January, February, Saints Constantine and Helen. Welcome to our Parish Family. West Nyack, NY Marycrest Road. Greek Orthodox Church

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1 Ecumenical Patriarchate Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church 1 Marycrest Road, West Nyack, New York (845) westnyack@optonline.net Parish Priest: Father Samaras Welcome to our Parish Family Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church 1 Marycrest Road West Nyack, NY Winter Issue: January, February, March, 2014 Published Quarterly Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Under the Auspices of His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios Sunday Church Services Proskomidhvv Qeiva Leitourgiva Proskomidi Orthros Divine Liturgy 8:15 p.m. 8:45 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

2 Parish Roll For any emergencies or spiritual need, please call Father Samaras on the Parish cell phone: (845) Parish Council: President: Nick Anagnostopoulos Vice President: John Moustakakis Treasurer: John Livanos Secretary: Manny Kostakis The Council Members Mike Dolianitis Panos Giannakakos Naoum Hatzis Alex Kalos Demetre Karavanas* Bobby Kostopoulos Nick Labridis Steve Lambos Evanggelos Poulos John Timotheou (*Past Council President) Sometimes, we only have a few people to do a lot and sometimes, it can be overwhelming. Thus, we extend our thanks to all who help our Parish. If, by any chance, we inadvertently leave out anyone s name from a mentioned list, we apologise for the accidental oversight. We welcome any and all volunteers to help us lighten and share our efforts. Life is just a short walk from the cradle to the grave, and it sure behooves us to be kind to one another along the way. Alice Childress Always a Spiritual Focus, First How Children Can Teach Adults Dear Parish Families, Before all else: on behalf of our Parish Council and myself, I thank each and every one of you, in our parish family, for all your contributions and presence during Together, we have been able to provide for everyone s spiritual needs and life situations. We deeply look forward to continued growth and service in In thinking about this New Year and its promises, I think about our huge news items of 2013 and the one, spiritual observation I am able to make is this: News is only huge when it happens. But, most sadly, that huge news becomes old very fast. Thus, the news we are used to is trendy. And once trendy is over, it s completely forgotten. The spiritual lesson here for us to learn is to not forget. And here is one, huge example from 2013 we should never forget: do you remember the little, fourteen-year-old girl, Malala Yousafzai, from Pakistan, who spoke up for girls to have the right to receive basic education? Because she spoke up, she was shot in the head by the Taliban and barely survived her attempted murder. After her recovery, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and was not given it, due to her young age. She was later interviewed and said one thing that stays with me. She said, We don t learn the importance of anything until it s snatched from our hands... Now, that is a spiritual insight we should never forget. In her words, she echoes the wisdom of Joni Mitchell who observed, Don t it always seem to go that we don t know what we ve got til it s gone? Here, in America, we sometimes suffer from the awful burden of comfort. We don t value what we need to value because we have grown too comfortable with what we have. Only when we risk losing it, do we wake up and realise what we have. Our Divine Liturgy is like this: sometimes, we don t bother Page 2 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014 Page 3

