April, May, and June, Spring Issue:

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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 Spring Issue: April, May, and June, 2018 Published Quarterly Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Under the Auspices of His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios Hereafter, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. The Gospel of Saint John 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.

2 Parish Roll For any emergencies or spiritual need, please call Father Samaras on the Parish cell phone: (845) Parish Council: President: Naoum Hatzis Vice-President: Nick Anagnostopoulos* Treasurer: John Livanos Secretary: George Hanos* The Council Members Constantine Dolianitis Michael Dolianitis Gus Drivas* John Fellas Alex Kalos Demetre Karavanas* Bobby Kostopoulos Kyriakos Lazaridis Kelly Maris* Dimitrios Misantonis Michael Markogianis Tribunella (*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. Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln Always a Spiritual Focus, First Dearest Parish Family Members, By the time you read this, we should have entered Holy Week. And, honestly, there is no greater message than this: Cristov"!Anevsth! Christ Is Risen! Even our evening Church services are, in actuality, our morning services held in anticipation of our greatest miracle and faith, which is our souls salvation from God and with God. It doesn t get more clear than this. The tomb is empty so our souls may be full. Our church must be full so our issues and problems may be emptied. This is why we worship, how to help our lives be on track, improving, growing closer to God, where we ultimately end up, anyway. For all of Great Lent, we have fasted because Jesus Christ himself taught this to us, by his word and by his example. Fasting was not made up by our Bishops. For all of Great Lent, we have held pre-sanctified Divine Liturgies and Salutations services for the Theotokos. One of the requirements of a good priest is that he keep studying and reading, finding helpful things for the people to grow by: why do we pray in services to the Virgin Mary, especially during our Salutations service? I have loved and recommend the book, Beginning to Pray, by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom. In it, he gives wonderful understandings of the Theotokos and exactly how she intercedes for us. Please do take time to get this thin, rich book, filled with simple-to-understand theology and pastoral perspective. It will help both your lives and your spiritual growth, which is the meaning of Great Lent and coming close to God. Faithfully, Father Samaras Page 2 Page 3

3 Well Said No good works are accomplished by our efforts alone but by the power and will of God. Nevertheless, God demands effort on our part in conforming to His will. These are the words of Saint Barsanuphios and Saint John. Few words but much said. We are obliged to labour to cultivate and to prepare every good thing, and if some good will take root, grow and bring forth fruit, that is up to the power and will of God. We plow the furrows and God sows, if He wills it. We cleanse the vessels of the Spirit and God pours the Spirit into these vessels, if He will it. He can do anything if He wills it. And He will do everything that responds to the highest wisdom and suitability, that is, to His plan of man s salvation. In interpreting the words of our Lord, So be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves (Matthew 10;16), Saint John Chrysostom writes that our Lord gave this commandment to His disciples that they themselves should cooperate in some way, so that it will not appear that all effort is of Grace alone and for them not to think that they received the wreaths of glory for nothing. And so, both of them are indispensable for our salvation: our effort and the power of God s Grace. STEWARDSHIP Focus, Come and See Dear Stewardship families, Is Your Family Represented? Help us to help you. By this second quarter of the year, we should have all our parish families registered and counted as stewards. In this way, we know how many families we have. If you are not yet a steward family member for 2018, please help out by sending in your stewardship form, especially updating your contact information so we know how to reach you. Faithfully, The Stewardship Committee Sunday School We thank all the parents who brought their children to Sunday School for the past year; to all of our teachers who volunteered their time and efforts; and to Mr. George Hanos who again helped us with our Saturday of Saint Lazaros Holy Communion Divine Liturgy and Breakfast, providing for our families. You ll notice we have quite a large, new crop of youngsters who are being brought to church by their families. Let s get them all the support of our ministries by keeping them coming! Just imagine what we could accomplish if every family brought their child every Sunday, and on time. We need more helpers and ask for others to come forward and help us help your children. Please consider this as a holy offering, a ministry you can participate in. Your children will thank you, as we thank you. Which of you parents will come forward for our Spring program? Most respectfully, Sunday School Teachers Greek School April 1st, Sunday: April 1-7th: April 8th: April 12th, Thursday: April 22nd, Sunday: May 31st, Thursday: June 3rd, Sunday: Palm Sunday; (Student participation expected) Holy Week School Closed EASTER Parent Teacher Conferences; Greek School Registration Begins for September, 2018 Greek Independence Day Parade Last Day of Classes Graduation (All students participate) Page 4 Page 5

