GOOD NEWS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ROCHESTER, NY. President s Message

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1 GOOD NEWS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ROCHESTER, NY February East Ave Rochester, NY Great Lent Fr. Catalin Mot reminds us that Great Lent is coming quickly President s Message Newly elected PC President George Nassis adresses the community Lenten Booklet The middle of this month s bulletin can be removed and kept as a Lenten guide Message from Fr. Catalin My dear family in The Lord, In less than a month, our preparations for The Resurrection of Our Lord will begin. This preparation involves among many other things, going through The Great Lent. Great Lent is for us, Orthodox Christians, a period of time, when we need to do many special things that we have to accomplish, before we reach our final destination, Holy Pascha. Imagine that we go in a journey by train, and have to make multiple stops, before we arrive to our final destination. Or if we decide to participate in a race, a marathon, it is quite challenging, before we cross the finish line. It is the same exact thing; we go through several weeks, several Sundays, before we rejoice in The Resurrection of Our Lord. that not everybody is able to fast, due to different medical conditions that some people suffer from. There are also people who never fasted in their life, which is OK, it s not a tragedy, but perhaps, each one of us, is willing to do more, to improve our spiritual life differently this Great Lent. Some of us will try to participate in many more Church services, others may consider trying to fast a little bit and another group will try to give more to the poor, to give more to different charities. These are few suggestions that I can make to you, and believe me, no matter which of these things we will try we know that through all these, we can grow more spiritually, we can improve our spiritual life, and we will see, that the blessings of God and the Heavenly gifts, that He always bestows upon us, will come to us in no time. What do we need to expect, during our journey through the Great Lent? First thing, more Church services, Presanctified Divine Liturgies, Salutations to The Theotokos, Divine Liturgies with memorial services, just to enumerate a few. Second important thing is fasting, abstinence from most of our favorite foods. Now let me point out something very important here, I know that we live in the world, and this task, may be very hard to accomplish, because we are tempted to break the fasting almost all the time. I also know Let s try all together to accomplish the most on this Great Lent and to expect The Resurrection of Christ, with clean hearts and souls. With all my love in Jesus Christ, Our Lord, I embrace you and your families, and remain, prayerfully yours in Jesus Christ Our Lord, +Father Catalin Have a Happy journey, through the Great Lent!

2 Message from the Parish Council President Dear Parishioners: As our church approaches the 100th year anniversary, and the parish council begins the new year, it is my wish that we all set a goal to work towards having a growing and united community that perpetuates our Orthodox faith. A community that helps one another and allows everyone to become active participants in our church, making our church once again a central part of our lives. Our parish make up, as with all other parishes across the US, has been undergoing some major changes. From a cultural perspective, we are not the homogeneous group of people we used to be. Age distribution, marriage patterns and interfaith marriages have also influenced the nature and participation in our parish life. Yet, I see all these changes as great opportunities for our church to grow and improve in serving our parish s changing needs. We must find ways to recapture and nurture the spirit of belongingness in our parish and reunite everyone by recognizing that we all share a common belief and strive for a common goal. In order for our church to grow and continue the progress to address the changing times, we need everyone s participation and true commitment to fulfill our common goals in positive ways. The 15 volunteer parish council members, our clergy, youth director and limited staff cannot perform all of the work that is required to have a growing and united community without your help. It is a challenge in trying to cater to a large and diverse parish population. We will certainly do our part, but I invite all of you to become active participants in administering our church. Over the next few weeks as the parish council lays out the goals for 2015, we will reach out to all of you and not only ask for your help but also for your sincere input on issues that matter the most, and we will make sure that everyone s voice is heard and given proper consideration. It is only through your continued support and participation that our church will be able to grow and effectively provide programs and services for you and your family and perpetuate the great spiritual tradition of our Greek Orthodox faith. The entire parish council and our priest are available at any time to answer any questions you may have or to provide any additional information on any issue. Additionally, I urge you to attend any of the monthly parish council meetings which are open to all parishioners. United as one, striving for a common goal and purpose, I look forward to working with ALL of you and serving our community the best way possible to become a stronger Church and Orthodox community. May this year be the beginning of a new foundation for the next hundred years! Sincerely, George Nassis Parish Council, President

