to the church, or to another person. This is a commitment to ourselves. If we begin Lent talking about how we will keep the fast, then make the commitment to ourselves to see it through. If we begin Lent with the intention of praying more, then we must make every effort to see it through. If we begin Lent trying to be more charitable, then it helps our spiritual life to finish it. May our committed and studious finish of this Lent, lead us to more wonderful beginnings in Christ. God Bless You All! 2 The Net March

3 News & Events WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Worship... March 9:00 am Sunday Orthros 9:45 am Sunday School 10:15 am Sunday Divine Liturgy Wednesday Paraklesis Services... March Paraklesis Services will be offered every Wednesday at 6 pm. Services... March These are the services for the month of March. Please check your schedules and plan on attending. Wednesday, March 2 6:00 pm Paraklesis 7:00 pm C.A.F.E.N.I.O. March Saturday, March nd Saturday of the Souls 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Liturgy Sunday, March 6 9:00 am Orthros 9:45 am Sunday School 10:15 am Liturgy Wednesday, March 9 6:00 pm Pre-Sanctified Weirton Friday, March 11 7:00 pm 1 st Salutations - Weirton Saturday, March rd Saturday of the Souls 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Liturgy Sunday, March Sunday of Orthodoxy 9:00 am Orthros 9:45 am Sunday School 10:15 am Liturgy 4:00 pm Pan-Orthodox Vespers - Steubenville Wednesday, March 16 6:00 pm Pre-Sanctified Friday, March 18 6:00 pm 2 nd Salutations Sunday, March 20 9:00 am Orthros 9:45 am Sunday School 10:15 am Liturgy Wednesday, March 23 6:00 pm Pre-Sanctified Friday, March Annunciation 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Liturgy 6:00 pm 3 rd Salutations Sunday, March 27 9:00 am Orthros 9:45 am Sunday School 10:15 am Liturgy 4:00 pm Lenten Vespers St. Nicholas - Barton Wednesday, March 30 6:00 pm Pre-Sanctified ANNOUNCEMENTS Memorial... March March 6 Robert Riley COMMUNITY NEWS FELLOWSHIP HOSTS... March March 6...The family of Michael R. Riley March Choir March Choir March Choir SYMPATHY Our sincere sympathy goes out to the family of Pauline Maragos who passed into eternal life on February 5, May her memory be eternal! FAITH AND FAMILY NIGHT On Friday, March 4, 2011, join us for the Wheeling Nailers hockey game in Wheeling, WV, at 7:35 pm. Brad Paisley Bobbleheads will be given away to the first 2,500 fans. Please reserve a spot today. You can find the forms in the social hall. Be a part of an evening of fun and entertainment. For more information please contact Spiro Alexander at JOY LENTEN RETREAT On Saturday, March 12, 2011, from 12:00 noon until 4:30 pm, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 419 South Dithridge St., Pittsburgh, PA, will host the JOY Lenten Retreat Come and See. There will be activities, worship, learning, games and fun. For more information or for online registration go to Pittsburgh.goarch.org/register. You may also to: youth@odpgh.org. or call The Net / March 2011