3 going to Church because we think it is always there. But if we were ever told we were not allowed to go to Church, as the Taliban tell half their population that they are forbidden to go to school, you d see how fast we would fight back for our right to go to Church. If you value something, you will fight for it. My spiritual discernment for all of us together is to please remember. Church is not trendy and then forgotten. It is eternal and it is our salvation. Don t suffer from the burden of comfort. Comfort breeds amnesia. If you value Church, treat it as if you can lose it, or be forbidden to attend. If you value Church, you will risk everything to get there, be there, and participate. Not even a snowstorm could keep you away. Not even any human obstruction could keep you away. Remember how the earliest Christians risked their lives in order to worship in Church. That s the kind of news that stays news. Faithfully, Father Samaras STEWARDSHIP Focus, Come and See Is Your Family Represented? Help our New Year start off with strength! The Stewardship program is on the honor system and we all need to step forward and demonstrate the correct Christian way. Don t wait another day or week. Drop off a Stewardship Pledge card now so that your family can continue receiving all our Church ministries. Support for our Church is critical. Please consider your love and obligations to our Church. Only our donation of time, talents, and resources can make the efforts for our Church successful. Please contact George Hanos at: george.hanos@ usab2c.com. Sunday School We are happy to share with all our recent growth and care of our children in their learning and faith. We recently celebrated our annual Christmas presentation. This year, we were able to even include our audience in responses and participation. We thank everyone who attended and supported our children. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers of our Sunday School. We thank Elpida Venetos for her steadfast teaching, as we thank all our teachers who give up their time and dedicate their knowledge to our children s learning. We also welcome our new teachers who have come forward to contribute to our children: Christina Rocco, Nick Francabandera; and Greg Speleotes. Many thanks. Especially, we remind all families that our children need to be brought to Sunday School on time: the beginning is 10:00 a.m. sharp. This act alone teaches our children the value of our faith. Please remember that the deepest lessons our children learn is from their parents. Please show them your best example by bringing them to church on time. In this way, we teachers are able to give them a full lesson that we have prepared during the week. We end Sunday School lessons at 10:45, at the time of the Lord s Prayer, at which time we all come upstairs to prepare to receive Holy Communion. Please have your child be a part of our group, and be able to make best friends from our Church family. Here is to continued growth in our provision of Faith and Traditions. Most respectfully, Evangeline (Beca) Michaels and Dr. George Chondris Sunday School Co-Directors Forgiveness is learned only by him who considers himself to be guilty. Humble yourself before God and people, and the Lord will never leave you. (Saint Nikon, +1931) Page 4 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014 Page 5

4 Greek School CALENDAR OF HOLIDAYS AND EVENTS January 2nd: School re-opens January 26 th: Three Hierarchs Presentation at Divine Liturgy February 17th-21st: (Tentative) Winter Recess school closed March 23rd: (Tentative) March 25 Celebration attendance required March 30th: (Tentative) Greek Independence Parade attendance required YOUTH PAGES HOPE Happenings (ages 3-7) Stay tuned for further scheduling and announcements of HOPE Youth events! JOY Happenings (Ages 8-12) Once again, we ve had some fun, successful outings: Apple Picking, Monster Golf, Bounce, and our Toy Drive. Thank you for the participation of our children and the commitment of our parents. We are working towards other exciting events to come, especially our Minute To Win It Game Night in January and Snow Tubing in February. So, please continue to look out for our s. As a reminder, we have the start-up of our Olympic practices set for March. We had a great turnout last year at our practices and at the Olympics. Let s bring that great enthusiasm back this year so we can work toward bringing home some more medals, as well as having fun! We welcome all suggestions and we look forward to serving the rest of the year. Your JOY advisors, Elpida Venetos Evenetos@optonline.net Maria Botto cbnb997@aol.com Arlene Frangos afrangos614@gmail.com GOYA Happenings (Ages 13-18) GOYA Broadway Show: January 26th! All Goyans are required to be in church, in the Divine Liturgy, at 10 a.m., gathered together in the front pews. We will all support and attend the presentation of the Three Hierarchs, at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. After that, we will board the bus at 12:30 to attend the show. GOYA Valentine s Day Dance! Friday Evening, February 14th, 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. Be there with your valentine! Also, we deeply need COACHES for our children s Summer Olympics. We can t learn without coaches. Please help us, by contacting Father and volunteering. Maria Chondris (845) or mchondri@med.cornell.edu Connie Francabandera (845) or Constance. Francabandera@morganstanley.com or cfrancab@optonline.net Parent/Teacher Organization Stay tuned for further scheduling and announcements of our PTO events! The PTO Board: Despina Tsekenis, President (desvougi@ gmail.com); Vickie Kokkalenios-Prieto, Vice-President (vickieprieto@ yahoo.com); Mercka Gerasimopoulos, 2nd Vice-President (gmercka@ yahoo.com); Marina Georgiou; treasurer (marinageo74@gmail.com); Maria Triantafyllopoulos, Secretary (triantos4@msn.com). Congratulations! We are happy to share that our own home-town son, Deacon Peter Kostakis, will receive his second ordination into the full Priesthood, in Dallas, Texas, on January 5th, 2014 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Isaiah. Please send your prayers to Father Peter and Presvytera Athanasia, and their child, Emmanuel, on this day, as we congratulate him and the entire Kostakis family. Page 6 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014 Page 7