4 Philoptochos Spring is in the air and time to go forward. But first, I will like to thank our parishioners for all the support you have given to our luncheons. Without your help, we would not have been able to help families in need. Thanksgiving, we donated food to People to People. Christmas, we adopted a family through United Way. Through the Direct Archdiocesan District Philoptochos, we helped three families who were in need of monetary assistance. Of two of these families, one adult and a fourteenyear-old child need organ transplants. We also donated to the National Philoptochos to help the victims of the hurricanes that took place last year. We are also up to date in our payments to the National Philoptochos for the national ministry commitments. We attended a religious retreat at Zoodohos Pyghi Church, a Clergy-Laity Philoptochos meeting at Archangel Michael Church and we hosted a Regional Philoptochos meeting at our church. The Philoptochos Board and I wish you all a Kalo Pascha. Lola Gabriel, Philoptochos President More Philoptochos In case anyone was wondering, we thought it would be a good idea to share with one and all the often-time unseen extent of what our Philoptochos does, in terms of hard work and charity through our faith. The first thing to realise is that our Philoptochos chapter is not an entity unto itself; rather, it is part of a nationwide family, all contributing to the health and missionary work of our Faith. Our Philoptochos has obligations to our Archdiocesan Elders and organisation. Please consider that this following is just a glimpse at the depth that our Ladies achieve on an annual basis, raising funds and earmarking them for these following group dispersements: National Philoptochos Obligations and the Archdiocesan District of New York Local Disbursements throughout the Year 1. Vasiloptia Collection and Tray Offering Collection 2. Saint Photios Shrine Tray Collection 3. Orthodox Christian Mission Center 4. The Sisterhood of Saint Basil 5. Internationa Orthdoox Christian Charities (IOCC) 6. Support a Mission Priest (SAMP) 7. The Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology (Seminary) 8. The Ecumenical Patriarchate Tray 9. UNICEF 10. National Philoptochos Emergency Fund 11. Archdiocesan Presbyters Council 12. The Retired Clergy Association 13. The 75th Anniversary Founders Fund 14. Orthodox Christian Fellowhsip (OCF) 15. Autism Fund Luncheon 16. The Cancer and Other Major Illnesses Fund 17. Social Services/General Medical Fund 18. Social Services 20. March 25th, Aid to Greece and Cyprus 21. Stewardship Offerings 22. Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, Direct Archdiocesan District of NY Stewardship Offerings. V V V V V And then, there are annual contributions to help support: The Archdiocesan District Archangel Michael s Nursing Home The Hellenic Cultural Center, in Astoria, NY And then, we also give to: Ayia Skepi Monastery (for annual, tradtional breads, etc.) Gift cards to families in need The Children s Medical Fund Page 6 Page 7

