Vine. The. Jesus said, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.

Transcription

1 March 2010 Vine The S t. Demet r i o s Greek Ort h o d o x Chur c h, 57 Bro w n Street, Wes to n, MA Fr. Nick s Message Jesus said, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. (John 15:5) Contents Liturgical Schedule...2 Messages...3 Youth Photos...7 Calendar...8 Stewardship & Philoptochos...9 News & Events...10 Media, Witness & Outreach...11 Announcements...12 Beloved Parishioners, I wish you a Great Lent filled with reflection, peace and spiritual progress. May we all strive to rediscover our true identity: as sons and daughters of our Lord Jesus Christ and inheritors of His legacy of grace, renewal and forgiveness. Part of this striving and rediscovery during Lent is the program of services, retreats and special events offered to us all. The following highlights reveal that there is truly something for everyone this Lenten season. * Throughout Lent: Our Divine Services. Wednesday Pre-Sanctified Liturgies, Friday Night Salutations, and the inspiring cycle of Holy Week services are all outlined in The Vine and weekly bulletins. These sacred times of worship and hope speak to the fabric of our being. * March 13: Parish Adult Retreat with Dr. Aristotle Papanikolaou. Our program, We Are What We Do, will focus on the sacrament of Confession and the vital practice of fasting, and will take place on the campus of our beautiful seminary in Brookline. * March 12 14: Lenten Young Adult Retreat with Fr. Frank Marangos. We ll join with young adults from Boston parishes and the greater Manhattan area in a study of the Prodigal Son parable through the lens of contemporary culture: Avatars of Spirituality: Rediscovering the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The retreat will take place at our Contoocook, NH retreat center. * March 26 27: GOYA Overnight. Our 7 12th graders, along with teen guests from local parishes, will enjoy a night of spiritual growth and fellowship, built around the theme: Let Us Love One Another, that with One Mind We May Confess. * March 27: Saturday of Lazarus Palm-Cross Making Event. In preparation for Palm Sunday, all of our parishioners are invited to join us for Divine Liturgy, breakfast and Palm-Cross making. * April 2: Annual Holy Friday Retreat at St. Demetrios. This much-anticipated day of faith, reflection and friendship is open to all of the children of our parish and led by our Church School, HOPE, JOY and GOYA leaders. This year s theme will be Turning Toward God and One Another. * April 9 11: OCF College Retreat entitled Angels & Demons: Filtering Pop Culture. Dn. Nicholas Belcher, of Hellenic College, will lead our college and graduate students in a compelling examination of the challenges and opportunities offered our youth in contemporary culture. Perhaps your family is able to attend several youth programs. Maybe you ve been wanting to participate in one of the special Lenten services and have decided this will be the year. Even if you can connect with only one of these meaningful offerings, your Lenten experience will be broadened and your relationship with God will have grown. Please make this commitment to God and to yourself. Above all, know that your St. Demetrios parish is there for you for your family and is a place where your faith can grow and where your relationship with God can blossom. Anticipating His glorious resurrection, Fr. Nick

2 Liturgical Schedule Schedule of Church Services Sunday Services Orthos, 8:30; Divine Liturgy, 9:30 March 7 Sunday of the Holy Cross March 14 Sunday of St. John Climacus March 21 Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt March 28 Palm Sunday Midweek Services (before holy week) Wednesday, March 3, 6 pm Presanctified Liturgy at St. Demetrios Friday, March 5, 7 pm Salutations Wednesday, March 10, 6 pm Presanctified Liturgy at Taxiarchae, Watertown Friday, March 12, 7 pm Salutations Wednesday, March 17, 6 pm Presanctified Liturgy at St. Demetrios Friday, March 19, 7 pm Akathist Hymn The Image of our Messiah: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6). Did You Know. That the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (March 25) and Palm Sunday (March 28) are days on which our Lenten fasting is lifted to a certain degree? On these days we can enjoy fish, like haddock or salmon.this is because even though we are in Lent, it is still proper for us to celebrate these momentous occasions in our salvation history the coming of the Good News to the Theotokos and the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Though this lifting may seem insignificant, it is the Church s way of prayerfully recognizing these feasts within the fast and creates an occasion for us to celebrate the many gifts of our Orthodox Christian faith. From the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: Lord