3 Upcoming Events WORKING TO BRING YOU ALWAYS UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION WEBSITE UPDATES While our current website has been up and running for over a year now, we have made some big changes in the last month that will change the way you interact with our community. Calendar The Church Office Calendar is now linked directly to our church s websites Google Calendar! What does this change mean for you? You can now go online and see our calendar live. The calendar you see on our website is the same calendar that we see here in the office. As the change is made in the office, the change is instantly reflected online. We currently have four calendars available online. First we have the Parish Events calendar. This calendar has all of the major events coming up in our community. Second, we have our Church Services calendar. With this calendar you can see all of the liturgical services in our church including weekday services, evening services, and major feasts. Next, we have the Memorials, Altar Candles, and Baby Blessings calendar. Finally, we have our Annunciation Youth calendar with all youth events in our community. You can add these calendars to your smartphones or to your own Google Calendars (if you are a GMail or Google Calendar user). Also, the calendar will be updated with event details, time changes, and cancellations. Try it out today! Check out the details in the calendar for the upcoming Apokreatiko Dinner Dance and the Lent Retreat. Photo Album Many of you know that our photos have been going up on Facebook for a while now, but we recently started uploading all of our photos to a new Annunciation photo website. On the new photo website, you can download full resolution photos from all of our photo galleries. You can also share the albums with family and friends, and you can even purchase prints right off of the site. Registration Ends for Pan Hellenic Dance Groups Sunday, February 1 Apokreatiko Dance Saturday, February 7, 6:00 PM For ticket information, see the dance flyer included in this month s Good News. HOPE/JOY Event Saturday, February 14, 1:30 PM All children ages K-5 are invited. For more information, see the Calendar on the website. Youth Lenten Retreat Saturday, February 28, 11:00 AM All Youth grades 6-12 invited. Please see flyer for more information. Godparents Sunday & Teen Lunch Sunday, March 1, after Liturgy Godparents, bring your godchildren to church, or meet them here! See flyer for more information. Oratorical Festival Sunday, March 15, after Liturgy Services Presentation of our Lord Monday, February 2 Orthros at 9 Divine Liturgy at 10 St. Haralambos Tuesday, February 10 Orthros at 9 Divine Liturgy at 10 See Lent Guide for Lenten Services Mailing List Finally, the last initiative that we have been working on for our website is a modern mailing list. Everyone is encouraged to go online and sign up for our mailing list. Also, keep an eye out in our community for a new kiosk where you can sign up for the mailing list. Our list will not replace our paper mailing list, but it will supplement it. Our hope is to send out one each week with an update on our community. Check it all out today at annunciationrochester.org!