5 Philoptochos Notable Charity Events that we performed during our Fall Months included: Ten frozen turkey were donated to Social Services, after a generous offer from a charity in New Jersey. Our Philoptochos also donated eighteen baskets to People to People for Thanksgiving, as well as an additional basket to a parishioner in need. The Benefit Luncheon for our Archangel Michael s Nursing Home, will be on January 12th. We thank all who volunteer, serve, and participate. Please plan to attend, for the charitable benefit of all. Vasilopita s were sold and delivered on December 21st. Our traditional Church cutting of the Vasilopita will take place on January 5th. Please all be in Church to be represented. The Annual Autism Awareness Luncheon will take place on February 9th. Philoptochos Membership 2014 Dues will be collected, starting in January. God Bless you and your families from the Philoptochos Board. CHOIR NEWS Praise the Lord with Resounding Cymbals, with Psalter, with Strings and with Organ From the Book of Psalms Sincerely, Connie Edlund, Philoptochos President As you have probably noticed, our choir loft has a bright new look, thanks to a brand new organ, through the generosity of Bobby Gianos and his sister Helene Borbone, in memory of their parents Theodore and Fotini Gianos. We are grateful for their generosity. Though our choir sings a capella (without accompaniment), an organ is occasionally needed in our church: in addition to its use at weddings, there are a few times during the year that an organ will help the choir. For example, during Holy Week, especially on Good Friday, the choir sings continually for about three hours. An organ accompaniment will help and strengthen our voices. At our Feast Day Vespers, we may have four or more guest priests participating, each with his own mode and pitch. It will be a lot easier for the choir to switch keys when an organist gives us the new pitches. So, the new organ is a much needed addition to our church. We would also like to welcome our newest member, Peter DiMarco, who joined our tenors this fall. The Afflicter of the Comfortable By Chad Thomas Johnston Leo Michaels Last December, a woman at church used Jedi mind tricks, or something very much like them, to persuade me to participate in our house of worship s Christmas play. Okay, I can do that, I said, the words leaping from my lips without my consent. I can t act, I added quickly, hoping she would set me free and turn her powers upon someone else. I can t even act like I can act. The following week, when she handed me a script as thick as a phonebook, I begrudgingly accepted my fate: I would play a servant at the final inn Mary and Joseph would visit in their search for lodging. With eyes as big as milk saucers, I would point at the star in the sky, which was hovering above the stable out back, and shout, It s huge! I lamented my lack of backbone for at least a week after agreeing to appear in this play. When I found out my friend Tim had been enlisted to direct it, however, I felt less alone. Like me, he had probably been bamboozled into accepting his role, as he is hardly the sort to direct let Page 8 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014 Page 9