our God, You have guided us to these most holy days, and admitted us as participants to Your awesome Mysteries. Unite us to Your spiritual flock and declare us heirs to Your kingdom, now and forever. Amen. Lenten Meditation of St. Leo the Great: But as the salvation of our souls is not gained solely by fasting, let us fill up what is wanting in our fasting with almsgiving to the poor. Let us give to virtue what we take from pleasure. Let the abstinence of the man who fasts be the dinner of a poor man. Let us have thought for the protection of the widow, for the welfare of the orphans, for the comforting of those that mourn, for the peace of those who live in discord. Let the stranger be given shelter. Let the oppressed be aided, the naked be clothed, the sick cherished; so that whosoever has offered from his own works of justice a sacrifice of righteousness to God, the Author of all good things, may merit to receive from the selfsame the reward of a heavenly kingdom. Sunday, March 28 Bridegroom Service, 7 pm Holy Monday, March 29 Bridegroom Service, 7 pm Holy Week Schedule of Church Services Good Friday, April 2 The Royal Hours, 9 am Apokathelosis, Descent from the Cross, 3:30 pm Lamentations Service, 7:30 pm Wednesday, March 24, 7 pm Vespers, Annunciation of Theotokos at Annunciation Cathedral Thursday, March 25, 9 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy, Annunciation of Theotokos at St. Demetrios Saturday, March 27, 8:30 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy, Lazarus Saturday Holy Tuesday, March 30 Bridegroom Service & Hymn of Kassiani, 7 pm Holy Wednesday, March 31 Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, 9 am Holy Unction, 3:30 & 7 pm Holy Thursday, April 1 Institution of the Holy Eucharist, 8 am The Passion of our Lord/Crucifixion of Christ (Reading of Twelve Gospels), 7 pm Holy Saturday, April 3 Vesperal Divine Liturgy, 8 am Canon Vigil & Resurrection Service, 11 pm Sunday, April 4 - Pascha Vespers of Agape, 11 am p. 2

3 messages BUILDING ON OUR FAITH Building Committee update The parishioners of St. Demetrios are an ever increasing source of strength, talent and commitment, and I am honored to be part of an effort where such innovative and dedicated souls have accepted the mandate of the General Assembly of last May to replace our aging sanctuary with a new one that will be able to accommodate our stewards and their manifold ministries. Our parishioners you have grown it to the point where in eight short months we can now announce to the parish that we have achieved a milestone in funding: The Saint Demetrios Building Fund has received $2,400,000 in pledges and donations to date and we currently have cash in the amount of $1,000,000 in FDIC insured bank accounts. St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church 57 Brown St. Weston, MA (781) (781) (fax) Fr. Nicholas Krommydas Proistamenos frnick@stdemetriosweston.org Fr. Alex Chetsas Presbyter fralex@stdemetriosweston.org Church SecretarY Cathy Smith csmith@stdemetriosweston.org ST. DEMETRIOS CONNECTIONS Fr. Nicholas Krommydas, Pastor Fr. Alex Chetsas, Co-Pastor Cathy Smith, Secretary Peter Gramenelles, Sexton Chris Pappas, Parish Council President Eugenia Kourlos, Philoptochos President Bookstore, Carol Loridas Choir, Gregory Condakes Fifty-Something Club, Portia Pantages Faith and Works Ministries A Suitable Image, Nancy Savage Brown Bag Sunday, Lydia Santangelo Habitat for Humanity, Elaine Fischer St. Nicholas Angel Tree, Nancy Savage Hospitality/Fellowship Hour Committee, Georgia Mavro Library, Cindy Dabrowski Orthodox Life Series, James Skedros Outreach and Evangelism, Vanessa Theoharis, Chris Resmini Philoptochos Care Ministries Hellenic Nursing Home, Pam Brody Miracle Kitchen, Dorothea Ocnos Prayer-Shawl, Tilda Mitsakos Quiltathon, Debbie Morakis Prosfora Ministry, Tilda Mitsakos Senior Guild, Tina Haratsis Stewardship, Dean Coclin YOUTH Altar Service, Chris Kourlos, Sam Johnson Basketball, Fr. Alex Chetsas Church School, Stavroula Gurguliatos Church School Outreach, Gloria Moskos Church School Music Director, Jane Kourtis GOYA, Jon Resmini Greek Folk Dancing, Margaret Talmers Galatano Greek Language School, Avra Parpos HOPE, Donna Markis, Stacy Katsikaris JOY, Jill Kovatsis, Kathy Vasil OCF, Chris Resmini, Chris Nakis These pledges represent nearly 40% of the total budget! In addition we have, through a long process written about in detail earlier, selected a talented architect who is working diligently on a design that answers brilliantly all the challenges he has been given with the kind of sanctuary that responds to parishioners inputs tendered at the parish-wide design charrette held last September 16th and adheres to the Orthodox traditions we value so highly. On Thursday, February 25th, Tom Gatzunis s Development Committee will be making the final selection of our construction