5 children were able to get their winter cabin fever out in a Ninja Adventure obstacle course room! V Ronald McDonald Greek Division (for children with cancer). And the list goes on. This is just a way to illustrate all the hard work of gathering and dispersing our Ladies Philoptochos does to enact our Faith and promote Christianity in deed as well as spirit. Please marvel at this, the next time you enjoy the fruits of our parish, and be able to donate generously for all the work that is done by others, our Ladies Philoptochos, in your name and faith. YOUTH PAGES HOPE Happenings (ages 3-7) Our HOPE ministry has been keeping busy with their monthly get-togethers! The group has been growing with as many as 20+ children attending some of the events. One of their more recent events included an outing at High Exposure where the In the months ahead, the group is planning an easter egg hunt and a hike at the waterfalls before they break for the summer. It s not too late to enroll your kids in HOPE since each event is pay as you go. Please reach out to Kristin (tcbk64@aol.com) or Bonnie (nmavro@me.com) for additional information. Our advisors are Bonnie Mavrommatis and Kristin Laoudis Rosenstein. They can be reached at: Kristin: tcbk64@aol.com or and Bonnie: nmavro@me.com JOY Happenings (Ages 8-12) All parents/families of JOY-aged children (ages 8-12) are invited to meet with us, as we schedule our children s activities. Stay tuned for weekly announcements. Please send in your family s addresses, so all are happily communicated with. You can reach Dr. Tsoucaris at sjtsoucarisdmd@gmail.com, and Mr. Moustakakis at John.Moustakakis@wmchealth.org. GOYA Happenings (Ages 13-18) Our Church family used to attend our Archdiocesan District s Summer Olympics. We used to bring home gold medals and had a great time with all. But in the past two years, we ve had no GOYA group, partially because most of our GOYA-aged children graduated, leaving us with only a few teenagers. Moreso, no adult/parent has yet to make the commitment to serve as a GOYA advisor and facilitator. We welcome all kids from ages to join with us. Please come to our Divine Liturgies on Sundays, to share in our fellowship and contribute to our planning. Parents, we need two people to step up and be advisors for our Goya-age teenagers. Please contact Father for sharing. In March, Father sent out a call for all GOYA-aged teenagers to share in the D.A.D. GOYA Scavenger Hunt that took place, this year, at the Cloisters Museum, up at Fort Tryon park, in upper Manhattan. Each year, a new place of interest is chosen. Previously, it was held at Page 8 Page 9

6 the Museum of Modern Art, which our kids still talk about. What a great way to get our teenagers to interact with classical art. This year, our GOYA teenagers participated in the Scavenger Hunt and came in Second Place in achievement, not only succeeding in finding Art and Artifacts, based on Sunday School knowledge, but also in sharing with other teenagers. Winners of the Scavenger Hunt were given commemorative, quality T-Shirts for the occasion (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners, featured below with our Archdiocesan Youth Director, Father Papazafiropoulos). Please bring your teenagers for the next GOYA events, to help them bond with other Orthodox teenagers. We are striving hard to get our JOY and GOYA-aged children to make the commitment to return back to our Summer Olympics Program, held every Memorial Day Weekend in Long Island. Even if we can t staff a full soccer team or baseball team, we can at least do the individual sports activities with other Orthodox Children, and can at least staff a relay-race track team of four to five runners! We just need to help Father with adult advisors and helpers. Call Father for details. PTO News and Plans As always, the PTO is here to answer any and all questions. We will be communicating with parents via handouts and s and in person. Please do not hesitate to ask us any and all questions or concerns. Blessings, Health, and Happiness for our Easter Season and onward. Christina Zacharopoulos, pahis01@gmail.com Elder Paisios of Mount Athos Give thanks to God for everything. Try to be manly. Pull yourself together a bit. Do you know what Christians are suffering in other countries? There are such difficulties in Russia! But here, many exhibit indifference. There s not enough disposition to kindness, love of devotion. You see, if we don t begin to make war against evil, to expose those who tempt believers, then the evil will grow larger. If we throw aside fear, then the faithful will be emboldened a bit. And those who wage war against the Church will have a harder time. In the past, our nation lived spiritually, so God blessed her, and the saints helped us in miraculous fashion. And we were victorious against our enemies, who always outnumbered us. Today, we continue to call ourselves Orthodox Christians, but we don t live Orthodox lives. Page 10 Page 11