4 PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENTS Open Door 12/29: Akrivi & Voula Bitsas, Maria & Niki Karvounidis, George, Vickie Makovsky, Olga & Zoe Nassis, and Pres. Felicia Thank You from Philoptochos Philoptochos would like to thank Despina Georgantopoulos for organizing the 2015 Vasilopita Luncheon and all the ladies that helped, Akrivi Bitsas (and family), Mary Manou, Sophia Demkou. We the Philoptochos ladies send a huge thank you to Konstantinos Liapis for his participation in the preparation of the Lasagna. God Bless you, Gus Most of all, a big thanks goes to all our wonderful parishioners for attending the Vasilopita Luncheon and all of the organizations that made donations to such an important event. All the proceeds, close to $1500, go to benefit the St. Basil s Academy. We look forward to next year s event. Furthermore we would like to take the time to sincerely thank all those who volunteer their time during coffee hour. This gives all of us the opportunity to come together after our Liturgy and enjoy each other s fellowship. We also take this time to thank all those that make donations that support the good works of Philoptochos. Without such donations we can t continue all the Philanthropic works. From Baby Blessings to Memorials we thank all of you. Please keep in mind that Philoptochos meets the 2nd Sunday of every month--next meeting will be February 8 at noon, right after the liturgy. At that time, we also will be having our Valentine s Party. Please bring a dish to pass. It s Pot Luck. Make sure to bring a friend. Dues are $25.00 for seniors 65 and older, regular dues are $30.00 for the year. Thanks to Mary Pantas and Nancy Papapanu, Andrea Vangellow and Jen Stanek and families for serving coffee during the months of December and January. Items Needed With the Centennial Celebration of Our Church, coming up, there are a few items that are needed for beautifying Our Church: Prosfora Stand $500 Package of Icons for everyday Saints $1,200 Anyone interested to make donations to help us purchase these items, please call Father Catalin at Thank you very much for your continuous support to Our Church! With sincere gratitude, we thank you. Buffalo Trip for Annunciation Vespers Annunciation Vespers Service will be hosted this year by our sister parish of The Annunciation in Buffalo NY. The schedule is as follows: Tuesday, March 24th 3:30PM - Departure from Annunciation Rochester 6:00PM - Vespers for the Feast of the Annunciation 7:00PM - Reception to follow Vespers The cost is $20 per person. For reservations, please call Despina at , Presbytera Felicia at or the church office at The address of Annunciation Buffalo is 146 W Utica St, Buffalo, NY 14222

5 Your 2015 Parish Council From left to right: George Nassis, Helen Eisenberg, Maria Aslani-Breit, Anastasia Broikos, Toula Destounis, Jim Stathopoulos, Rhonda Stamatis, Amiel Mokhiber Jr., Fr. Catalin Mot, Dorothea Sanchez, Eric Vangellow, Julie Eveleigh, Philip Broikos, Kathy Markakis, and Taso Kolokouris George Nassis President Demetrios Stathopoulos 2nd Vice President Anastasia Broikos Secretary Van Zissis 1st Vice President Eric Vangellow Treasurer Maria Aslani-Breit Mission Trip Request Dear Annunciation Parish, Philip Broikos Stamatia Destounis Helen Eisenberg Julie Eveleigh Tasos Kolokouris Kathy Markakis Amiel Mokhiber Dorothea Sanchez Rhonda Stamatis I thank you all for the support and love which you have so graciously shown me in my steps through my ministry and through finding out what my purpose in life is. I am hoping to continue on this path of growth and will hopefully be going to Guatemala during our spring break. As many of you know, last year during that time I went to Kenya and had a life changing experience ministering to a few tribes in the desert. It will forever be a part of my life that I will never forget. I have been to Guatemala once four years ago where I had an incredible experience. That being said, it would be an incredible honor, and a great blessing to see how much has changed. For time frame purposes, the trip will be from February 28th-March 7th. We will be staying at the orphanage and helping out there with teaching and whatever else they need. I am humbly asking for your support in any form whether it be with a smile, a loving embrace, well-wishes or a small donation (the total amount that I need to raise is about $1,600). If you wish to support my trip with a monetary donation, please make your check payable to: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. As I said, it would be a great joy to be able to go back and share my experiences with each and every one of you. With love in Christ, Sebastian Mot

6 You re Invited to an. Apokreatiko Community Dinner Dance Organized by the Greek School A Celebration of our Youth Organizations Saturday, February 7, :30 pm $25 / person includes Greek Dinner, soft drinks &Sweets $15 for college students Children under 18 Free Cash Bar & Music by DJ Stamos For Tickets Contact: Maja Stefanou , Ann Mihalitsas , Tasoula Stamoulacatos or Maria Dembeyiotis μ : μ. N μ!, :30μμ - $ 25 / μ - $ 15 18!, μ All Proceeds to Benefit the Church