management company from a field of eight extremely well pre-qualified candidates. In short: we are well ahead of schedule in every conceivable category and the new St. Demetrios sanctuary has, as often is the case with such endeavors, taken on a new, more concrete reality than the earlier, conceptual phase. Obviously, it can now be declared that our parish s project is very real, very timely and very worthy of your generous attention. How is this happening? Well, dedicated parishioners have responded to our public requests to host receptions in their homes where the detailed plans are discussed by the architect, Fr. Nick or Fr. Alex, and myself or other dedicated members of the Capital Campaign Committee. These intimate gatherings of parishioners are the essence of a respectful discussion about the attributes of our new sanctuary. The excitement and enthusiasm that follow is characteristic of our proud St. Demetrios parish that has made us the national leader we are today and will continue to be in the future. We would love to hear from you too. If you would like to host such a dignified informational session, kindly give me a call at to discuss the details. As I have said so often this process is open to EVERYONE! Please become a part of this once-in-a-lifetime spiritual journey. Your initiative will be greatly appreciated by all, because even though we have come so far, we still have much to accomplish in realizing our collective dream of Building on our Faith. p.

4 youth Don t let anyone look down on you because you are young... March: March 7 March 14 March 21 March 27 March 28 March 29 March 30 March 31 April 1 April 2 April 3 April 4 CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS Second Grade bulletin board display Church School Classes; Staff Mtg.; Oratorical Festival (grades 7-9) Church School Classes; Oratorical Festival (grades 10-12) Church School Classes Saturday of Lazarus (Communion Breakfast & Palm-Cross Making) Palm Sunday: Family Worship/ No classes Holy Monday: Mirofora Holy Tuesday: Mirofora Holy Wednesday: Epistle Readers during afternoon service Holy Thursday Good Friday: Retreat, Flower girls (2nd grade in afternoon, 6th grade in evening) Holy Saturday Pascha: Agape Service readers ORATORICAL FESTIVAL - The Oratorical Festival for the Junior Division will take place on Sunday, March 7 during their scheduled class time, and the Oratorical Festival for the Senior Division will take place on Sunday, March 14 during their scheduled class time. LENTEN OUTREACH OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center) coin boxes were distributed in February and are available outside the church office. All of our families and parishioners are asked to take one home and regularly contribute to it throughout Lent. Proceeds will be used to serve Orthodox Christian missionaries throughout the world. Learn more at SALUTATIONS SERVICES - The Salutations service is a beautiful Lenten service in the honor of the Virgin Mary. We invite all students to attend. Our Junior Choir will be participating in the service on Friday, March 12. Church School Director Stavroula Gurguliatos may be contacted at StDemetriosChurchSchool@verizon.net. Altar Servers Anticipate Holy & Great Lent We are in the midst of Lent, and Holy Week will be here before we know it. All of our boys, both teams, are encouraged to serve as much as possible from Palm Sunday through Easter. Please contact Chris Kourlos ( ) or Sam Johnson ( ). ST. LAWRENCE: March 14 Captain: Tom Resmini, Vice-Captain: Jason Theoharis Michael Condakes, Walker Littlehale, Perry Maheras, Kosta Pappas, Alex Santangelo, Nick Spinale ST. STEPHEN: March 7, 21 Captain: Lee Condakes, Vice Captains: Anthony Chirban & Peter Mavrikis Mike Gatzunis, Matt Gatzunis, Anthony Houhoulis, John Kambouris, Luke Pashos Palm Sunday (March 28) through Easter (April 4): Both teams/all boys HOLY WEEK CHURCH SCHOOL SCHEDULE Saturday, March 27: SATURDAY OF LAZARUS 9:30 am Liturgy / Palm-Cross Making. All Church School students and families are invited to prepare palms for Palm Sunday service. Sunday, March 28: PALM SUNDAY / No Classes Seventh to twelve grade girls will participate in the Mirofora procession. Please encourage your daughters to participate. Wednesday, March 31: HOLY WEDNESDAY We need students to read the epistle (6th grade and up) for the afternoon service. If you are interested, please contact Stavroula Gurguliatos at stdemetrioschurchschool@verizon.net. Friday, April 2: GOOD FRIDAY There will be a Church School student retreat 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Sign up by the Church entrance. Second grade girls will participate in the afternoon procession. Fifth grade girls will participate in the evening procession. Greek Folk Dancing in 2010 Sundays 11:45 12:45 March 14, 21 Contact Margaret Talmers at: margaret.e.talmers@gmail.com or p.

