Και εις ανώτερα! Our Congratulations and Best Wishes to all our High School and College Graduates of the Class of 2017! JUNE 2017 HIGH SCHOOL

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1 2017 STEWARDSHIP DISCOVER THE LIGHT by offering your time, talent and treasure to Christ and His Church! The MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE, NILES, ILLINOIS PHONE (847) Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18) JUNE 2017 Alexander Anton George Arvanitis Anastasia Avgerinos Alexander Balabanos Marianna Balabanos Alexandra Gianna Barlas Alex Boucas Jasmine Gloria Peter Govis Zoe Kais Maria Kaltakis HIGH SCHOOL Lambros Karkazis Eleni Petratos Eugenia Petropulos Konstantine Sellas Demetri Skoubis Kosta Tafreshing Dean Tasiopoulos Calliope Vaselopulos Michelle Vasiliadis Nikoleta Vasilopoulos Alexander Velis COLLEGE AND GRADUATE SCHOOL Elias Kondilis Pamela Lemperis Nicholas Pierce Vasili Stefanis Our Congratulations and Best Wishes to all our High School and College Graduates of the Class of 2017! Και εις ανώτερα!

2 WORSHIP SCHEDULE June/July Schedule of Services Sunday, June 11 Sunday of All Saints; The Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas Sunday, June 18 Fathers Day Sunday, June 25 Friday, June 30 The Twelve Holy Apostles 8:30 am Orthros and Liturgy Sunday, July 2 Sunday, July 9 Sunday, July 16 The Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council Thursday, July 20 The Prophet Elias 8:30 am Orthros and Liturgy Saturday, July 22 St. Mary Magdalene, St. Markella 8:30 am Orthros and Liturgy Sunday, July 23 The Holy Prophet Ezekiel Wednesday, July 26 St. Paraskevi 8:30 am Orthros and Liturgy Friday, July 28 St. Irene Chrysovalantou 8:30 am Orthros and Liturgy OUR SISTER COMMUNITY of All Saints in Joliet invites you to Vespers on Saturday evening, June 10 and Liturgy on Sunday morning, June 11, in honor of the feastday of All Saints. (Of course, Liturgy WILL be celebrated at St. Haralambos on Sunday, June 11.) OUR SISTER COMMUNITY of Ss. Peter and Paul in Glenview invites you to Vespers on Wednesday evening, June 28, and Liturgy on Thursday morning, June 29, in honor of the Feastday of Ss. Peter and Paul. (Liturgy will NOT be celebrated at St. Haralambos on June 29.) OUR SISTER COMMUNITY of the 12 Holy Apostles in Westchester, IL invites you to Vespers on Thursday evening, June 29th, and Divine Liturgy on Friday, June 30th, in honor of the Feastday of the 12 Apostles. (Liturgy WILL be celebrated at St. Haralambos on June 30th.) Life without Christ is not life. That s just the way it is If you don t see Christ in everything you do, you are without Christ. - Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia SACRAMENTS AND BLESSINGS MINISTRY TO PERSONS WHO ARE SICK-We urge Orthodox Christians who would like to receive Holy Sacraments but are unable to attend church (hospitalized or at home) to contact the church office so Holy Sacraments can be administered to them. If your loved one is hospitalized please call us, even if the illness is not serious! In a wholistic approach to healing and well-being, a visit from the priest can be very positive. Most hospitals do not inform us when they receive patients from our parish. We depend on you! BLESSINGS OF INFANTS Forty days after birth, a child and its mother come to church to receive a 40 Day Blessing, imitating Christ who was presented in the Temple 40 days after He was born. Please call the church office to arrange this blessing. BAPTISMS Please call the church office to schedule Baptisms. Plan ahead! there are some days when Baptisms are not performed. Keep in mind that there should be only one Godparent and that a child is supposed to be given one name when he or she is baptized. WEDDINGS Please arrange an appointment with Fr. Dean at least eight months before the proposed wedding date to allow time for all necessary marriage preparation. CONFESSION Confessions are arranged by appointment. Please call the church office to schedule Confession. MEMORIAL SERVICES Memorial Services are offered for the eternal rest of persons who have fallen asleep in the Lord. Customarily, these services are offered at 40 days, at 6 months, at 1 year and at 3 years. When three years have passed, the departed are more properly remembered on the Saturdays of the Souls. END OF LIFE ISSUES 1 - A Proper Funeral Conveys Divine Grace to Our Loved One For an Orthodox Christian, a church funeral is a necessity. As we pray, the funeral service brings divine Grace to those who have fallen asleep, for their forgiveness and eternal rest. We should not consider a church funeral to be an inconvenience, out of love, it is our duty. What good reason can there be to deny our loved ones from God s saving Grace and the honor they deserve? Let us honor our parents and relatives with the respect they deserve! 2 - About Cremation Orthodox Christians believe that in the General Resurrection, our bodies and souls will be restored to each other. Cremation is the deliberate desecration and destruction of what God has made, and is viewed as the denial of the Resurrection. In cases where there is intention for the body of a deceased person to be cremated, thus choosing to disregard our understanding of the Resurrection, the honor of a church funeral is not given, either in the church, or the funeral home or any other place. Additionally, memorial services with kolyva are not allowed, since the connection of the kernel of wheat as a sign of the Resurrection has been intentionally destroyed STEWARDSHIP DISCOVER THE LIGHT! 2017 STEWARDSHIP UPDATE As of June 2, families have promised $248, for 2017 Stewardship! Average level of giving is $562! Have you become a 2017 Steward yet?

