HERALD. Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral MAY May Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Transcription

1 Page Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral HERALD MAY 2014 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF GREEK ORTHODOXY IN LOS ANGELES INSIDE THIS ISSUE Dean s Message 2 President s Message 3 Philoptohos News 4 Stewardship 5 Philanthropia News 7 Philoptohos VIP 7 Ministries List 8 Sacraments/ Memorials 9 Youth News 10 Community News 11 Feast Day Article 14 Orthodox Calendar 15 Make a Difference in the Restoration Work of Agios Nikolaos Trikambanos Page 6 Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Dean Rev. Fr. Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest 1324 S. Normandie Avenue Los Angeles, CA Tel Fax Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia, Andreas Ritzos, 15th Century, 71 x 47.5 cm. The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo Holy Ascension, May 29

2 Page 2 DEAN S MESSAGE The Joyful Game of Gifts Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! A second grade teacher, offering her class a lesson on magnetism, showed the kids how you could use a magnet to pick up a box of scattered thumbtacks. The next day she gave a quiz that asked the kids to solve this little riddle: My full name has six letters. The first letter is M, I am attractive and I pick up things. What am I? When the papers all came in the teacher was astonished to find that just one day after the lesson almost half of the class answered the riddle with the word, "Mother". This month, we celebrate Mother s Day and we especially look to our Mother, the Theotokos, as the ultimate example of one who offers and serves as a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Like all great mothers, she inspires us and teaches us through her example of offering her life for God's purpose. We look to her, standing in the apse of our cathedral, with her arms outstretched over the altar. You can almost hear her telling us to pay close attention to the Eucharistic exchange between God and man that takes place in our Divine Liturgy. She whispers, Pay close attention to the priest as he lifts the bread and the wine and prays to the Lord, 'We offer to You these gifts from Your own gifts in all and for all.'" These words encapsulate the beautiful conversation between God and His people, a sort of "game of gifts". If we learn to pay attention to and learn from the teachings and example of our Mother, the Theotokos, as she stands with her arms outstretched over the altar, what an attractive witness of God s love we will be to the people around us! The game begins with God who offers us the gifts of wheat and grapes. We take these gifts of wheat and grapes, reform them into gifts of bread and wine, and then we offer back to Him in praise and thanksgiving at the altar. In the third offering, God takes our gifts of bread and wine and transforms them into the Body and Blood of His Son, which He offers them to us as Holy Communion. Through the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit, we experience this miracle each time we participate in the Eucharist. Finally, as we carry the Lord's Body and Blood inside of us we are called to share this experience of God to the world around us. He calls us to offer our gifts, talents, grace and treasure to those and need and to His Church. Remember all your mother has provided for you, and know too that the Church is also our mother; constantly offering love and direction to Her children. Let us joyfully participate in God s continuing ministry of love, gratitude, and offering! In Christ, V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Dean

3 Page 3 PARISH COUNCIL MESSAGE A letter of Gratitude Christos Anesti! The Parish Council and I extend our heartfelt thanks to all of our Saint Sophia staff, volunteers and parishioners who attended and participated throughout Lent and our beautiful Holy Week services. Father John and Father Allan faithfully (and reverently) helped guide all of us through the preparations for this spiritual journey of repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, prayer, fasting, giving and study. Through their love and guidance, they helped us to experience the deliverance from death to life of the resurrected Christ. The joy of Easter cannot be complete without reliving the events that lead to it. Father John and Father Allan helped us, the faithful, to be resurrected and to come closer to becoming like God (theosis). We extend our thanks to Jimmy Karatsikis and his volunteers for each day s preparations and maintenance of our Cathedral, to Jim Kollias (choir director), Chris Yokas (organist), choir members, Dimitris Liogris (Protopsaltis) and Michael Kontaxis (Assistant Psaltis) for our uplifting and melodic hymns and chants, to all the ladies of Philoptohos for their help with the preparation of the red eggs (kokkina avga) (thanks Mary Kezios and friends) and the preparation of the delicious galaktoboureko (thanks Mary Gallanis and crew), to our Parish Council and Trustees for assisting within the Church for collections and for helping with the organization of the fantastic Easter Picnic (special thanks to Ted Pappas, volunteers and sponsors), for our ushers (hooray to Diane Lapa and the Begakis family for their assistance with our special guests), our very sweet and wonderful myrrh-bearers and families, our ladies who decorated the Epitafio (symbolizing Jesus tomb) with the fragrant flowers and rose water, to our volunteers working both in and outside of the Narthex selling candles and wishing everyone a Happy Pascha, to the honored men who carried our beautiful Epitafio in and around the Cathedral, to our entire Saint Sophia staff members and friends (Helen Ellis, Noah Johnson, Jessica Benitez, custodians Marcial Cerna, Oscar Castro, Mauricio Mira and Miguel Rosales, and our weekly volunteers who serve in the front office, and to all of our parishioners and friends who witnessed the resurrection of Christ (Alithos Anesti). I m sure I missed thanking someone so please accept THANK YOU from all of us for a job well done! Recently I woke up from a sound sleep and experienced extreme pain. I had never felt this badly (I ve passed four kidney stones previously) and after two hours of not being able to control the pain, I woke my wife and told her that I needed her to drive me to the hospital. After experiencing the tedious paperwork and questions to be admitted into the emergency room, I continued to experience unbelievable pain. Of course, with medication and lots of shots, a few hours later, I was admitted into the hospital. I won t subject you to my experiences of going through series of x-rays, scans and drinking lots of barium, the doctors determined that I had a bowel obstruction and was in need of surgery. After some hours of surgery, I was returned to my room with lots of staples in my stomach and minus some few centimeters of bowel. I share this story with you to explain how I was spiritually uplifted during my recovery by the entire Saint Sophia Family. Loving friends including Father John Bakas (who visited me and prayed for my health, well-being and spiritual uplifting), Dr. Collin Cooper (my caring and faithful primary doctor), my wife, Virginia and children Christopher, Alexis and Kellie (who kept me going and easing my discomfort with their love and personal care), John Kopatsis (our Parish Council Vice President) who always shared his friendship and kindness, the many telephone calls, get well cards, prayers and flowers (thank you Toula Kalatzis and son, Aris). I deeply appreciated and loved the words/prayers sent from the Saint Sophia family, parishioners and friends. I also want to thank my special visitors who gave me encouragement and fellowship (including my Godson, Evan Boukidis, Koumbara, Jeanne Boukidis and Vilma Chanin). All of the caring and heartfelt words reinforced what an honor it is to have all of you as my friends and how the Saint Sophia Community continues to come together for the benefit of a fellow parishioner. You were all definitely the best medicine for a person in need and I thank you for allowing me the privilege of being the President of the Community. Good health and happiness to you and your family. Yours in Christ, Brent A. Noyes, Parish Council President