5 ...but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12) youth HOPE, JOY Sponsors Saturday of Lazarus Breakfast Our Souper Bowl outreach on Feb. 7 was an amazing success! Over $900 was raised by our parishioners and sent to relief efforts in Haiti via the IOCC. Thanks to all of our parishioners for their loving support! We also had a great time at our February Family Night watching UP and enjoying lots of popcorn, treats and friendship. Our HOPE & JOY families will be sponsoring the Saturday of Lazarus Communion Breakfast this year on March 27. Please come, bring family and friends and contact any of our leaders to help with supplies and serving on the 27th. Helping out is a great way to really feel a part of things at St. Demetrios and meet new friends! HOPE (K 2nd) Donna Markis: dmarkis@boston.k12.ma.us or Stacy Katsikaris: stacy.katsikaris@comcast.net JOY (3rd 6th) Jill Kovatsis: ja.k@verizon.net Kathy Vasil: kmvasil@verizon.net GOYA Looks Forward to March Overnight! This past month our GOYA participated in a myriad of events. From the traditional GOYA Fridays, to our monthly Family Nights, and the annual Glendi at our church, the month of January was busy! We have been planning a joint lock-in including the churches of Arlington, Lexington, and Watertown, on Friday, March 26 to Saturday, March 27. This allows us to fulfill our theme, Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess. Together, we ll engage in discussion and fellowship, as well as unite the Greek Orthodox youth. Please look for our flyers and sign outside the Narthex, and sign up by Sunday, March 21. Eleni Kalivas GOYA Vice President Holy Friday Youth Retreat April 2, 11:00 am 3:00 pm Turning Toward God and One Another But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well. And the woman was made well from that hour. Matthew (9:22) p. 5 Church School, HOPE, JOY, GOYA, and all children and families of our parish Parental/Parishioner support is very welcome and needed What can you bring for our Lenten lunch? Please contact Presvytera Elaine Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus consistently turned toward the Father and to those in need around Him: the sick, the suffering, and all those who needed Him. What does it mean for us to turn toward God or turn away from Him? For that matter, to turn toward people in our lives or turn away from them? And what is the connection between God and everyone He has made? These questions and more will be explored through age-appropriate sessions on the 2nd. Look for the sign-up poster outside the Narthex this month, and sign up your family by March 28, Palm Sunday, so that plans can be made. The spiritual lives of our children are very real and very profound. Let s offer our children this unique opportunity to explore their faith and grow in their understanding of Christ and all He has done for us. See you then, and please bring family, friends and guests. All are welcome! Contact Church School director Stavroula Gurguliatos for details and to help: StDemetriosChurchSchool@verizon.net. Young Adult Retreat March 12 14: Avatars of Spirituality: Rediscovering the Parable of the Prodigal Son Presenters for this young adult retreat include Fr. Frank Marangos, Fr. Luke Veronis and Fr. Alex Chetsas, and the event will take place on the campus of our retreat center in Contoocook. Attendees will be gathering from Holy Trinity Cathedral in Manhattan as well as the greater Boston area. Together, we ll attempt to see this important parable with new eyes and through the lens of contemporary culture. In addition to our sessions, a Saturday program of skiing, snow-tubing or snowshoeing is offered! To register, see Fr. Alex or contact the St. Methodios Retreat Center: smfhcenter@boston.goarch.org; Greek language & cultural School Greek Independence Day Program is Sunday, March 21 On Sunday, March 21, the Greek Language & Cultural School will host a short program, including a Greek dance performance, to celebrate the Annunciation of the Theotokos and Greek Independence Day. The program will take place in the Church hall immediately following Liturgy. The Greek School will also sponsor the Fellowship Hour on this Sunday. The parish is invited to share this event, taking pride in our children and in this commemorative program. Giortazei h patrida se kaqe mergia Murizoun oi dafnes Gela h leuteria ZHTW H 25 MARTIOU 1821! In addition, volunteers are needed to participate in the Greek Independence Day Parade scheduled for Sunday, April 25. More details to follow. For ongoing details concerning our Greek Language & Cultural School, please contact Avra Parpos at: (508)