7 GOOD NEWS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ROCHESTER, NY Special Lent Edition 962 East Ave Rochester, NY Lenten Service Schedule Saturday of Souls Orthros at 9 AM Liturgy at 10 AM February 14 February 21 February 28 Lenten Timeline Taken from OCA.org About the themes of each Sunday of the Pre-Lenten and Lenten periods. This is a good article for families to sit and read together. Keep this around, and review the feast of each week! Pre-Lent The paschal season of the Church is preceded by the season of Great Lent, which is itself preceded by its own liturgical preparation. The first sign of the approach of Great Lent comes five Sundays before its beginning. On this Sunday the Gospel reading is about Zacchaeus the tax-collector. It tells how Christ brought salvation to the sinful man and how his life was greatly changed simply because he sought to see who Jesus was (Lk 19:3). The desire and effort to see Jesus begins the entire movement through lent towards Easter. It is the first movement of salvation. The following Sunday is that of the Publican and the Pharisee. The focus here is on the two men who went to the Temple to pray one a pharisee who was a very decent and righteous man of religion, the other a publican who was a truly sinful tax-collector who was cheating the people. The first, although genuinely righteous, boasted before God and was condemned, according to Christ. The second, although genuinely sinful, begged for Salutations Services Fridays at 7:00 PM February 27 March 6 March 13 March 20 March 27 mercy, received it, and was justified by God (Lk 18:9). The meditation here is that we have neither the religious piety of the pharisee nor the repentance of the publican by which alone we can be saved. We are called to see ourselves as we really are in the light of Christ s teaching, and to beg for mercy. The next Sunday in the preparation for Great Lent is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. Hearing the parable of Christ about God s loving forgiveness, we are called to come to ourselves as did the prodigal son, to see ourselves as being in a far country far from the Father s house, and to make the movement of return to God. We are given every assurance by the Master that the Father will receive us with joy and gladness. We must only arise and go, confessing our selfinflicted and sinful separation from that home where we truly belong (Lk 15:11-24). The next Sunday is called Meatfare Sunday since it is officially the last day before Easter for eating meat. It commemorates Christ s parable of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46). We are reminded this day that it is Presancti ed Liturgies Wednesdays at 6:00 PM February 25 March 4 March 11 March 18 March 25 April 1 For always up-to-date calendar information, check out our online calendar at annunciationrochester.org/calendar not enough for us to see Jesus, to see ourselves as we are, and to come home to God as his prodigal sons. We must also be his sons by following Christ, his only-begotten divine Son, and by seeing Christ in every man and by serving Christ through them. Our salvation and final judgment will depend upon our deeds, not merely on our intentions or even on the mercies of God devoid of our own personal cooperation and obedience.... for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and in prison and you visited me. For truly I say to you, if you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me (Mt 25). We are saved not merely by prayer and fasting, not by religious exercises alone. We are saved by serving Christ through his people, the goal toward which all piety and prayer is ultimately directed. Finally, on the eve of Great Lent, the day called Cheesefare Sunday Continued on Page 10