7 Poems by Constantine Gletsos Η ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΗ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΘΕΝΟΥΣ ΣΤΟ ΘΕΟ Θεε μου, ΕΣΥ που μας γεννας και το Συμπαν Κυβερνας, δως μου φως, δως μου ελπιδα οπως οταν πρωτοειδα! Βοηθησε την ακοη μου επεσκευασε το αυτι μου να μπορω να ξανακουσω, δεν ζηταω κανα λουσο. Αστρα μυρια τ ουρανου και πουλια του δειλινου στειλτε μια προσευχη στην Ουρανια την Αυλη!! Δεσποτα, παρακλητε, Αγαθε ο σωτηρ των ψυχων ημων, ο τους ασθενεις αναρωον, τouς αμαρτωλους συγχωρον και τους αγαθους αγαπον, βοηθησον τον δουλον σου τον αμαρτωλον, ελθε και σκοινωσον εν ημην και καθαρισον ημας απο πασης κοιληδος και σωσον Αγαθε τας ψυχας ημων! 28 Οκτωβριου, 2009 Πανεπιστημιακο Γενικο Νοσοκομειο Λαρισης Κωνσταντινος Ευαγ. Γλκλετσος Γενικον Νοσοκομειον Λαρισης 19 Οκτωμβριου, 2009 (Αυτοσχεδιος Προσευχη) Our 2018 Greek Festival Is Coming Fast Preparations for our annual Greek Festival are underway. We have a designated Festival Committee who have had some good progress and productive meetings where we are looking to make some small and minor adjustments to what we have been doing in the past years. We are looking to elevate our presence among our Festival-goers and enhance our Festival as we now must compete with the other cultural festivals as we used to be the only game in town. Food prep and cooking have begun and we have a long way to go to get ready. If you have some time during the weekday morning hours to help the kitchen staff, we would be most grateful for your time. Please reach out to Cally at saintschsecretary@me.com or call at Festival dates: June 7, 8, 9,10. Please try to keep your calendars open during this time and we would love to see new faces helping. If your school-age children (teenagers) require any community service hours for their school curriculums, perhaps they will consider offering their time to our festival to help set up or break down...we will, of course, provide a letter stating their community hours. Or, just maybe they would like to help to become involved and give us a hand. Festival set-up is Wednesday, June 6th at approximately 5:00 p.m. and Breakdown begins on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. We can use all hands on deck, as they say. Very shortly, our humble church will begin some much-needed renovations and updates. On the community side of the church, outside of the narthex, we will begin painting, replacing floors, putting down carpeting on the stairs, changing ceiling tiles, repainting the church hall and, most importantly, a total renovations of the bathrooms. We hope to have much of this completed by Festival time. If you have any of the skills needed to accomplish this great task, and perhaps defray some costs, we would love your help and expertise. Please inquire with Cally at saintschsecretary@me.com or call at Diana Shaffer Page 12 Page 13

8 CHOIR NEWS We take this opportunity to thank our Choir Director, chanter, and choir members for all their ministry and help during our Great Lent Period, with all the many services, both in the mornings and the evenings. We have been truly enriched by their dedication and service for our worship. Not everybody gets to see the practice sessions these people show up for, and the hours of practice they put in after Church services are over, and during weekday evenings when they meet to practice again. We encourage all parishioners to please sing along with our choir, while you are in the pews. It helps to gently learn all our hymns and it invigorates your own worship attention. In all gratitude, Father Samaras 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. You can be a Parish Newsletter SPONSOR for any issue! An easy way to help sponsor the production of this great service and ministry to our parish community our parish newsletter is to sponsor an issue and its production costs. You may dedicate such an issue to the memory of someone, or to the celebration of someone s life or birthday or anniversary. Simply send in to our Church Office any photos, dedicational text, and remembrances, and a donation of $ which will cover all inks, papers, staples, labels, mailings, and productions. All to your doorstep, box, or mailbox, suitable for framing! Parish Wish List Can anyone help us with these badly-needed items? For the safety of our priceless Church Records (our Church Registry books of Holy Sacraments, which are the history of our parish with all our families), we are still hoping to find: flame-resistant file cabinets and a fire-proof church safe (for Holy Registry Books). Please contact our office to determine the cost of each item. We would be grateful for any donations made in whole or in part toward these efforts. Watch us as we work, all together, to help improve our Church and take good care of things. 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. Good Day! Here is our Parish Calendar and Events for our Spring Season: April, May, and June For the next Summer newsletter of July, August, and September 2018, the deadline for all news items is June 1st. So, everybody think about what your group will be planning and doing for those months. 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. Page 14 Page 15