6 youth OCF Engages Lent & Looks Toward Bright Week Retreat We began our Lenten journey last month with a Q & A session with Fr. Alex and then helped out with February s Brown Bag Blitz. Please put aside time for these coming events: March 5, 9:00 pm: Holy Resurrection Coffee House (food, fun, & local talent), Allston March 11, 7:00 pm: Gathering at Brandeis University. March 21: Meeting following Divine Liturgy at St. Demetrios. April 3/4: We ll be serving refreshments after the Resurrection Service. April 9 11: OCF Regional Retreat at St. Demetrios. We re hosting this Bright Week retreat, so we need lots of help from all our members! The topic is Angels & Demons: Filtering Pop Culture, and our retreat leader will be Dn. Nicholas Belcher of Hellenic College/Holy Cross. May 2: Walk for Hunger followed by end of year BBQ at Fr. Alex & Presv. Brandy s. Contact co-chairs Chris Resmini (chrisresmini@hotmail.com) or Chris Nakis (cnakis@gmail. com); or Brandeis OCF President Kristina Yepez (klyepez@ brandeis.edu) for more details. Saintly Lives Symeon the New Theologian Commemorated Oct. 12 & March 12 the date of his repose St. Symeon the New Theologian ( ) is one of three saints of the Orthodox Church to have been given the title of theologian (the others are St. John the Apostle and St. Gregory Nazianzen). Born in Galatia and educated at Constantinople, he became abbot of the monastery of St. Mamas. He believed that humans can experience the Spirit of God directly, and his writings embody the deepest mystical traditions of the Orthodox Faith. His words will no doubt give us direction and inspiration as we journey through Holy and Great Lent: Our holy fathers have renounced all other spiritual work and concentrated wholly on this one doing, that is, on guarding the heart, convinced that, through this practice, they would easily attain every other virtue, whereas without it not a single virtue can be firmly established. Making it real. What does it mean to put other things even worthy things behind and focus on guarding the heart? Life is full of distractions, and even the meaningful, good things can drain our energy, frustrate us at times and leave us feeling helpless. This Lent, how can your family focus on guarding your collective heart? How can you make sure your loved ones are being spiritually fed, have time to pray and time to come together for meals and down-time throughout the week? This Lent, work on simplifying and organizing your household routine. Make a list of priorities, with guarding the heart of the family at the top! Trim the fat, see if you can be more efficient with the necessities, and you ll like what you see! Youth Basketball: First Annual Players vs. Parents Scrimmage On Feb. 18, our final JOY Team practice session of the season, our parents challenged our JOY players to a friendly scrimmage. The game was surprisingly hard-fought with several injuries to the parent team. The final score has been reported as 98 to 12, with both teams claiming the 98 tally. Fr. Nick has been called in to mediate this hotly disputed issue. On a more serious note, this year s playoffs are scheduled for March 5 7. All the best to our JOY and GOYA teams, who have worked very hard this year. We hope and pray the friendships they ve created will last a lifetime! Parents and players are asked to save the date of March 14 for the annual banquet. Details will follow shortly. Please contact our coaches for specifics regarding playoff game dates and times. Contact: JOY: Coach Matt Little (mattlittle@northeastia.com) GOYA: Coach Brian Dowling (bdowling@techtarget.com) & Coach Nick Kakas (nkakas@comcast.net). p.