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10 Continued from Page 7 and Forgiveness Sunday, we sing of Adam s exile from paradise. We identify ourselves with Adam, lamenting our loss of the beauty, dignity and delight of our original creation, mourning our corruption in sin. We also hear on this day the Lord s teaching about fasting and forgiveness, and we enter the season of the fast forgiving one another so that God will forgive us. If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses (Mt 6:14-18). Sundays of Lent Each of the Sundays of Great Lent has its own special theme. The first Sunday is called the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. It is a historical feast commemorating the return of the icons to the churches in the year 843 after the heresy of iconoclasm was overcome. The spiritual theme of the day is first of all the victory of the True Faith. This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith (1 Jn 5:4). Secondly, the icons of the saints bear witness that man, created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26), becomes holy and godlike through the purification of himself as God s living image. The Second Sunday of Lent is the commemoration of St Gregory Palamas. It was St. Gregory (d.1359) who bore living witness that men can become divine through the grace of God in the Holy Spirit; and that even in this life, by prayer and fasting, human beings can become participants of the uncreated light of God s divine glory. The Third Sunday of Lent is that of the Veneration of the Cross. The cross stands in the midst of the church in the middle of the lenten season not merely to remind men of Christ s redemption and to keep before them the goal of their efforts, but also to be venerated as that reality by which man must live to be saved. He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me (Mt 10:38). For in the Cross of Christ Crucified lies both the power of God and the wisdom of God for those being saved (1 Cor 1:24). The Fourth Sunday of Lent is dedicated to St John of the Ladder (Climacus), the author of the work, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. The abbot of St Catherine s Monastery on Mount Sinai (6th century) stands as a witness to the violent effort needed for entrance into God s Kingdom (Mt 10: 12). The spiritual struggle of the Christian life is a real one, not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the present darkness the hosts of wickedness in heavenly places... (Eph 6:12). Saint John encourages the faithful in their efforts for, according to the Lord, only he who endures to the end will be saved (Mt 24:13). The Fifth Sunday recalls the memory of Saint Mary of Egypt, the repentant harlot. Mary tells us, first of all, that no amount of sin and wickedness can keep a person from God if he truly repents. Christ himself has come to call sinners to repentance and to save them from their sins (Lk 5:32). In addition, Saint Mary tells us that it is never too late in life or in Lent to repent. Christ will gladly receive all who come to him even at the eleventh hour of their lives. But their coming must be in serious and sincere repentance. Saturday of the Souls SAT, FEBRUARY 14TH, SAT, FEBRUARY 21ST, SAT, FEBRUARY 28TH Three Saturdays during the Triodion are set aside each year to commemorate our departed brothers and sisters in the Lord. Annunciation Church family members are invited to bring the boiled wheat (kolyva) along with a list of names of the deceased prior to the Divine Liturgy on these Saturdays. Anyone in our Church family attending the Liturgy may submit the names of family and friends that have fallen asleep in the Lord so that they will be commemorated collectively during the special Memorial Service at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Please print clearly in Greek or English the names of your departed loved ones below.

11 UPDATE FOR YOUTH & FAMILY FROM NIKO TZETZIS LENT WEEKEND This wasn t my initial plan, but it looks like we re going to have quite the weekend at the end of February! What started as our annual youth Lenten retreat has grown into a full weekend with our Metropolis Youth Director Eva Konstantakos and hopefully even our beloved Hierarch Metropolitan Nicholas. There are three big events planned for our community on the weekend of February 27-March 1. Youth Program Presentation On Friday February 27 our Annunciation Youth Committee will be meeting with Eva to present and discuss the different youth ministry programs in place at Annunciation. This meeting will be an opportunity for the leaders in our community to express their successes and struggles so that Eva can share the positive and address the negative aspects of youth ministry here at Annunciation. Annunciation Lent Retreat Our 6th through 12th graders are invited and encouraged to join us on Saturday, February 28th for a wonderful, day-long retreat. We ll start at 11am on Saturday with lunch, and then we ll spend the next few hours at the Rochester Museum & Science Center where our youth will be encouraged to explore and ask questions about how they can relate their faith to science and God s creation. There will be short presentations on an Orthodox perspective of the creation of Heaven and Earth. After we spend time exploring the museum, we will return to church for an internal exploration of the depth of our own souls. We ll talk about how we can understand the unlimited freedom of God s creation and the self-limitation of fasting. His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas is planning on joining us for a portion of this retreat. He is planning on stopping by on Saturday for a little while to talk with the youth about the topics I have outlined, and he always takes a little time to ask the youth what is going on in their lives. It is a true blessing to get to listen His Eminence speak, and I really encourage all of our youth to be at this retreat. We will need a number of chaperones for this retreat. If you are interested, please me at niko@tzetzis.com. Godparents Sunday and Teen Lunch Finally, the largest event of the weekend will take place on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the first Sunday of Lent. This year, in addition to the procession with icons that is a fixture in Orthodox churches around the world, our community will be celebrating Godparents Sunday. Godparents Sunday is an opportunity for all of the godparents in our community to reach out to their godchildren (and vice-versa) to come to church together. We will have our annual Annual Teen Luncheon after Liturgy, and everyone is invited. Godparents with godchildren in grades Pre-K through 6 should reach out and make sure that their godchildren have icons for the procession. If you would like to buy your godchildren an icon in advance, you can buy one from the church bookstore or from Uncut Mountain Supply at www. uncutmountainsupply.com. All Godparents should plan on being with their Godchildren at church on Sunday, March 1. At the Lunch, we ll have a photo booth for godparents to take photos with their godchildren, and we ll have a presentation to the entire community by Metropolis Youth Director Eva Konstantakos. Annual Teen Luncheon Each year our Teen Class raises money to help children in need from Bethlehem. Your donations provide for food, books, clothes, school supplies, and other needs. In the past, this Luncheon has been held on Palm Sunday. We have rescheduled it to coincide with a new tradition, the Youth Lenten Retreat. Please mark your calendars for this weekend. It will be a very important weekend in our community, and I hope you ll all make every effort to join us. In Christ, Niko Tzetzis Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries

12 The Annunciation Sunday School COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP Opportunity for Oratorical Festival Participants An opportunity for Annunciation high school students in grades 10, 11, and 12 to earn up to $3,000 in total scholarship awards this year. SCHOLARSHIP PURPOSE This scholarship was established to promote students participation in the Annunciation Sunday School program and in the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival (SJCOF) in order to encourage and strengthen their knowledge of their Orthodox faith. Scholarships will be awarded to any students who meet all eligibility requirements and who advance from the District level (round 2) to the Metropolis level. Scholarships will be awarded based on the age of the participant advancing in the following amounts: $2,000 for students who are in 12th grade $1,000 for students who are in 11th grade $500 for students who are in 10th grade In addition, any student who advances to the National Oratorical Festival will be given an additional $1,000 in scholarship money for their laudable achievement. Students who advance to the Metropolis and/or National level and who meet the criteria below will have travel costs (fuel costs OR airfare and lodging) for two parents and the participant covered and arranged by Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. ELIGIBILITY Student s families must be members in good standing at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Students must be registered in the Annunciation Sunday School Program, and students must regularly attend Sunday School classes. Students must participate in the senior division (grades 10-12) of the speech portion of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. No scholarships will be awarded to participants of the essay or poetry contests, though participation in those programs is encouraged. Student will receive the scholarship money only if ALL of the following conditions are met that (1) the student must win the District Level of the SJCOF AND (2) the student continues on in the competition to each subsequent level of the competition as they win. Students will NOT receive the scholarship money if they refuse or are otherwise unable to advance to the next stages of the competition. Student must adhere to all of the rules and regulations of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival as outlined by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ( religioused/sjcof) The Oratorical Festival is scheduled for March 15 Please encourage your children to participate in this wonderful program. The Oratorical Festival teaches our youth how to speak in front of an audience, and it provides an opportunity for our youth to articulate what they believe.

13 GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION 962 EAST AVENUE ROCHESTER, NY14607 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Rochester, N.Y. Permit No 900 CONTACT INFORMATION PARISH COUNCIL George Nassis President Demetrios Stathopoulos 2nd Vice President Anastasia Broikos Secretary Van Zissis 1st Vice President Eric Vangellow Treasurer Maria Aslani-Breit Philip Broikos Stamatia Destounis Helen Eisenberg Julie Eveleigh Tasos Kolokouris Kathy Markakis Amiel Mokhiber Dorothea Sanchez Rhonda Stamatis Rev. Fr. Catalin Mot Proistamenos Rev. Fr. Jerry Tasikas Emeritus Priest Nicolaos Tzetzis Youth Director Sylvia Bauer Parish Administrator Voice: (585) Fax: (585) Web: annunciationrochester.org Greek Fest on the Web: rochestergreekfestival.org Submit your Good News today at annunciationrochester.org/goodnews