3 HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE, NILES, ILLINOIS PHONE: 847/ From Father Dean Dear Friends and Fellow Stewards, June 2017 It s summer! School s out, the flowers have blossomed; Graduation parties abound; Jr. Olympics and our Memorial Day Family Picnic are now memories (but good memories!). If you did not make it to our Family Picnic, you missed a great time! Flick Park is a beautiful facility with great playgrounds and the weather was gorgeous! Please scan this issue of Visions and see some of the wonderful activities of the last month. Our Sr. GOYA made a life-changing outreach trip to Detroit, our Preschool had their Mini-Olympics, and our Metropolis held our Annual Jr. Olympics! Please review our list of 2017 Graduates (pages 6-7). We are proud and offer congratulations to all of them, with best wishes και σ ανώτερα! Our Vacation Church School will take place the week of June Remember to register your children right away! And now, all our attention turns to our Big Greek FOOD FESt! One of the most important ways to make our Fest successful is with donations of the supplies that we need. For this reason, we have posted a big donation board in our Community Center, listing nearly all the items that we need. We ask you to look it over maybe there is something you would like to donate! Manpower and womanpower are vital to the success of our Fest, before, during and after! What can you do? THURSDAY, JULY 13 IS SOUVLAKI DAY! We need a large crew to put 3,000 pounds of meat on the skewers. We also need to set up tables and chairs in the tents and start setting up equipment. WE NEED YOUR HELP ON THIS DAY! The Food Fest is open July 14, 15 and 16! We have a big job Monday, July 17: the DAY AFTER. Your help with clean up would really be appreciated. Our FEST has become a source of great pride to our community. This happens because of YOUR help we are grateful to you. Dear friends: Please understand that we depend on you the members and friends of our community! We are so grateful for the love and help that you have always shown, and thank you in advance for your help again this year! After the Fest, we can relax! (But remember to come to church.) HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH NILES, ILLINOIS Proistamenos Fr. Constantine P. Botsis Synefimerios Fr. George Lamberis Pastoral Assistant Deacon John G. Suhayda Chanter Nick Harisiadis Parish Council Officers President Perry Giannopoulos Vice President..... Nick Andrews Treasurer.... David Loomos Secretary Kathy Apithis Phase III Chairman... Perry Giannopoulos Stewardship.... George Giolas Budget Committee Chairman... Perry Giannopoulos Building & Grounds Chairman.. Michael Pontikes and Theodoros Karabatsos Decor Committee Chairman...Stephan Aliferakis Finance Committee Chairman... Tom Sikoral Outreach Committee John Pierce Inreach Committee... Voula Asimacopoulos, Elaine Loomos, Jolynn Rugerrio School Board Chairman...Olympia Bournias Audit Committee Chairman..... George Houpis.. Food Fest Chairman. Philoptochos President Maria Dimitriou PTA Co-Presidents (Afternoon School)...Eleni Gonzalez and Mona Giolas PTA President (Preschool).....Marianna Memmos PTA Co-Presidents (Saturday School)....Melina Papadopoulos and Irene Mohr Greek School Principal... Mrs. Anastasia Liapi Saturday School Director..Mrs. Andrianna Panayiotou Preschool Director Mrs. Rita Petratos Sunday School Director...Presvytera Georgia Botsis Athletic Director David Loomos Scoutmaster Vasili Zimbrakos Asst Cubmaster John Frake Little Angels..... Anastasia Liapi YAL President......Christina Pappadis GOYA President Alex Anton Jr. Goya Advisor Father George Bookstore Manager Jolynn Ruggerio Web Master and IT George Houpis Facebook.... Elizabeth Kotis Office Staff.... Barbara Skaouris, Alexandra Grivas, Anna Sikoral Maintenance Staff..Juan Caro and Carolina Contreras IN THIS ISSUE: Letter from our Priest (pg 3) Announcements/Ανακοινώσεις (p 4) 2017 Greek Food Fest of Niles (pg 5) The Class of 2017 (pg 6-7) Senior GOYA Outreach Trip (p 7) Parish Survey Results (pg 8,9) Sunday School and Junior Olympics (p 10)