7 photos Glendi Senior Guild p.

8 calendar March 2010 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Prayer Shawl Ministry, 1-3 pm Greek School, Presanctified Liturgy, 6 pm at St. Demetrios Parish Council Dinner Meeting, 7:30 pm Holy Friday Retreat Committee, 7:30 pm 4 Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 pm 5 Salutations, 7 pm OCF Coffee House, 9 pm Metropolis Basketball Playoffs begin Holy Cross Oratorical Festival, Junior Church School Staff Meeting GOYA Officers Meeting OCF Meeting EPOCH Outreach, 10:30 Greek School, 4-6, Special presentation, Icons Philoptochos board meeting, 7:30 Presanctified Liturgy, 6 pm at Watertown Men s Bible Study, 7-8:15 OCF at Brandeis, 7 pm Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 pm St. Symeon commemorated Salutations, 7 pm Avatar Young Adult Retreat begins Great Lent Adult Retreat, St. John Climacus Oratorical Festival, Senior Prayer Shawl Ministry, 1-3 pm Greek School, 4-6 Presanctified Liturgy, 6 pm at St. Demetrios Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 pm Akathist Hymn, 7 pm Hellenic Nursing Home, 2-3:30 pm Grk Folk Dancing St. Mary of Egypt Greek School Independence Day Program Grk Folk Dancing OCF Meeting Greek School, 4-6 Vespers of the Annunciation, 7 pm, at Cathedral Annunciation Orthros and Divine Liturgy, 9:00 am Senior Guild Luncheon Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 pm GOYA lock-in begins Salvation Army Miracle Kitchen, 4-7 pm Lazarus Saturday Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 8:30 am Communion Breakfast & Palm Cross Making April Palm Sunday Holy Monday Holy Tuesday Holy Wednesday Holy Thursday Holy Friday Holy Saturday Bake Sale and Lamb Raffle Church School Retreat, p.

9 stewardship & philoptochos Philoptochos upcoming events March 14, Hosting Fellowship Hour March 28, Palm Sunday Bake Sale & Lamb Raffle following Liturgy. All proceeds to benefit Philoptochos charities. For homemade Bake Sale donations, please contact Jane Kourtis at Tickets for the Lamb Raffle are $2 each or 6 for $10 and will be mailed to parishioners and available during Fellowship Hour. Please make checks payable to St. Demetrios Philoptochos. For more details contact Gina Spencer at or gina@pdillc.com. April 4, Paschal Reception. The reception will be hosted by St. Demetrios OCF. If you would like to donate some baked goods for the Paschal Reception, please contact Eugenia Kourlos at Membership. Philoptochos Membership letters were mailed out in January. It is not too late to become a new member or to renew your stewardship. Please contact Linda Toyias for details at March s National Philoptochos Society Commitments/ Programs are the OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center) and Hellenic College/Holy Cross: OCMC: We provide financial support to the OCMC missionary teams, strengthening their ability to empower the Orthodox Church worldwide to carry its message to those who have yet to hear it and bring them within its fold. Hellenic College/Holy Cross: We have offered scholarships for more than 20 years to worthy and dedicated students at both schools to assist them with their tuition expenses. On the Third Sunday of Lent, observing the Veneration of the Holy Cross, Philoptochos chapters collect donations to support the operational expenses of the school. Eugenia Kourlos Philoptochos President Prayer of St. Ephraem the Syrian Lord and Master of my life, cast away from me the spirit of laziness, idle curiosity, love of power and vain talk. But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of moderation, humility, patience and love. Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters. For You are blessed forever. Amen. Philoptochos Board Meeting March 9, 7:30 pm Stewardship update Here are the latest figures from our 2010 Stewardship campaign: to date we have received 306 pledges totaling $286,602, and we have collected $81,405 against that commitment. In addition we have received $8,121 from 69 parishioners. This is exactly where we were last year at this time. I presented the 2009 figures at the General Assembly meeting but just to summarize, we received pledges totaling $499,854 from 620 stewards. We collected 99% of the amount at the end of January and continue to receive contributions toward 2009 pledges. Over $125,000 in contributions came in during the month of December alone! Year-end stewardship statements are being mailed in the next 2 weeks so you should have them by beginning of March. Dean Coclin Stewardship Chairman p.