4 Page 4 PHILOPTOHOS NEWS This is our big thank you letter! What a beautiful experience we had on our journey to Easter! There are so many people to thank for the amazing Holy Week services. Our wonderful priests Father John Bakas and Father Allan Boyd go above and beyond to serve, long, exhausting hours with the results being absolutely gorgeous, spiritual and moving services! Our chanters Dimitri and Michael - Jimmy Karatsikis - our custodial staff - the Parish Council members - John Kopatsis - the office staff, Noah and Helen, and volunteers - all worked many hard hours to make sure that our Cathedral and our services were well planned and beautiful. To Jim Kollias, Chris Yokas and the choir - we must say that you were absolutely wonderful! When you sing, it is like listening to heaven on Earth. Thank you to everyone! We sincerely wish to thank everyone who worked so hard for the Easter picnic by baking and working in the pastry booth. It would not be possible to keep up with the all of this work unless we had all of you helping us! Special thank you s to Mary Kezios and her ladies for dying the red eggs for Anastasi; to Mary Gallanis for chairing the galatabouriko baking; Pauline Evangelatos for putting together a group to wrap the eggs in the netting for the Resurrection service and to Helene Ballas for handling the Easter plants for the shutins. Thank you to Ourania Giagtzoglou for the koulourakia she made for the Easter picnic! We d also like to thank Eleni Yokas for making lovely special palm crosses for our shut-ins that we placed with their plants. We hope we don t overlook anyone but please know that we appreciate everyone who came to help Philoptohos. Our next meeting will be Sunday, May 18th after liturgy in the upstairs meeting room of the Huffington Center. Georgia and Dean Ananias and their daughters will speak about their experience on the Costa Concordia ship and how they are pushing for better emergency procedures in the face of a disaster. Please come and hear this very informative presentation. We all need to know what to do in an emergency. Certainly we would like to think it will never happen - but after watching the news this last month, we know that anything is possible. Lunch will be available. We hope to see you there! Your donations to the Domestic Violence Agency and to our shoe luncheon for Dr. Nick Stefanidis s outreach work, were truly generous and heartwarming. For these people who need some encouragement, hope and cheer, your donations go a long way to show them that they are cared about and loved. Philoptohos brings hope to many people who feel they have no chance for a better life and your donations have shown that people do care. THANK YOU. Reaching out to those who are suffering and need help is what Philoptohos is all about and why we work so hard to raise funds. Our outreach program is still large and we could still use some help if you wish to donate a gift card to Target, Trader Joe s, Wal-Mart - anything would be greatly appreciated. We have a number of people who are sick and others who are unemployed. We continue to send gift cards to these people so that they may purchase food and other essentials. Philoptohos has also helped with a number of burial expenses in the past year, and our outreach funds help us with those costs. You can be an angel to someone by being an angel to Philoptohos. The Mission Statement of Philoptohos To aid the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, the handicapped, the victims of disasters, to undertake the burial of impoverished persons and to offer assistance to anyone who may need the help of the church through fund raising efforts this is what we do and this is why we put on fundraisers throughout the years. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me. (John 12:8) With love in Christ s service, Virginia Noyes and the Philoptohos Board of Directors