6 alone attend a church play. The sole bohemian fifty-something who attends my church, Tim is a jazz-loving, Zappa-worshipping, cigar-smoking, beer-swilling, swearing scoundrel who reminds me of Han Solo, but with less hair than Harrison Ford. His glasses sit atop his shaved scalp as if he doesn t actually need them to see, which kind of kills me. Best of all though, Tim does not suffer fools, even though he kind of is one (and even though he suffers me just fine). What I like best about Tim, though, is his gift for afflicting the comfortable. Churchgoers tend to be a pretty comfortable lot, too. We do not like to be afflicted. Even the slightest change threatens to undo us. We are deathly afraid of new hymns, for example, and prefer to sing songs that predate the invention of the cotton gin. Tim, however, bristles at such stuff. Comfort makes him uncomfortable. I like to think of him as the anointed fly in my church s ointment. When someone reaches for a bite of pie-in-the-sky-when-we-die, he smacks the fork out of the poor person s hand. It s great to talk about eternal life and all, he says, but how does that help those who are suffering in the aftermath of the typhoon in the Philippines? I mean, really how? Tim cannot stomach a neat and tidy faith that exists apart from the human mess, and rightly so. In summarizing his own messy existence, Tim might point out that is he is divorced, unemployed, and buried under an avalanche of what-might-have-beens. But he owns his woes with dignified resignation, and thereby manages to make his endless downward spiral seem like a graceful enough aerial maneuver. Why anyone asked Tim to direct the play, I have no idea. But thank God they did! It s not that he turned out to be the next Stanislavski or anything no, no. I just found myself enjoying the play because of his involvement, and despite my apprehensions about acting. He brought his brusque approach to directing, of course. He bellowed at us, gestured as if we might actually understand his strange version of semaphore, and treated us like the third-rate thespians we were. Most memorably though, at the beginning of each rehearsal, his glasses sat on the bridge of nose instead of atop his head. With each successive disappointment during practice, they slid down his nose, lower and lower, until they rested on the tip of his snout so he could stare down at his script and then at us with disapproving eyes. Did I mention we only had one month to practice this godforsaken play about God not forsaking the Earth before performing it for a full house? In retrospect, this probably accounted for the desperation in Tim s direction. He carped on and on about what to say, how to say it, and on more than one occasion where we could shove it. To the casual observer, he might have looked as though he were on the verge of a heart attack his face red, his nostrils flaring like bell-bottoms, his stress levels obviously elevated. In the end, the play proved tolerable some would even say enjoyable for attendees. Though there was more Oscar Mayer than just plain Oscar in my hammy performance, I survived, too. Tim almost did not, however six months later, he suffered a very real heart attack. He has since recovered, and remains as salty and unsavory as ever. In his most recent Sunday school teaching adventure, he subjected his adult classmates to the works of Anne Lamott and Plato together, as if the two of them were best pals. Had Tim s heart attack killed him last June, our church would be without one of its most colorful characters. When it comes to the Apostle Paul s analogy of the church as the body of Christ, in fact, I tend to think of Tim as the liver producer of bile, and the part I think of when I read of Jesus criticizing the religious establishment. Perhaps Tim s heart attack didn t kill him because his liver keeps him going more than his heart does. Who better to usher in the true spirit of Christmas then, than one whose own rawness rivals that of Christ s coming into this world? Like Jesus, who entered the world covered in blood and vernix, smelling straw and manure from his manger, Tim lives with an acute awareness of life s unpleasantries. That being said, I suppose he afflicts the comfortable not because he enjoys it although I know he does but inadvertently. People as thorny as Tim rarely shake hands with others without pricking them once in awhile. Being friends with Tim, I sometimes feel like a prima ballerina, as he always keeps me on my toes. I suppose that s how people felt around Jesus, too. The church needs more people like Tim, if you ask me people who are unafraid to speak inconvenient truths that attack hearts and minds, opening them to transformation by the great Comforter. Chad Thomas Johnston is a regular contributor to IMAGE Journal s Good Letters blog at Patheos.com Page 10 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014 Page 11