10 news & events upcoming events and announcements Fellowship Hour Hosts Needed: All supplies are provided. Please contact co-coordinators Mary Ellen Paravalos ( ) or Julie Kavas ( ). Thank you! The 50-Something Club wishes everyone a Kalo Pascha! Senior Guild Liturgy & Luncheon on March 25, 9:30 am: We are back on schedule starting the 25th to celebrate the Annunciation of the Theotokos. Please wear something blue and white: a hat, scarf, purse, sweater, tie, etc., and you may be surprised with a token gift for your originality. Let s make this a day of enjoyment and celebration for this Lenten season with an inspiring Liturgy and a really special luncheon. Welcome back for this 2010 season! Please also save the following dates: April 23: The Feast of St. George May 13: Ascension of the Lord June: Trip scheduled. Sat. of Lazarus March 27: Liturgy, Communion Breakfast, and Palm-Cross Making: Our Church School, all youth organizations and our entire parish are invited to join us for this much-anticipated day of worship, fun and friendship. Orthros and Divine Liturgy will begin at 8:30 am, with a pancake breakfast to follow giving us energy to fold our palms for the Palm Sunday service. Please save the date and make this wonderful annual event a priority for your family. Lenten Pastoral VisitS: Do you have a homebound family member or friend who would like a visit during Lent? Please contact Fr. Nick or Fr. Alex to make arrangements. Names for Holy FridaY: Following the Lamentations each year, Fr. Nick and Fr. Alex pray before the Epitaphio icon, remembering our loved ones who have fallen asleep in the Lord. Please forward the names of your deceased loved ones to the church office. Forms will be available at the pangari throughout March. Looking for Employment or Need Help In Your Business? At any given time, and especially during these difficult economic times, there have been jobs lost. If anyone is looking to hire help for their business, why not consider looking within our own church family? Conversely, if you are looking for work, let Fr. Nick or Fr. Alex know and perhaps they can try networking to assist you. Website Progress: This month, the shell of our new website will be up, along with several basic features, including a welcome message, The Vine archives, and weekly bulletin access. Please check every month to see what s new, and contact Fr. Alex will with your observations and recommendations. This new site is designed to serve our parish family, so our collective input is truly vital. OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center) Lenten Mission BoxeS: The 48-day period of Lent and Holy Week provides us with an opportunity for introspection, fasting, prayer and reflection on our relationship with God and our obligations to each other. Please help our Church School in its efforts to instill and develop this understanding in our children by supporting the work of the OCMC, which reaches out to aid the needy, regardless of race, creed, or color, throughout the world. Please encourage your children to pray for others (IOCC prayer books have been handed out) and to fill their Lenten Mission Boxes with money they themselves have earned. Any amount is great. ADULT EDUCATION ORTHODOX LIFE MINISTRY Secularism in America: What is it & Where did it come from? April 13 May 15, 7 8:30 pm Join us on Tuesday evenings April 13 May 15, 7 8:30 pm for this fascinating program led by Charles Lelon and Dr. Andrew Walsh. Bring a friend to this approachable and very relevant study of the world we live in right here, right now. Great Lent Adult Retreat We Are What We Do: The Point of Christian Practices March 13, 9 am - 3 pm Join us on the beautiful campus of Hellenic College/Holy Cross for this inspirational program led by Dr. Aristotle Papanikolaou, Associate Professor of Theology, Fordham University. The retreat will focus on the Sacrament of Confession and the holy practice of fasting and will run from 9:00 am 3:00 pm. Registration forms are available in the Narthex and outside the church office. The registration deadline is March 10; free will offerings will be accepted to help defray the cost of the program. For more information, please contact Dorothea ( ) or Mickie ( ) and forward your reservation form to Mrs. Cynthia Dabrowski, 34 Trailside Way, Ashland, MA Offering checks should be made payable to St. Demetrios Church. All are welcome please make this event a part of your personal Lenten journey. p. 10