4 COMMUNITY NEWS CONGRATULATIONS! We also congratulate the graduates of our morning school, our Afternoon Greek School and our Saturday Greek School. BRAVO! OUR BIG GREEK FOOD FEST OF NILES will take place July this summer, and planning has already begun. Of course, we will need much help, and we are always looking for new ideas and new people to get involved! Please talk to Perry Giannopoulos, George Anastasiadis, Eleni Kiriazopoulos, Father George or Father Dean if you would like to offer your help. THE EARLY BIRD RAFFLE will take place on Sunday, June 18! The prize is $1000 and the ticket will return to the raffle barrel for the Grand Drawing. Do you have your ticket book? 4TH OF JULY PARADE ST HARALAMBOS IS MARCHING NILES 4TH OF JULY PARADE! You are invited to join our St. Haralambos 4th of July Marching Armada! Parade steps off from Notre Dame College Prep at 8:00 am. Plan to march! (It s lots of fun!) THE MORE THE MERRIER; ALL ARE WELCOME! ΕΝΟΡΙΑΚΕΣ ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΣΕΙΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΦΕΣΤΙΒΑΛ ΤΟΥ Το Φεστιβάλ της Κοινότητάς μας για το 2017 θα λάβει χώραν εις τις Ιουλίου, και οι ετοιμασίες άρχισαν. Θα χρειαστούμε βοήθεια εις τον προγραμματισμόν, και πάντα ενδιαφερόμαστε για νέες ιδέες και καινούργιους εθελοντές! Εαν έχετε την ευχαρίστησιν να βοηθήσετε, παρακαλούμε τηλεφωνείτε το γραφείο της εκκλησίας ( ). ΝΕΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΥ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟΥ--Οι εγγραφές έχουν ήδη αρχίσει διά το σχολικό έτος για το Νηπιαγωγείο, το Απογευματινό Ελληνικό Σχολείο καθώς και για το Σαββατιανό Σχολείο. Σχεδιάστε να εγγράψετε τα παιδιά σας σε ένα από τα Ελληνικά Σχολικά Προγράμματά μας, όπου τα παιδιά μας θα μάθουν την γλώσσα, πίστη και κουλτούρα μας, και θα δημιουργήσουν φιλίες μέσα στην Ελληνική Ορθόδοξη Κοινότητα. Η συμμετοχή των παιδιών μας στα προγράμματα αυτά, εξασφαλίζει την διατήρηση των αρχών μας και της Ελληνικής μας ταυτότητας! BABYLON : DANIEL S COURAGE IN CAPTIVITY St Haralambos Vacation Church School 2017 June 26 June 30 9 am to 12 pm Cost is $50 per child Register by June 12 Register your kids to Vacation Church School so they can learn about the Prophet Daniel and the Three Youths from the Bible! Come and learn about their great faith and courage which inspires us to follow God even in trying times. Each day includes a lesson, craft, snack, music and MORE! Registration also includes a t-shirt. For more information, to volunteer or register, contact Presvytera Diana Lamberis at dlamberis@gmail.com or the office (847) The Aristotle Greek School s 8th Annual Mini Olympics was a complete success! Our youth played soccer, basketball, archery, long jump, ran through an obstacle course and also participated in a bean bag toss. We thank Marianna Memmos for organizing and providing the food for the bbq.