5 Page 5 Believe and Belong through Christian Stewardship $8,000 To $9,999 Caras, Joan & Chris W.* $6,000 To $7,999 Holcomb, Mr. & Mrs. James $4,000 To $5,999 Evangelatos, Dr. & Mrs. Dennis* Warner, Mr. Michael $2,000 To $3,999 Evangelatos, Mr. & Mrs. Andrew* Pappas, Mr. & Mrs. John* Zarocostas, Mr. Peter Anonymous (1) $1,000 To $1,999 Begakis, Mr. & Mrs. Niko Camaras, Mr. & Mrs. Tykye Garrity, Mr. Thomas & Baek, Ms. Eunice STEWARDSHIP FAMILIES MARCH 2014 Gialketsis, Mrs. Lola* Greitzer, Mr. & Mrs. Steven Kallis, Mr. Larry Lee, Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Lianos, Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Manolelis, Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Moore, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Patzakis Prappas, Ms. Michele Travlos, Mr. & Mrs. Sam Waldron, Mr. William & Stone, Ms. Deborah Anonymous (1) $650 To $999 Kezios, Mr. & Mrs. Nick Panagiotopoulos, Mr. & Mrs. Mario Selimos, Mrs. Mary* Stumpus, Mrs. Elizabeth Woloschinowisch, Mrs. Mary Anonymous (3) * Life Members Endowment Fund +Blessed Memory Attention Sunday School Families! You have special seating reserved for you right up front in the Cathedral every Sunday: The first two pews on the left side. Do take advantage of this beautiful view of the Divine Liturgy. Your children will likely be more engaged in the service through increased visibility. Joy of Parenting Classes in the Huffington Center. Join your fellow parishioners in a lively discussion of parenting children of all ages: from toddlers to teens and beyond. Classes are held in the Work/Study Room in the Huffington Center, upstairs near the left-hand side staircase, immediately following Holy Communion and concluding at 12:15. Come with your concerns and questions or just listen; there is no pressure to speak to the class. It's a wonderful way to get acquainted with other parents. There is no fee to attend. The Joy of Parenting Ministry is facilitated by Barbara Kappos, LCSW and Nikolaos Stefanidis, Ph.D. Upcoming classes: May 4, "Age-Appropriate Chores," May 11, "Sibling Rivalries," May 18, "Empty Nest Syndrome." Bible Study with Father John. Increase your knowledge about our faith at our weekly Bible study class. You'll have a chance to ask Fr. John questions and engage in interesting discussions with your fellow parishioners. Don't miss this ANNOUNCEMENTS OTHER Angels. Mrs. Bertha Aronis, Mr. & Mrs. Vas Arvanitis, Mr. & Mrs. Komnas Bozonelis, Ms. Lia Coroneus, Mrs. Thalia Costalupes, Mr. & Mrs. Kim Eagar, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Erwin, Mrs. Catherine Jankosky, Mr. & Mrs. Joe Melko, Ms. Eugenia Miller, Ms. Stephanie & Jones, Mr. Aaron Price, Mr. & Mrs. Ben Psaltiras, Mr. & Mrs. Eftychios Staikos, Mr. Alexandros Varentges, Ms. Kalli Webster, Mr. & Mrs. John wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth: Women's Bible Study, Mondays, 11:00 a.m. to Noon, in the Chapel and Men's Bible Study, Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. to Noon, in the Cathedral. Attention Middle & High School Students! The first Sunday of each month has been officially named Youth Sunday. In addition to a Sunday School student reading the Epistle, the Parish Council of Saint Sophia Cathedral invites middle and high school students to volunteer in the Narthex during Divine Liturgy. You'll be paired with a seasoned Parish Council member to train you. If you'd like to volunteer in the Narthex and/or pass the baskets, please sign up by contacting L.A.GreekChurchLady@gmail.com. Send your name, phone number, age and what day you'd like to volunteer. Please arrive at church at 9:45 a.m. so you may be trained.

6 Page 6 Kastania, Messenian Mani Kastania, located at the crossroads of Messenia and Lakonia, is a village that has retained its distinctive Byzantine character. Once the fifth largest settlement in the Mani, Kastania is first mentioned in a Venetian legal decision of 1278 as Castagnia (from κάστανα, chestnuts). Connected to Byzantine Mystras by overland routes, the village is home to numerous medieval churches, including St. Peter, St. John the Baptist, St. Nicholas Maroulainas, and St. Nicholas Trikambanos. These exquisite structures exhibit the high quality monumental painting that is characteristic of the late Byzantine period in the Peloponnese, as well as eleventh-century marble reliefs carved by Niketas, a well known ecclesiastical sculptor in the Mani. Architectural remains in Kastania like the Dourakis Pyrgos, the fortified tower of a local clan ruler, testify to Greece s years under Ottoman rule. Famously, the village served as a place of refuge for Theodoros Kolokotrones, O Geros tou Morea ( The elder of the Morea ) and a hero of the Greek War of Independence. Kastania s neighborhoods, defined by narrow streets lined with stone homes, transport modern-day visitors to a medieval village of grand significance. Kastania was recognized in 1965 and 2002 as a historical landmark. Saint Nicholas Trikambanos Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos Trikambanos) is built against the sloping hills that frame Kastania. Constructed in a cruciform shape, the chapel is decorated with wall paintings of the fifteenth century. Although the images on the church interior are badly damaged, the painter s virtuosity is revealed in faces and figures that can still be discerned under centuries of smoke and salt accretions. Images of Saint Nicholas a stunning portrait of the enthroned bishop and a scene from his Life reveal the church s dedication and highlight the local popularity of this episcopal figure. Framed saints, imitating portable icons, decorate the upper registers of the walls. Surrounding the faithful are tender portraits of archangels, military saints, and female saints. The style of the painting is linked to Mystras, the most important artistic center in the late Byzantine Peloponnese and the seat of the Despotate. You can make a Difference Restoration work at Saint Nicholas Trikambanos will be undertaken by the 26th Directorate of Byzantine Antiquities (Kalamata, Messenia) with the support of the community of Saint Sophia Cathedral, Los Angeles, and with encouragement of Father John Bakas, Dean of the Cathedral. Work will include architectural restoration of the building and cleaning and consolidation of the wall paintings. With the help of the Los Angeles community, this important chapel will be restored to its 15th-century splendor. Checks supporting the restoration of Saint Nicholas Trikambanos can be made out to: Saint Sophia Cathedral - Byzantine Church Restoration Project