11 media, witness and outreach Local Outreach to Haitians Makes a Difference Michael Spiros, son of Van and Carolyn, is currently heading to Fond Parisien, Haiti to engage in humanitarian work with the HHI (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative). Several months ago, Michael was also involved in a similar effort with a group of physicians from Boston hospitals dedicated to emergency and outreach programs. To learn more about Boston-based efforts in Haiti, please check out HHI s website: earthquake-in-haiti. Most importantly, keep Michael, his selfless colleagues and those they serve in your prayers this Lenten season. News from the Library Committee: Lenten Offerings for All As Great Lent is approaching, we wish to recommend the following: John Climacus The Ladder of Divine Ascent, translated by Colm Luibheid (B & Q). The ascetical life is portrayed as a ladder which each aspirant must ascend, each step being a virtue to be acquired, or a vice to be surrendered. Its 30 steps reflect the hidden life of Christ himself. Annual Resource Companion: The Triodion, edited by Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos (J). Contains 24 illuminating essays on the Triodion period, the period of preparation for the Great Festival of Pascha. Essays include the topics of forgiveness, humility, self-sacrifice, divine love, redemption, and more. Other books: The Lenten Spring, by Thomas Hopko (J) The Lenten Covenant, by Leonidas Contos (J) Great Lent, by Alexander Schmemann (J) The Feasts of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, translated by Paul Meyendorff (J) These books are located in the Recommendation Shelf and need to be returned within two weeks. If you need to keep them longer please contact Cindi Dabrowski at (508) The Library is open every Sunday after Divine Liturgy as well as Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. Please fill out both cards and leave the orange card in the metal box (located on the Recommendation Shelf). This will help us to keep track of these books. We invite you to come and visit the library. Remember, this library is for you and your family. Check us out. Help with Our Journey to Pascha Our Archdiocesan website is filled with helpful information and inspirational teaching tools not the least of which is the Great Lent, Holy Week & Pascha page found at Once there, search Resources for Our Journey to Pascha, an excellent day-by-day explanation of Holy Week. Reading this approachable brochure before and during Holy Week will truly enhance your Lenten journey and build your understanding of our profound divine services. PHILANTHROPY and SOCIAL ACTION Brown Bag Ministry: Benefitting St. Francis House St. Francis House is a remarkable institution offering food, shelter, clothing, medical treatment, employment support and so much more to so many in the Boston area. Any and all nonperishable goods are welcome for this drive. Thanks to all for your generosity! Filled bags may be dropped at the front/rear entrances of the Church building. Or look for the shopping cart waiting to receive your offerings! Contact Lydia Santangelo: lydiaeventspclst@aol.com. Epoch Outreach: March 9 at 10:30 am Join us for a visit this Lenten season! Contact Fr. Alex for details. p. 11

12 announcements Altar Flowers Sunday, February 7 Stowe and Nellie Carr, in remembrance of their daughter, Christine. Joyce Callas Dempsey, in loving memory of Lou Callas. Yvonne Drymiotis Sunday, February 14 Elaine Grilli, in remembrance of her parents and brother. Saturday, February 20 Marianne Gigliotti, in loving memory of her mother, Maria. Sunday, February 21 Marianne Gigliotti, in remembering loved ones. Mary Ann Pappanikou, in remembering loved ones. Sunday, February 28 Marianne Dadasis, in loving memory of her mother, Ethel. Funerals Michael A.V. Ward of Lexington, Monday, February 1. Harry Rodes of Wellesley, Tuesday, February 2. May their memory be eternal! SAVE THE DATE! Important St. Demetrios events: March 19: Akathistos Hymn March 26: GOYA Overnight Retreat ( Let Us Love One Another ) March 27: Saturday of Lazarus Palm-Cross Making Event April 2: Holy Friday Youth Retreat May 2: Walk for Hunger June 8: Annual Golf Tournament S t. Demet r i o s Greek Ort h o d o x Chur c h 57 Bro w n Street W e s to n, MA 02493