9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 PALM SUNDAY BRIDEGROOM, 7 pm 2 HOLY MONDAY Bridegroom Service, 7 pm. 3 HOLY TUESDAY Bridegroom Service, 7 pm. April, HOLY WEDNESDAY Holy Unction, 3 pm. Last Supper, 7 pm. 5 HOLY THURSDAY Vesperal Liturgy, 8 am. Passion Service, 7 pm. 6 HOLY FRIDAY Royal Hours, 8:30 am. Cross Descent, 3 pm. Lamentations, 7 pm. 7 HOLY SATURDAY Vesperal Liturgy, 9 am Midnight Service, 11:00pm. 8 CHRISTOS ANESTI! AGAPE SERVICE 12:30 pm Possible Parish Council Meeting, 8 p.m. 13 Zoodogos Pygi OR, 8:45 am SAINT THOMAS Greek Edu, 7 pm MYRRH-BEARERS GREEK PARADE AFTER 29 PARALYTIC 23 SAINT GEORGE OR =

10 May, 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Greek Educational Meeting, 7 pm Kali Parea, 11:30 am. 8 9 Parish Council Meeting, 8:00 p.m MOTHER S DAY HOLY ASCENSION OR, 8:45 am PARISH NAMEDAY VESPERS, 7:00 p.m. 21 PARISH NAMEDAY OR, 8:45 am. DL, 10 am Youth Olympics Long Island 26 Sat./Souls Youth Olympics 27 PENTACOST Youth Olympics 28 Memorial Day OR =

11 June, 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday ALL SAINTS Parish Council Meeting, 8:00 p.m. 7 PARISH FESTIVAL 8 PARISH FESTIVAL 9 PARISH FESTIVAL 10 PARISH FESTIVAL 11 Kali Parea, 11:30 am FATHER S DAY SAINT JOHN/ BAPTIST BIRTH SAINTS PETER/PAUL 30 OR =

12 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 July, OR =

13 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday FASTING PERIOD, AUGUST 1ST THROUGH 15TH. FOR THE THEOTOKOS. August, Paraklysis, 7 pm. 2 3 Paraklysis, 7 pm TRANSFIGURATION 7 8 Paraklysis, 7 pm Paraklysis, 7 pm KOIMISIS SAINT FANOURIOS Saint John/Baptist OR =

14 September, 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday LABOR DAY 4 Greek School Begins Theotokos Birth 9 AYIASMO/CLASSES 10 Kali Parea, 11:30 am Parish Council Meeting, 8:00 p.m HOLY CROSS OR =

15 October, 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Greek Education Committee. 7 p.m Kali Parea, 11:30 am Parish Council, 8 pm. 11 Greek School Open Night, 7:30 p.m SAINT DEMETRIOS 27 Youth Harvest Dance, 7 pm OR =

16 November, 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Greek School Comm. 7 pm OR, 8:45 am. DL, 10 am Parish Council, 8 p.m. 8 Synaxis Archangels OR, 8:45 am. DL, 10 am Kali Parea, 11:30 am NATIVITY FAST BEGINS Entrance/Theotokou OR, 8:45 am. DL, 10 am. 22 THANKSGIVING SAINT CATHERINE OR =

17 December, 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Greek Educational, 7 pm. 5 6 SAINT NICHOLAS Kali Parea, 11:30 am SAINT SPYRIDON Parish Council, 8 p.m Christmas Play. Comm. Breakfast OR, 8:45 am. DL, 10 am CHRISTMAS EVE Vesperal Liturgy of Saint Basil Vespers, 9:15 A.M. DL, 10 A.M. 25 HOLY CHRISTMAS Liturgy of Saint John New Year s Eve Party OR =