7 Page 7 PHILANTHROPIA NEWS PHILOPTOHOS VIP Χριστός ἀνέστη! Christ Is Risen! We hope all of you experienced a meaningful and joyful Lent and Holy Week. Get on the Bus: This program was introduced to us by Sister Catherine Marie, a chaplain at the women s jail. With your generous support, we reached our goal of $1,500 to sponsor a bus in 2013 that scheduled visits of hundreds of children who boarded buses to travel from cities all over the State of California to be united with their incarcerated moms and/or dads, on Mothers Day and Fathers Day respectively. Please give generously again this year so that we may reach our goal of $1,500 for Donations may be sent to the PHILANTHROPIA office at 6357 Crebs Avenue, Tarzana, CA We will keep you posted as the day approaches. Thank you and God Bless! City of Hope: The 2014 Pediatric Celebration of Life which recognizes all the children that have succumbed from cancer will be held this year on Wednesday, November 12th at the City of Hope Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, 1500 E. Duarte Road, Duarte, CA Tel: (626) We sponsor the service and booklet for this memorial. Thank you again for your contribution Used Clothing and Canned Goods: Thank you for all the generous donation of used clothing during the Lenten season and beyond. This is a year-long project, so please continue your donations as there are still many people we need to reach. Please label all clothing donations on the outside of the bags by indicating whether they are for men, women or children. The two new receptacles for "used clothing" and "canned goods" are working great. They are located side by side, in the general area of the nursery. Thank you! The Wall-Las Memorias Project: We continue to support Richard Zaldivar, Executive Director, in their quest to achieve the same goals we have for continued AIDS education, awareness and prevention. Street Outreach: Dr. Nikos Stefanidis, Ph.D. a Staff Psychologist at Children s Hospital, L.A., is the Clinical Director of this High Risk Program. Your continued help will assure that these children are cared for year round by purchasing new items such as the following: T-Shirts (M-L); Boxers (M-L); White Socks; Blankets; Sleeping Bags; Sweatshirts; Snacks; Water/Juices; Bus Tokens; Sneakers; Hygiene Items (Travel Size); Tooth Brushes & Toothpaste; Shampoo; Deodorant; Sun Screen -- be sure to label them Senior Citizen of the Year Luncheon: We are happy to announce that on Thursday, May 22, 2014, we will honor Stella Morris as our VIP Philoptohos Senior Citizen of the Year Plan to attend this special day honoring Stella who devoted her life to the Church and is a long-time member of the VIP s. A very special luncheon and program have been planned to take place in the Huffington Center/Maniatakos Fellowship Hall at 11:30 AM for a donation of $25. The event chair is Mersy Loukaris. For reservations please call Mersy at (323) or Vivi Demopoulos at (310) Make your check payable to Philoptohos VIP and send it to Vivi Demopoulos, 7485 McConnell Ave. Los Angeles CA Reservations are required in order to make plans with the caterer. We will be visiting the beautiful Getty Villa in Malibu to see the Heaven and Earth-Art of Byzantium exhibition from Greece. J. Paul Getty has been collaborating with the Benaki Museum in Athens and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Since we Greeks love our Greek Heritage this is one event you will not want to miss. There will be artifacts such as icons, mosaics, frescoes, jewelry, sculptures etc. here only for a few months. Mark the date Thursday, June 26, Please be at the Church by 9:15 A.M. as the bus will depart from the Church at 9:30 A.M. sharp and return to the Church by 3:00 P.M. The cost is $30.00 which includes the bus, museum and lunch. Coogie's in Santa Monica will offer 3 choices: Angel Hair Pasta, Hamburger or Turkey sandwich. Chairman for the trip is Petsa Schwartz (310) Call Co-Chairperson Vickie Deryiades at (310) to reserve your place. Make checks payable to Philoptohos VIP and mail to Vickie Deryiades, 3250 Military Avenue, Los Angeles In His Service, Athina Lolonis, VIP President for Dr. Nikos Stefanidis and leave them by the clothing bins. We will make sure that he picks them up. Thank you. Philanthropia Website: The Winter issue of the PHILANTHROPIA Newsletter that was mailed recently, will be on the website shortly at: We thank Perry Lambert who is coordinating our website. (Note: We will be preparing a Spring-Summer combined issue of the newsletter again this year while Presbytera fully recovers from her hospitalization earlier this year. Thank you for your understanding.) God bless you! Father Peter