7 White ashes Our Ongoing Spiritual Education Tony Woodlief Last I checked there were 36,000 mentions of Jimmy Fallon in the news, and 8,820 of Kermit Gosnell. It s understandable if you haven t heard of Gosnell. He s a Philadelphia abortionist on trial for, among other things, murdering newborns by snipping their spines with scissors. He did this after failing to murder them while some portion of their bodies remained in the birth canal that practice, of course, being considered humane by organizations like Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League, and the National Organization for Women. Gosnell ran a slaughterhouse; sometimes he kept the severed feet of his tiny victims in jars. At least one woman died under his ministrations. His defense alleges that his prosecution is motivated by race. Not the sight of severed baby feet floating in jars, mind you, but race. How wonderful it would be, were Dr. King still alive, to give him five minutes alone in a room with this man. There are four times more mentions of Jimmy Fallon not simply because Americans prefer entertainment to real-life horror. Had Gosnell been, say, a self-professed evangelical who murdered seven abortion doctors, instead of a profiteering abortionist who murdered seven babies, then I promise you, there is no way you would avoid hearing about it. There is no question about the morality of abortion for most journalists, only questions about the morality of people who oppose it. It s easy to blame journalists, and in this case they deserve blame. But I remember that in his heyday George Tiller, a late-term abortionist operating in Wichita, Kansas, secured from the city council a permit to expand his operations and add an incinerator to his facility. Tiller s abortuary was located next to a car dealership, and if you talked to the guys working there, they would explain to you how every week they had to get out the hoses and wash white ash off the cars. One day, a man walked into Tiller s church and shot him in the head. That made the news, and it should have. But those white ashes? Reporting them would have been gauche. A journalist might get mistaken for some kind of religious nut, talking about those ashes. History scorns the people who lived outside Auschwitz and Treblinka, with their weak protests of ignorance. How will history treat us, I wonder? Page 12 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014 Page 13

8 Q: Why are other ethnic groups and other religious faiths so strong in their solidarity and community? A: Because they support each other, and patronize each other s businesses. Then, to likewise be strong, let us learn the lesson: Support and patronize our people s businesses. Kali Parea Our Kali Parea group will have their luncheon meetings on the second Monday of every month. The coordinator for our group is Mr. Gianakouros. Please join this active group for fellowship and conversation. NY JUNGLE HAIR, BODY & SOUL Expose The Ultimate You! Hair Nails Facials Massage Tanning Waxing & More Route 303 Tappan, NY Good Day! Here is our Parish Calendar and Events for our Winter Season: January, February, and March, For the next newsletter of April, May, and June, 2014 (our Spring Issue), the deadline for all news items is March 1st. So, everybody think about what your group will be planning and doing for those Spring months, heading into our Summer. All Church groups are asked to submit their materials in a timely fashion. Be sure to double-check our Sunday Church Bulletins for any possible scheduling changes or last-minute developments, additions, or deletions. January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014 Page 14 Page 15

9 January, 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Saint Basil VASILOPITA Vespers, 7:00 p.m. 6 Holy Epiphany 7 Saint John/Baptist Greek Edu. Comm., 7 pm. 8 Parish Council, 8:00 p.m Adult Bible Study, 7 pm Three Hierarchs Celebration Three Hierarchs OR = ORTHROS, 8:45 a.m. 31 DL = Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m. Page 16 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014

10 February, 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Lord s Presentation 3 4 Greek Edu. Council, 7 pm Parish Council, 8 p.m Adult Bible Study, 7 pm st Sat/Souls 23 Meatfare Sunday OR = ORTHROS, 8:45 a.m. DL = Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m. Page 17 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014

11 March, 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2nd Sat/Souls 2 Cheesefare Sunday 3 Great Lent Begins. Great Compline, 7 pm. 4 Greek Edu, 7 pm. 5 Pre-Sanctified DL, 7 pm. No Olympics Practice, please 6 7 Cairetismoiv / 1st Salutations, 7 pm. 8 3rd Sat/Souls 9 Sunday/Orthodoxy Pre-Sanctified Parish Council, 8 pm. Adult Bible Study, 7 pm Cairetismoiv / 2nd Salutations, 7 pm Pre-Sanctified DL, 7 pm. No Olympics Practice, please Cairetismoiv / 3rd Salutations, 7 pm ANNUNCIATION 26 Pre-Sanctified Cairetismoiv / 4th Salutations, 7 pm OR = ORTHROS, 8:45 a.m. DL = Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m. Page 18 January, February, March, 2014 January, February, March, 2014