5 SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH I N V I T E S Y O U T O 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE, NILES, ILLINOIS PHONE (847) FRI, JULY 14-5 PM to 12 MIDNIGHt SAT, JULY 15-3 PM to 12 MIDNIGHT SUN, JULY 16-3 PM to 12 MIDNIGHT GRAND RAFFLE! FIRST PRIZE: a NEW 2017 AUDI A3! OR A NEW HARLEY DAVIDSON OR $20,000! SECOND PRIZE: $ 2000 THIRD PRIZE: $ 1000 FOURTH PRIZE: $ 500 FIFTH PRIZE: $ 500 HOME-MADE GREEK FOOD! Greek APPETIZERS AND ROAST LAMB! LOUKOUMATHES AND PASTRIES! FESTIVAL DANCERS AND COOKING CLASSES! KID S CORNER! LIVE GREEK MUSIC ALL 3 NIGHTS FEATURING THE RHYTHMOS ORCHESTRA!

6 CONGRATULATIONS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES! ALEXANDER ANTON graduated from Stevenson High School. In the fall, he will be attending De- Paul Univeristy. His Major is Accounting and he will be enrolled in the Strobel Honors Program. MARY KALTAKIS is graduating from Maine South High School and she will be attending Northeastern Illinois University. She is planning to study Mircobiology and Astronomy. GEORGE ARVANITIS is a graduate of Glenbrook South High School. George will be attending the University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business in Iowa City as a Business Major. LAMBROS KARKAZIS is a graduate of Taft High School. He plans to attend Iowa State University and will Major in Civil Engineering. ANASTASIA AVGERINOS is graduating from Main South High School. In the fall, she will be attending North Park University. Her Major is Exercise Science and Athletic Training. ELENI PETRATOS is a graduate of Main South High School. In the Fall, she will be studying at Purdue University in Indiana and plans to study Biomedical Engineering. ALEXANDER BALABANOS is a graduate of Glenbrook High School. He will be attending DePaul university and will be studying Business. EUGENIA PETROPULOS was homeschooled and will be attending Harper College. Her Major is undecided. MARIANNA BALABANOS is graduating from Glenbrook South High School. She will be attending Ball State University in Indiana as a Business Major. ALEXANDRA GIANNA BARLAS is graduating from John Hersey High School. She will be attending Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Her major is undecided but she is interested in Elementary Education with an emphasis on Special Education or Accounting. ALEXANDER BOUCAS graduated from Maine South High School. In August, he will be attending Northeastern Illinois University and will major in Biology. KONSTANTINE SELLAS is a graduate of Glenbrook South High School. He plans to attend DePaul University in the fall. His Major is Computer Science. DEMETRI SKOUBIS graduated from Glenbrook High School. He will be attending DePaul University and plans to be a Business Major. KOSTA TAFRESHING is a graduate of Whitney Young Magnet High School. He will be attending DePaul University where he will Major in Accounting. JASMINE GLORIA is a graduate of Niles North High School. She will be attending Illinois Institute of Technology and is a Biomedical Engineer Major. DEAN TASIOPOULOS is a graduate of Glenbrook North High School and will be attending De Paul Univeristy. He plans to Major in Computer Science. PETER GOVIS graduated from Niles North High School and will be attending Grand Valley University in Allendale, MI. He plans to study Accounting. ZOE KAIS has graduated from Wheeling High School. She will be attending NOVA Southeastern University in Florida where she will be studying Health Science. CALLIOPE VASELOPULOS is a graduate of Glenbrook South High School. Calliope will be attending Ohio State University. Her Major is currently undecided but she is entering in the College of Business program. MICHELLE VASILIADIS graduated from New Trier High School. In the fall, she will be attending Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania earning a joint degree in the Computer Science and Business honors program.

7 CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES! NIKOLETA GEORGIA VASILOPOULOS will be graduating from Niles North High School. She plans to attend the University of Illinois in UrbanaChampaign. She plans to study Kinesiology and Physical Therapy. ALEXANDER VELIS is a graduate of Glenbrook South High School. He will be attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is a direct admit into the School of Business. He will be pursuing a dual degree in Supply Chain Management and Political Science, and he aspires to attend law school in the future. NICHOLAS PIERCE received his Master s Degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, MN. He specialized in Public Health Administration and Policy. He is interested in opioid control strategies, prehospital (EMS) care and improving access to primary care in the U.S. He is currently attending the University of North Dakota to become a Physician Assistant. ELIAS KONDILIS graduated from Loyola University Chicago. He finished with a degree in Biology and a Minor in Bioethics. In the near future, he plans to attend medical school. COLLEGE GRADUATES PATTY LEMPERIS graduated from Indiana University as Magna Cum Laude in December of She earned a Masters of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy. She is currently working as a Registered and Licensed Occupational Therapist in the Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District 62. The Saint Haralambos Sr. GOYA (High School) traveled to Detroit to offer outreach at the FOCUS North America facility. Our GOYA youth spent time with students of an inner-city school and assisted children with their studies. In addition, They also traveled to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit to greet His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, visited Greektown, attend Great Vespers at the Holy Dormition Romanian Orthodox Monastery and attend Divine Liturgy at the parish of Holy Trinity in Lansing, MI.