8 Page 8 MINISTRIES Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan (Gabriel) Boyd Jim Kollias, Choir Director Dimitris Liogris, Protopsaltis Michael Kontaxis, Assistant Psaltis Christopher Yokas, Organist James Karatsikis, Sexton FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Officers George E. Preonas, President Andrew Evangelatos, Executive Vice President Dr. James A. Demetriou, Vice President & C.F.O. Constantine M. Boukidis, Secretary Tina Callas, Treasurer Members V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas Nicholas Bissias Timi Loomos Freshman Alek Haidos Steve Hanna Michael Huffington Gig Kyriacou Brent Noyes John T. Pappas Jim Zaferis Presidential Appointments Anthony A. Demetriou, Presidential Assistant John G. Marakas III, Sr. Advisor to the Board Andrew J. Demetriou, Foundation General Counsel PARISH COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Officers Brent Noyes, President John Kopatsis, Vice President Irene Andreadis, Recording Secretary Karen Sarames, Corresponding Secretary Michael Kraios, Treasurer & C.F.O. Members Bertha Angels Eleni Constantine Manolelis Jeanine Hanna Glenn Lianos Loula Moschonas Peter Pallas Dean Peratsakis Dorothy Spirus Tom Ward Anna Yallourakis Auditing Committee James Ananias Anthony Demetriou Tom Moore PHILOPTOHOS SOCIETY Executive Officers Virginia Noyes, President Helene Ballas, 1st Vice President Marianna Politis, 2nd Vice President Mary Gallanis, Recording Secretary Lola Gialketsis, Corresponding Secretary Scarlett Billis, Treasurer Dina Oldknow, Advisor Honorary Life Members Jennie Doumak Members Christine Peratis Allison Stavaridis Frances Bissias Judith Christopoulos Pauline Evangelatos Olga Jordan Tricia Kremer Coni Manders Sophie Mastor Jan Pastras Christina Peratsakis Mary Tassop Jayne Poullos Sonia Stathes Maria Toczek OFFICE STAFF Helen Ellis, Office Administrator Jessica Benitez, Admin. Assist. Noah Johnson, Sacraments and Events CUSTODIAL STAFF Marcial Cerna Oscar Castro Mauricio Mira Miguel Rosales ALTAR BOYS Chris Halekakis BASKETBALL Gig Kyriacou & Paul Cooper BIBLE STUDY Very Rev. Father John Bakas Rev. Father Allan Boyd BOOK STORE William Striglos CAMP ZOE Very Rev. Father John Bakas CHILD CARE Kathy & Marsha Zagorianos CHOIR Jim Kollias COFFEE HOUR Ann Pappas Georgia Vasila DOCENTS Faye Demetriou EASTER PICNIC Ted Pappas GREEK DANCE GROUPS Barbara Kappos GREEKS in HOLLYWOOD Dina Demetrius HELLENIC ACADEMY Andri Christodoulidou HOSPITALITY Niki Korbakis Maria Pelargos L.A. GREEK FEST John Boudouvas and Eleni Constantine Manolellis MR. & MRS. CLUB Dean & Christine Peratsakis ODOS The Way Helen Lambros PARENTING Nick Stefanidis Barbara Kappos PHILANTHROPIA Rev. Father Peter Lambert PHILOPTOHOS V.I.P. Athina Lolonis, President SAINT SOPHIA CAMP Melanie O Regan Jack Stumpus (Golf Event) Tony Mastor (Tennis Event) Mary-Kay Demetriou (Tennis Event) SUNDAY SCHOOL Eleni Yokas YOUTH Rev. Father Allan Boyd

9 Page 9 SACRAMENTS AND MEMORIALS May 2 May 3 May 18 May 24 May 3 May 17 May 24 May 24 May 31 WEDDINGS Karla Overpeck and John Balanos Sponsor: Theodoros Vlantis Eleni Lotakis and Eloy Flores Sponsor: Elizabeth Zoulis Roxanna Araks Teroganseyan and Michael Nehme Cynthia Garcia-Silva and Andreas Zinelis Sponsor: Kirakos Cosmas BAPTISMS Oliva Grace Fleming Daughter of Theodore and Athena Fleming Sponsor: Dana Manpearl Anastasia Irini Eleni Kouros Daughter of Philip and Irene Kouros Sponsor: Anastasia Pinson Karen Maxwell Daughter of Scott and Barbara Maxwell Sponsor: Tina Zarifes Mary Alexia Aronis Daughter of Athan and Anna Aronis Sponsor: Patricia Aronis Sophia Padron Daughter of Joshua and Theodora Padron Sponsor: Illiana Solis John Boudouvas Jr. Son of John and Katia Boudouvas Sponsor: Andrea Bakas MEMORIALS May 4 May 11 Elpida Peters - 40 days Christina Athans Hartley - 40 days Megalene Caiopoulos Christos (Doumakes) Dumas Persephone Caiopoulos Diamontopoulos Aleck Edwards, II Ero Cosfol- 40 days Vasilios S. Lambros - 3 years Dimitrios Panayi Bill Karnezi Helen Panayi Ioan Covaci- 4 years Gregory George - 1 year Stan Elena Hristu Artimon Evdochia Gheorghe Sofia Octavian Mihai Varvara Ion Maria Teodosia Dorin Maria Caliopi Peter C. Latsis - 33 years Stella Kontes - 5 years Ioannis Gregoriou - 11 years Andreas Gregoriou - 13 years Dorothy Litchfield Caleroi Boukidis - 20 years May 18 Stella Kontes - 5 years May 25 George Kalivas Georg Fenady (Fanoudas) 6 years Shannon Fenady (Fanoudas) 6 years Andreas Fanoudas - 55 years Evgenia Fanoudas - 70 years Marika Fenady (Fanoudas) - 35 years John Fenady (Fanoudas) - 59 years George Matthews - 69 years Panagiota Matthews -18 years Basili Matthews - 19 years Dimitrios Matthews 7 years Basiliki Krystales - 92 years Moskos Krystales 66 years Gabriel Krystales 50 years Basili Krystales - 72 years George Pappas 52 years Elizabeth Pappas 51 years Stephen Demos - 34 years Joseph A. George - 40 days May 4 May 11 May 18 May 25 EPISTLE READERS George Camperos Jeanine Hanna Michael Kraios Eleni Romm