4 News & Events 4 The Net March 2011 FESTIVAL NEWS We will be baking for the Festival every Tuesday during the month of March. If any changes, they will be noted in the Weekly Bulletin. On Thursday, March 10 th there will be a Festival Mailing at 6:30 pm in the church. All are invited to attend. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION RELIGIOUS EDUCATION... March There is no scheduled Religious Education meeting for the month of March. C.A.F.E.N.I.O.... March 2 & 16 C.A.F.E.N.I.O. is held on the 1 st and 3 rd Wednesdays of the month at 7:00 pm directly following Paraklesis. C.A.F.E.N.I.O. Our Adult Forum for learning more about the Scriptures, Orthodoxy, and how to be better Christians in our present day. We are using the book Islam Unveiled. SENIOR CITIZENS BREAKFAST BIBLE STUDY... March 14 The Senior Citizen s Breakfast Bible Study meeting is held on the 2 nd Monday of the month at 10:00 am. CHANTING CLASS... March 14 & 28 Chanting classes are held on the 2 nd and 4 th Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in our upstairs fellowship hall and will continue until Holy Week. This class explores our ancient Byzantine hymns and teaches the theory behind its music and theology. GREEK SCHOOL... March 7, 14 & 21 Greek school is scheduled for 5:30 pm every Monday except the last Monday of the month. FAMILY FUN NIGHT... March 28 Family Fun Night is scheduled for Monday, March 28 th at 5:30 pm. Join us for lots of games, fellowship and fun. PARISH GROUPS PHILOPTOCHOS... March 3 The Ladies Philoptochos Society held its monthly meeting on February 3 rd at The Ville Restaurant. The ladies voted on the monthly charity donations for February and March. The February charity donation went to the Jefferson County Fourth Street Health Center. The Jefferson County Fourth Street Health Center is a free medical center for those who have no insurance and low income. The March charity donation went to The Women in Action Against Cancer Coalition. They provide mammograms, ultrasounds, pelvic exams/pap test and colposcopy for women who have no insurance and low income. Other charity donations made were to FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve) Center in Pittsburgh, and the Philoptochos Center of Philanthropy in New York. The ladies have taken on the project of donating supplies to the Jefferson County Fourth Street Health Center on a quarterly basis. We will be collecting items such as envelopes, stamps, colored and white copy paper, office supplies, coffee, coffee creamer, paper towels, paper plates, soup bowl, cups, napkins, plastic ware, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, toilet bowl cleaner, swiffer liquid pads. These items will be collected in the church s Social Room. All are welcome to help with this project. This is another way for us to give back to the community. On February 8 th we held our last Gyro Sale fund raiser until September. It was our best gyro sale yet. The ladies and gentlemen (who we could not do this without them) enjoyed a light lunch after the sale. Thank you to all who supported us especially to Mr. Janoski, of Janoski Farms in Clinton, PA who donated all the tomatoes and onion for our Gyro sales. The ladies have started a kitchen fund with some of our proceeds from the gyro sales. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can do so and also get credit on their church stewardship. The ladies will be baking Easter Bread starting the end of March and the first week of April. Please contact Barbara Lee Maragos at to place your order. We will start taking orders on March 7 th. We are limiting the number of loaves being baked to 475. No orders will be taken after that. We will be selling Koulourakia at $4.50 per dozen. Please place your orders early. The Metropolis Philoptochos will be holding their spring meeting on Saturday, March 19 th at St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in Canton, OH. All members are urged to attend this meeting. Our next monthly meeting will be held on March 3 rd at The Ville Restaurant at noon. We will be ordering from the menu. Please call Gerrie Maragos at if you plan to attend. PARISH COUNCIL...March 8 Parish Council meetings are held the 2 nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the church. AHEPA... March 15 The AHEPA Society holds its monthly meeting the 3 rd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm at the church. CHOIR... March Rehearsals are held weekly when possible and the times vary. Choir members are notified through our Notify Now system. Anyone who would be interested in joining the Choir is welcome to do so. Please contact Pete Caleodis if you are interested. SENIOR CITIZENS... March 31 The Senior Citizens group meetings are held on the last Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm at various locations. Please check the weekly bulletin for the location. JANUARY MONTHLY FINANCIALS January weekly income $3, January weekly expenses $3,

5 PARIKAKIS NAMED NEW HEAD COACH AT BETHANY Former Mary Baldwin College women s soccer coach Peter Parikakis was named the new head women's soccer coach on Feb. 2. According to Tim Weaver, Bethany s Director of Athletics, Parikakis familiarity with Bethany, as well as his extensive coaching background and energy, made him a great fit for the position. We are very happy to have someone with Pete s background and passion for the sport to take over our women s soccer program, said Weaver. Pete has very high personal standards when it comes to ethics and character, which was a top priority in our search. We believe Pete will be able to produce a team that qualifies for the PAC tournament and ultimately turn it into a top program in the PAC and the region. Having played a role in turning around Bethany s men s soccer program and with his experience at other liberal arts colleges, Pete is a very good fit and will be able to recruit the type of quality student-athletes who can succeed on the field and in the classroom at a small college of national distinction like Bethany, said Weaver. This past fall, Parikakis was an assistant for the Bison men s program. He helped Bethany rebound from a two-win campaign in 2009 to 11 victories this past fall, a berth in the PAC Tournament Championship match and a bid to the ECAC Tournament, where the Bison stunned the #1 seed Penn State Behrend in the opening round and reached the semifinals. Receiving the opportunity to take the reins to the women s program fulfills a long-time goal for the Follansbee, W.Va. native. I would like to thank President Miller, Coach Weaver, and Coach (Jan) Forsty for giving me the tremendous opportunity to be the next head women s soccer coach at Bethany College, said Parikakis. I feel that this is a homecoming for me since I am originally from the area. Growing up, Bethany College was the place you went to school if you were a soccer player. And now, being a Bison is a long time dream which has finally come true. I plan to re-establish traditions and expectations here on the women s side and I m very eager to get to work and start writing the next chapter in Bethany Women s Soccer. One area that I would like to see us strengthen is our intensity and our tenacity, said Parikakis. I feel that combining the returners with a solid recruiting class, we will be able to get over the hump and make a push for the playoffs and our goal of From the Inter-Net competing for a PAC Championship. In looking for the right student-athlete to join the Bethany women s soccer program, Parikakis said a player s on-field ability will be considered, as will their willingness to work well with their teammates and set and achieve high goals in the classroom. When recruiting studentathletes, Maggie and I first and foremost look for character, said Parikakis. We obviously look for players that have tremendous ability, but we are also interested in their character. We want student-athletes that are willing to work hard, both on the field and in the classroom, as well as players that are willing to put the team before any individual accolades. I am firm believer in the family concept. As a team comes together, you will respect and fight for that teammate as you would your own family member. I truly want this team to become a family and as such, to have success working together. Parikakis brought a vast amount of coaching experience to Bethany, with his most recent stop before Bethany being a threeyear stint as the head women's coach at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. During his tenure, Mary Baldwin qualified for the USA South Conference postseason tournament in his first season, the program was recognized with the league's Team Sportsmanship Award all three years and four players were recognized with all-conference awards. Before taking over at Mary Baldwin, Parikakis served as a men's and women's assistant for one year at Iowa Central Community College, where he assisted in coaching a total of 10 All- Conference selections and three NJCAA All-Americans between the two programs. Prior to that, while working towards his Masters degree from West Virginia University, Parikakis interned with the Mountaineers' nationally-ranked women's program. His coaching career began as an assistant at his alma mater Waynesburg from A member of the both the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Parikakis has earned three diplomas from the NSCAA, with the most recent being the Advanced National Diploma in He also earned his C License from the USSF in Before taking to the sideline as a coach, Parikakis had a decorated playing career, as he was a four-year starter at center midfielder for Waynesburg. In addition to being a two-time captain, he earned All-PAC recognition as a junior and again as a senior after leading the Yellow Jackets to their first winning season in school history. During his high school career at nearby Brooke, Parikakis was a member of the 1994 Bruins team which finished as the state runner-up. Parikakis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training from Waynesburg in 2001 and earned a Masters of Science in Athletic Coaching from WVU in He is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Bethany. We are so proud of Peter. This article was excerpted from: The Net/ March 2011