8 St Haralambos Parish Survey Results On behalf of the St. Haralambos Stewardship Committee, we would to thank you for taking time to participate in our survey. We truly value the feedback that has been provided as it is vital for St. Haralambos to continue to provide a spiritual experience and family environment that meets the highest standards. The Stewardship Committee is working with the clergy to create an action plan to address concerns and improve in areas that have opportunity. Stay tuned for our action plan. Respondents by Gender Male Female 87 votes 134 votes Respondents by Age Votes Under and older 6 Prefer not to answer 7 Respondents by Relationship Status Married 190 Widowed 4 Divorced 7 Single 15 Prefer not to answer 6 Number of Children per Respondent or more 44 On a scale of 0-10, how satisfied you are overall with St. Haralambos as your parish. Our Parish overall average rating based on this survey is 7.94 Rating

9 Would you be more willing to participate in a Church ministry if asked? Yes No 123 responses 77 responses How often do you attend Liturgy/Services at St. Haralambos? Every Sunday times a month 82 Once a month 34 A few times a year 43 Only on holidays 5 Never 4 The following responses are ranked based on number of responses (Top 3 responses for each question) What does St. Haralambos do well? GOYA/ Youth Programs/family retreats Festival Divine Liturgy Services Describe why you provided your 1-10 rating Comments both positive and negative regarding the existing facilities and Phase 3 Expansion Clergy Sermons to be more feel good More activities for younger adults/family gatherings Please Share any feedback that you feel would be helpful to the Stewardship Committee Improving communication of ministry events, ministry updates and financials Providing additional ways to give/ more options of giving Providing ministry for Senior activities What Activities, ministries or committees would you like to see St. Haralambos offer? More outreach programs Additional athletics for all ages More family activities What changes would most improve the St. Haralambos Parish? Create a stronger sense of community Better communication throughout all areas of the parish Reduce the length of service SAVE THE DATES: SPIRITUAL AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES NEAR US!!! The Church in the Bible: The Body of Christ in the Holy Scriptures By the Very Reverend Archpriest Andrew Stephen Damick What: Vespers and Lecture When: Monday, June 26th 6:15 pm Vespers, 7 pm Lecture followed by refreshments Where: Ss. Peter and Paul GOC Glenview All are welcome! 2017 CHICAGO SYNERGY ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM Sat, October 21, AM 1:30 PM Dr. Eugenia Constantinou What: Dr. Eugenia will offer a two-part lecture titled Search the Scriptures! Part 1: Practical Advice for reading the Bible with Confidence Part 2: Patristic Advice for Reading the Bible as a Sacrament Location: Saint George Antiochian Church (1220 South 60th Ct, Cicero, IL)

10 Congratulations to Athena Demeros, who earned First place in the Junior Essay Division at the Oratorical Festival for the Metropolis of Chicago. Congratulations to Christina Daskalopoulos who was awarded the Golden Apple Teaching Award! We are very proud of her and are blessed to have her teaching in our Sunday School! JUNIOR OLYMPICS 2017 A special thank you to Dave Loomos for organizing the event for our parish. We also would like to thank all of the coaches and all 105 participants who offered their talents and great sportsmanship throughout the weekend. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus Philippians 3:14

11 THE BIG GREEK FOOD FEST OF NILES JULY 14, 15, 16, 2017 GraND PRIZE: A NeW 2017 AUDI A3! OR a NEW HARLEY DAVIDSON Or $20,000! SECOND PRIZE: $ 2000 THIRD PRIZE: $ 1000 FOURTH PRIZE: $ 500 FIFTH PRIZE: $ 500 EarlY BIRD DRAWINg SUNDAY, JUNE WIN $1000! (Only Books of Five Tickets are eligible for the Early Bird Drawing.) HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE NILES, IL Address Service Requested