10 Page 10 YOUTH NEWS Youth Program Contacts ALTAR BOYS Chris Halekakis BASKETBALL Paul Cooper CAMP ZOE Fr. John Bakas GREEK DANCE Barbara Kappos May Activities HELLENIC ACADEMY Andri Christodoulidou ODOS The Way Orthodox Development of Spirituality Helen Lambros SAINT SOPHIA CAMP Melanie O Regan mell0n@aol.com saintsophiacamp.org SUNDAY SCHOOL Eleni Yokas eyokas@college.usc.edu SAINT SOPHIA PHILOPTOHOS SOCIETY MOTHER S DAY LUNCHEON AND FASHION SHOW Mothers are Angels on Earth HONORING THE 2014 MOTHER OF THE YEAR Joan Tsioutsias Anast SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014 RECEPTION 11:00 O CLOCK LUNCHEON 12:00 O CLOCK SHERATON UNIVERSAL HOTEL, UNIVERSAL CITY RESERVATIONS: MARY GALLANIS Sunday School Sunday, May 4 Regular Schedule -presale for tickets to End of year Celebration. Sunday, May 11 Regular Schedule - Mother s Day. Sunday, May 18 Godparent s Sunday - Special Schedule. Meet in General Assembly Room following Holy Communion. Sunday, May 25 Memorial Weekend Holiday. Hellenic Academy Saturday, May 3 Regular Schedule Saturday, May 10 Regular Schedule Saturday, May 17 Regular Schedule Saturday, May 24 Memorial Weekend Holiday Saturday, May 31 Regular Schedule We look forward to seeing you there! Please RSVP by May 3 rd The Art of the Greek Dance Come and learn all the dances you need to know for festivals, weddings and other Greek events. Ramsey will teach pan-hellenic dances as well as specialized regional traditional dances (Παραδοσιακα). Bring your dance shoes and we will see you there. WHEN: Saturdays, April 26 to June 28 WHERE: Huffington Center TIME: 10:00 am 11:45 am FEE: $140 First Time / $120 Returning INSTRUCTOR: Ramsay Seikaly ramdonseik@hotmail.com CONTACT NUMBER: (818)

11 Page 11 This year's Holy Friday Retreat was one of the greatest blessings ever. Saint Sophia kids look forward each year to participating in the storytelling session, where Fr. Allan opens up eggs with objects inside that help the kids remember how to tell the Easter story. Some of our kids are very good at telling this story, interested in every detail. As you can see from the photos, they were quite engaged in making sure that we recounted every detail. There was a lesson in making Prosphoro (the sealed bread that is offered by our parish members to be used in the Eucharistic service). The kids also got to do one of their favorite Holy Friday activities, make Resurrection Rolls. It's another fun way to teach kids about the Easter Story...and tasty! COMMUNITY NEWS The highlight of the Holy Friday Retreat, however is the Food Drive, where we ask families to bring sacks full of requested items to help fill our neighborhood food bank at St. Thomas. Due to the enthusiastic response from Saint Sophia members, we surpassed the amount collected last year. This year we filled the back of a pickup truck to overflowing with much needed groceries, plus, we filled an SUV to boot. This is just one of the many ways we at Saint Sophia participate in the direction that Christ gave us when He said, "Whatever you have done for the least of these [those who struggle and suffer] you have done for Me." Thank you for seeing our Lord's face in the face of our struggling neighbors and for responding so enthusiastically to Him. Thank you for teaching our kids how to be disciples of Christ, by serving Him in this way. Saint Sophia Cathedral was represented at last month's District Level Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, held at Saints Constantine and Helen Church in Cardiff-by-the- Sea. Sophia Spirus, (left) Senior Division, received Honorable Mention and Stephanie Katherine Yallourakis, Junior Division, was awarded Third Place. This year we were privileged to use UCLA s Byzantine Gospel Book for our Resurrection Services. UCLA Library Special Collections Director Tom Hyry and Lucinda Newsome brought the rare illuminated manuscript to the Cathedral in its custom box. The manuscript of the New Testament in Greek consists of 240 parchment leaves containing text in a single column, 33 lines per page, in brown, red and purple ink. At least four different scribes have been identified, including a monk Ioannikios of Saint Katherine s Monastery in Sinai, who copied the Gospels, Acts, and Pauline Epistles of Saint Paul, as well as the preface to Acts; a scribe who turned the codex into lectionary, adding synaxarium and menologion for Gospels and Acts, new chapter titles, and indications for beginning and end of readings; a third scribe who wrote psalms; and a fourth scribe who wrote missing hexameter poems celebrating Luke and John. Miniatures: portraits of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John at the beginning of each Gospel; each Evangelist sits by his desk beneath a triangular pediment supported by two columns, richly colored in gold, red, blue, purple and green; Matthew and Luke copy from a book supported by a fish; Mark copies from a scroll; and John writes as the Gospel is dictated to him by the voice of God, indicated by a hand emerging from a cloud above.

12 Page 12 COMMUNITY NEWS We thank all the ladies who worked hard in dyeing dozens of eggs for our Easter events: Mary Kezios, Sophia Kapogiannis, Doraly Spiropoulos, Petsa Schwartz. We thank all the ladies who worked hard to provide us with beautiful Easter eggs this year: Pauline M. Evangelatos, Sonia Stathes, Helene Ballas, Helen Evangelatos, Dina Nichols, Jayne Poullos, Anne Dres, Athena Peterson, Mary Tassop, Dorothea Ales, Lola Gialketsis, and Voula Siafaris. We thank the ladies and the gentleman for the preparation of galaktoboureko on Saturday, Apr. 19, 2014, Chairperson - Mary Gallanis, Steve Billis, Hellene Ballas, Judith Christopoulos, Helen Evangelatos, Dina Nichols, Jayne Poulos We wish to recognize and thank the ten young ladies of our community who represented the myrrh-bearing women at the Services of the Epitafios on the evening of Good Friday. They are Katrina Billis, Sophia Boghosian, Zoe Franco, Maria Georgopoulos, Stella Helm, Maria Ifigenia Oxyzolou, Anastasia Papadeas, Adriana Pitsos, Fotene Romans and Athena Stamus. The white floral wreaths and decorated baskets for the Myrrhbearers were offered by Jayne Poullos, in loving memory of the Very Reverand George J. Venetos. Jayne Poullos contributed toward the priests Resurrection lambades in loving memory of her family. Christos Anesti! It was a beautiful day at Brookside Park in Pasadena on Easter Sunday. The park was filled with more than 2000 people who came to celebrate Christ s Resurrection with family and friends, and everyone had a great time. We are all very fortunate that more than 90 years ago this great tradition was started by the first Greek Orthodox Parish in Los Angeles and by all accounts, it is the only event of its type in the United States. Those in attendance were from all over Southern California and perhaps you met some of our visitors from as far away as Greece, Australia, Florida and New York. And yes it's true, the Easter Bunny was Greek Dancing! On behalf of my picnic committee, Stephanie and Dan Lubian, Tony Dres, Dean Treantafelles and Toula Kalatzis, I extend my sincere thank you to all the volunteers who contributed to making our Easter Picnic a successful event. We also thank everyone who supported the picnic with generous financial and product donations. In addition, we could not have accomplished this without the assistance from the St. Sophia Foundation, the wonderful ladies of Philoptohos, Pegasus Foods, and the St. Sophia Parish Council. Lastly, as picnic chairman, I send a special thank you to John Kopatsis, Tina Callas, and Tino Boukidis. I consider everyone mentioned here our Easter Angels. Because this event is held in a public park, our expenses are in excess of $35,000. Even though the picnic is an Easter tradition and not a fund raiser, we are fortunate to always cover our expenses plus a little extra which goes back to the Foundation. However, without the donations and volunteers, we could not afford to make this event possible. We look forward to seeing you again next year on Orthodox Easter Sunday, April 12, Ted J. Pappas, Easter Picnic Chairman Saint Sophia Easter Picnic 2014 Our sincere thank you to all the picnic Needs List donors whose generosity helped to alleviate our financial burden: Anonymous Donors James & Angela Ananias Choice Foods/John Fovos Helen and Tony Demetriou Eugenia Drakos Bill and Anne Dres Raymond and Faye Fouad Nicholas Halikis InkEdibles/Maria Ibrahimzade & Dimitris Constantinou James & Carolyn Kolokotrones Helen & Eleni Lambros Fay Efrosini Lellios Mersy Loukaris Anastasia Maniskis Alexandros Nicolaitis Bill and Virgie Papalexis John and Bess Pappas Ted Pappas Michael and Susan Patzakis Pegasus Foods - Jim Zaferis and Van Ambatielos Philoptohos George & Aileen Preonas Diane Pruett Mary Lynn and John Rallis Elizabeth Stumpus and family Ariadne Toczek Maria Toczek Jim Tsarpalas Angelo Vidalis and family Zeli Coffee/Elaine and Diane Bissias Tashi Zouras

13 Page 13 COMMUNITY NEWS - Easter Flower Donations Palm Sunday Icon Mr. & Mrs. Bill Papalexis Mrs. Electra Koutsoukos Holy Thursday-Large Wreath Mr. & Mrs. Andreas Gallanis Holy Thursday-Small Wreath Mr. & Mrs. George Varentges Holy Thursday-Holy Crucifixtion Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Evangelatos Holy Thursday - Arrangement at the Base of the Cross Mr. & Mrs. John Romm Holy Thursday-2 Large Arrangements Mr. & Mrs. Donald Lapa Holy Friday-Extreme Humility Icon and Altar Candles Dr. & Mrs. Jan Duncan Holy Friday-Both Sides Solea Candles Mr. & Mrs. John T. Pappas Holy Saturday-Resurrection Banner Mr. & Mrs. Harry Siafaris Holy Saturday-Altar Candles Mr. & Mrs. Carl Rhoads Holy Saturday-2 Easter Lambathes for Priests Ms. Jayne Poullos Holy Saturday-Myrrh Bearers Floral Wreaths Ms. Jayne Poullos Major Epitaphio Donors The Georgia Defterios Family Mr. & Mrs. Nick Bissias and Family Mr. & Mrs. Ted Maniatakos Dr. & Mrs. Michael Patzakis Mr. & Mrs. Brent Noyes and Family Holy Week Easter Flowers Mr. & Mrs. Glen Lianos and Family Chassman Family In loving memory of Sophia Dagres Palomares and Ileana and Richard Shuman Julian & Simona Rebiga In loving memory of their parents Mr. & Mrs. Alek Haidos Mrs. Mersy Loukaris Mr. & Mrs. George Dascalu

14 Page 14 Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia - andreas ritzos By John Kopatsis The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (Η Ανάληψη του Χριστού), is celebrated each year on the 40th day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha. The Ascension of Christ is the teaching found in the New Testament that Jesus was taken up to Heaven in his resurrected body, in the presence of eleven of his Apostles. The ascension implies Jesus' humanity being taken into Heaven. It is professed in the Nicene Creed and is one of the five major milestones in the Gospel narrative of the life of Jesus, the others being baptism, transfiguration, crucifixion, and resurrection. The Ascension is interpreted as the culmination of the Mystery of the Incarnation, in that it not only marked the completion of Jesus' physical presence among his apostles, but consummated the union of God and man when Jesus ascended in his glorified human body to sit at the right hand of God the Father. The Ascension and the Transfiguration both figure prominently in the Orthodox doctrine of Theosis (Union with God). The bodily Ascension into heaven is also understood as the final token of Christ's two natures: divine and human. Andreas Ritzos Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia icon is a typical example of the 15th-century Cretan-Venetian school that grew from the tradition of Byzantine court painting. Andreas Ritzos was a Greek icon painter, born in Heraklion on the island of Crete, the son of a goldsmith. He is considered the greatest Cretan painter of the second half of the 15th century. His works provided models for subsequent generations of icon painters. He worked in the Byzantine style, but he was influenced by other styles, too, including the Italian style of painting of the 14th century. This painting from the Matsukata Collection, along with the Death of the Virgin today in the Galleria Sabauda in Turin, is considered one of Ritzos' best large-scale icons. Very little inpainting has occurred in the centuries since its creation, and thus the work fully conveys Ritzos' considerable ability as a veteran icon painter. The painting shows the Ascension of Christ in the center with the "Hetoimasia," (ἑτοιμασία, "preparation") on the panel above. Preparation of the Throne or Throne of the Second Coming is the symbolic subject of the empty throne found in both the East and Western churches. From about 1000, the throne has represented the throne of the Second Coming of Christ from where he will pass judgment at the end of time, a meaning it has retained in Eastern Orthodox art to the present. Ritzos has placed the Feast of Abraham at the top of the composition as the symbol of the Holy Trinity. Standing portraits of six saints are shown, three on the right; Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nicholas and Saint Onuphrius, and three on the left; Saint James, Saint Anthony and Saint Sebastian. Half-length figures of Emperor Constantine, his mother Helen, Saint Catherine, and Saint Paraskevi appear in the lower section. The Greek signature that reads literally "by the hand of Andreas Ritzos" appears in the lower right, beneath the feet of Saint Sebastian. Christ is shown ascending in His glory in a mandorla. A mandorla is a design which is almond-shaped or round. Inside the mandorla is the figure of a holy person. Christ blesses the assembly with His right hand. In His left is a scroll. The scroll is a Central panel of Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia symbol of teaching. This icon shows that the Lord in heaven is the source of blessing. In addition, Jesus is the source of knowledge. The icon reminds us that Christ continues to be the source of the teaching and message of the Church, blessing and guiding those to whom He has entrusted his work. The Theotokos occupies a very special place in this icon. She is in the center of the icon, immediately below the ascending Christ. The gesture of her hands is gesture of prayer. She is clearly outlined by the lighter color of the garments of the angels. The Theotokos is depicted in a very calm pose. This is quite different from the appearance of the Disciples. They are moving about, talking to one another and looking and pointing towards heaven. The entire group, the Theotokos and the disciples represent the Church. The icon of the Ascension includes some who did not witness the Ascension. Saint Paul is shown to the left of the Theotokos, but we know that he was not present at the Ascension. At that time, Saint Paul did not yet believe in Jesus. But he became a Christian and one of the greatest Apostles and missionaries of Church. The icon expresses the sovereignty of Christ over His Church; He is its Head, its guide, its source of inspiration and teaching; the Church receives Her commission and ministry from Him, and fulfils it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

15 Page 15 MAY 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women 8:15am Orthros 9:15am FaithStudies 9:45am Memorials 10am Divine Liturgy 5 11:00am Women s Bible Study w/fr. John 7:30pm The Why s of Orthodoxy w/fr. Allan 7:00 pm Young Adult Forum :00am Men s Bible Study w/fr. John 8 Saint John the Theologian 8:30am Orthros 9:30am Liturgy 7:30pm O.T. w/ Fr. Allan Sunday of The Paralytic 8:15am Orthros 9:15am FaithStudies 9:45am Memorials 10am Divine Liturgy 11:00am Women s Bible Study w/fr. John 7:30pm The Why s of Orthodoxy w/fr. Allan 7:00 pm Young Adult Forum 11:00am Men s Bible Study w/fr. John 7:30pm O.T. w/ Fr. Allan 18 Sunday of the Samaritan Woman 8:15am Orthros 9:15am FaithStudies 9:45am Memorials 10am Divine Liturgy 19 11:00am Women s Bible Study w/fr. John 7:30pm The Why s of Orthodoxy w/fr. Allan 7:00 pm Young Adult Forum Sts Constantine and Helen 8:30am Orthros 9:30am Liturgy 11:00am Men s Bible Study w/fr. John 22 7:30pm O.T. w/ Fr. Allan Sunday of the Blind Man 8:15am Orthros 9:15am FaithStudies 9:45am Memorials 10am Divine Liturgy 11:00am Women s Bible Study w/fr. John 7:30pm The Why s of Orthodoxy w/fr. Allan 7:00 pm Young Adult Forum 11:00am Men s Bible Study w/fr. John Holy Ascension 8:30am Orthros 9:30am Liturgy 7:30pm O.T. w/ Strict Fast Fish Allowed Wine and Oil Allowed Dairy, Eggs, and Fish Allowed Fast Free

16 Page Saint Sophia 16 Greek Cathedral Greek Orthodox Community 1324 South Normandie Avenue Los Angeles, California TIME SENSITIVE Place address label here Phone Fax We re on the Web! Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor vexation