6 Around the World PORT AUTHORITY SUED OVER STILL UNBUILT CHURCH NEAR GROUND ZERO By Chris Kokenes, CNN we remain open to meeting with Orthodox Church representatives, but they have thus far refused to meet, choosing to initiate litigation instead." A spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, a plaintiff in the suit along with St. Nicholas, denied that version of events. "They have misappropriated the church," said Father Mark Arey. "The truth is that after our agreement in 2009, the Port Authority cut off negotiations and have not responded to any of our overtures. No one ever called us. Don't they have our phone number?" A lawsuit claims that the owners of the World Trade Center reneged on an agreement for rebuilding a Greek Orthodox church destroyed in the collapse of the twin towers after the attacks of September 11, The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Manhattan, cites "...arrogance, bad faith, and fraudulent conduct" on the part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in an agreement that would have allowed St. Nicholas Church to rebuild at 130 Liberty St., adjacent to the church's original location. The church claims that the Port Authority reneged on paying $20 million in due consideration for their property at 155 Cedar St., where the church building originally stood. The Port Authority said in a written statement that it would not comment on the specifics of pending litigation, but added that the agency worked hard to reach what it described as a very generous agreement with Greek Orthodox Church representatives: "Unfortunately, after eight months of negotiations in which the demands of the Orthodox Church continued to increase over and above what was originally agreed to in 2008, the Port Authority had to make a practical decision to move on or risk further delaying the entire World Trade Center project, which was a completely unacceptable alternative. The Orthodox Church continues to have the right to build a church on their original site, and, as we indicated last December, 6 The Net/ March 2011 The three-story St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, founded in 1916, had a congregation of about 70 families and until its destruction stood in the shadow of the World Trade Center's south tower. The church negotiated with the Port Authority, which oversees construction at the site, and in 2008 both sides tentatively agreed that the church would be rebuilt nearby using tens of millions of dollars in public money. The plan also allowed the authority to move ahead with a vehicle security center as part of the World Trade Center redevelopment. But the authority said the church made extra demands that threatened to delay the construction of the entire site. The authority said it made its final offer in 2009 of up to $60 million and told St. Nicholas that the World Trade Center could not be delayed by the issue. It says the church rejected the offer and walked away. "It's not about money," Arey said. He said the church still retains the deed for the land where the house of worship stood and gave up the land to the Port Authority without any complaints in an effort to be part of the process. "How do we exchange fairly the church property, which included the ground and air rights at ground zero, for another piece of property at 130 Liberty St., which has smaller land specifications and no air rights." said Arey. "We went from a silo to a pancake." "We assumed we agreed that a deal was on the table" Arey said. "St. Nicholas no longer exists, and it needs to be rebuilt for ethical reasons. There are other things that are relevant than just money." Arey also says the discussions have also been complicated by the fact that since 9/11, there have been three state governors and four directors of the Port Authority. The authority previously had said that St. Nicholas has the right to build on its original location and that work could begin in 2013 when the vehicle security center is completed. Arey said church leaders are determined to rebuild St. Nicholas on or near its original location. "What the Port Authority is doing is disingenuous and they should be ashamed of themselves," Arey said. "It does not look good to bully a church." -Taken from:

7 The Net-Minders The Parish of Holy Trinity would like to thank the following benefactors for making this Monthly Newsletter possible: PLACE YOUR NET MINDER LISTING HERE 7 The Net / March 2011

8 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church P.O. Box South Fourth Street Steubenville, OH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE P A I D STEUBENVILLE, OH PERMIT NO. 83 Submissions for THE NET are to be submitted by the 20 th of each month About the Icon on the Cover SAINT PATRICK, THE ENLIGHTENER OF IRELAND Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and a grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, "After I came to Ireland - every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed - the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm." After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life at Auxerre in Gaul, under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, "my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord - so many thousands of people," he says in his Confession. His apostolic work was not accomplished without much "weariness and painfulness," long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner. -Taken from: