St. Sophia/Ss. Faith, Hope & Agape

Transcription

1 Community Newsletter Summer 2013 Volume 1, Issue 2 St. Sophia/Ss. Faith, Hope & Agape GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF VALLEY FORGE Special points of interest: Volunteer at our Fall Festival. Hold the Date for our Dinner Dance. Inside this issue: President s Message 2 Church Award 2 Bible Study 2 Philoptochos 3 Senior Parea 3 Youth Ministries 4, 5 Stewardship Update 6 Icon Screen 7 Holy Week/Pascha Spring Festival , 11 Greek Dance Groups 12 Community Registry 13 Falling Asleep of the Theotokos On August 15, the Orthodox Church celebrates the falling asleep of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary. In the Orthodox Christian Tradition, we say that when somebody dies that they fall asleep in the Lord to be awakened again at the final judgment. The Virgin Mary, being human, reached an old age under the care of the Apostle and Evangelist John. We recall that on the cross Christ entrusted the care of his mother to St. John. She was buried in Gethsemane by the apostles and leaders of the Church. In the Icon of her Dormition, we see Christ, her son, receiving her soul into his loving care. Tradition also tells us that her body was also taken up in to heaven, giving us the example of what Christ has in mind for all of us. On August 1st we begin a twoweek fast period in preparation for the celebration of this feast. During this time we celebrate the Paraklesis Service in which we ask the Theotokos for her help in our daily lives and we remember those who are living who are in need of the saving grace of Christ. During the Great Vespers of the Feast, we decorate the Kouvouklion with flowers and we place the icon of the Dormition in it, just as we do for the Epitaphios of Christ on Good Friday. Also during this service, those who celebrate their Feast Day offer the Artoclasia for the health and well being of all those who celebrate and their family members. This feast is often referred to as the Pascha of Summer in that it foretells what is in store for all faithful believers, as well as it reflects the level of celebrations that accompany this feast. We wish many years to all Panagiotis, Panagiotas, Marias, Marios, and Despinas. Xronia Polla! Father Peter

2 Page 2 St. Sophia s Our dance, bible study and senior groups are meeting on a regular basis. All are welcome to participate. President s Message We hope that everyone is enjoying their summer so far and taking that all important break from the usual routine to relax with family and friends. In the meantime, we continue to make progress. The township has conducted its final inspection of our site; no particular issues were noted so we should be receiving our permanent certificate of occupancy very soon. Steve Kavroulakis and his group of craftsmen are working tirelessly to complete our icon screen, pulpit, altar, Bishop's Throne and chanter stand in time for a September delivery and installation. (See Page 7.) Our dance, bible study and senior groups are meeting on a regular basis. All are welcome to participate. Although we just finished a successful Spring festival, many thanks to John Papadimitriou and all the volunteers, the Fall festival is just around the corner and preparations are already underway. Our iconographer, Dr. George Kordis will be returning later this Fall to paint the icons for our icon screen among other items. Of course, none of this would be possible without the generous financial support and effort offered by all of our stewards and friends and for that we thank all of you. Sincerely, Dean W. Laskaris Award for Construction of Our Church For leading the building of our beautiful church, Horst Construction the general contractor received an Excellence in Construction Award. The award was presented during the 24 th Annual Excellence in Construction Awards Gala on Tuesday, July 16 th The event was put on by the Keystone Chapter of the Associated Builders and Con- tractors Inc. and held at the Radisson Hotel in Camp Hill, PA. More than 300 people were in attendance with St. Sophia s represented by John Papadimitriou and Peter Patukas. Also among the 28 companies receiving awards was Paramount Contracting who walked away with two awards for their work at St. Sophia s for Metal Work & Interior Finishes. Adult Bible Study Our August 13th, Bible Study will be Stump the Priest Night! Our Bible Study ministry continues to flourish over the summer months. In late June and early July we focused on St. Paul s first letter to the Corinthians and how his writings impact our lives as Orthodox Christians. Our August 13th, Bible Study will be Stump the Priest Night! Our discussions will focus on current world events and what The Bible tells us about them. Bring your questions or send them beforehand to Fr. Peter. Future Bible Study discussions will include a study of the book of Psalms (and how it is used during Orthros, in iconography, etc.), what the Bible tells us about fasting, confession and Holy Communion and more. As always, our Bible Study is open to everyone and takes place every other Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Cultural Center. Join our Facebook group for more details or look for the next readings in the Sunday Bulletin. groups/stsophiavalleyforge/

3 Summer 2013 Page 3 St. Sophia Ladies Philoptochos Society Pistis, Elpis & Agape JOIN IN THE SPIRIT OF THE LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY! This summer is in full speed now. I pray that everyone is keeping cool during these hot months. Our first festival of the year is behind us and the next one is on the horizon. The new ecclesiastical year begins with the following September events: Fall Festival The 7th Annual Fall Grecian Festival is just around the corner running from Thursday, September 5th - Sunday September 8th. Keep a lookout for the pastry and food preparation schedules in August. Please allot some time out of your busy schedules to volunteer before, during and after the festival. Yiayia s Attic Treasures If you are preparing to do some household clean up, keep St. Sophia Church in mind. The Ladies Philoptochos will be selling donated treasures in the balcony during the Fall Festival. We are in search of items to sell. The list of items that you can donate is limited only to your imagination. Unfortunately, we cannot accept donations of clothing, mattresses, bed pillows, any type of quilted items, stuffed animals and food products. Please place your items in the balcony. Any items unsold will be donated to a local thrift store. Volunteers are needed during the festival hours to sell these treasures. Please call Flora Poloway ( or flora.poloway@gmail.com) to sign up or if you have any questions. St. Sophia s Feastday Vespers and Artoklasia will begin at 7:00 pm on Monday, September 16th with a reception to follow. We welcome your bite size sweets for the reception. Please drop off your sweets in the kitchen before entering church Monday evening. On Tuesday, September 17th our Feastday will be celebrated. Orthros will begin at 8:45 am with Divine Liturgy and Artoklasia to follow. We thank all the Philoptochos members who have volunteered in the past and continue to serve so willingly and tirelessly. We look forward to our new members joining us in our labors of love. Philoptochos needs your time and talents. With the blessing of St. Sophia and her three martyred daughters, I am sure we will have a wonderful year! Respectfully yours, Kathy Tsipras Philoptochos President Senior Citizen Ministry Our senior citizen ministry St. Sophia s Senior Parea continues to meet during the summer. This group welcomes all senior citizens of the community. The group has been meeting once a month during the summer. Our August meeting will be held on Thursday, 8/22. Following the Fall Festival (Sept. 5th 8th), the Senior Parea will meet weekly on Thursdays in the church hall from 10am-12 noon for fellowship. On the third Thursday of every month we have a formal meeting beginning at 10am. For more information please contact the Parish Office. Fall Senior Parea Meeting Dates September 12, 19, 26 October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 November 14*, 21* December 5, 12*, 19* *Will start following Divine Liturgy

4 Page 4 Youth Ministries Camp Good Shepherd Greek School Once again Fr. Peter and several Children from our parish attended the Camp Good Shepherd summer camping ministry of the Metropolis of New Jersey. The camp was held in the lush green region of north western New Jersey. It was a tremendous experience where the children were able to grow in their faith through many different ways. Each day began with Orthros in our Camp Chapel. The Children ate their meals together with their cabin mates. They attended lively Orthodox Life Sessions where they learned about the importance of building bridges of faith between themselves and God, as well as between each other. This was done through talks by the priests, singing songs and hymns of the Church, studying the Bible, and Devotionals at night. We also had fun with campfires and smores, climbing wall, the low ROPES course, canoeing and kayaking, camp olympics and of course the Thursday night family barbeque. Camp Good Shepherd is truly a spiritually uplifting experience that creates bonds between the children and Christ. We are looking forward to the 2014 camp season. St. Sophia s They learned about the importance of building bridges of faith between themselves and God, as well as between each other. Have you always wished you could join in the conversation with your Greek speaking family and friends? Have you ever wanted your children to be able to speak Greek with Papou and Yiayia? How would you like to be able to read the menu and order on your trip to Greece? Would you or your child like to learn or improve your Greek? Now is the time to start! Our Greek language school starts in September. Classes meet once a week, and there are classes for all ages and skill levels. The 2013/14 Greek Language School year will begin the week of September 9th and runs through May. Registration deadline is September 1st. Classes are available for adults and children, and for all skill levels. Class levels are based upon a student's Greek language ability, rather than age or grade in school. If you are new to the program, please contact Erietta Fotiadis (eriettafotiadis@verizon.net or ) who will determine the appropriate level for you or your child. If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Erietta Fotiadis. If you have any other questions (regarding registration/ payment), please contact GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL SCHEDULE LEVEL DAY TIME PreK Monday 4:00-5:00pm* K/Introduction to Greek Wednesday 4:30-6:00pm 1 (to be scheduled if students at this level are registered) 2 Tuesday 5:00-6:30pm 3 Monday 6:30-8:00pm 4 Tuesday 6:30-8:00pm 5 (to be scheduled if students at this level are registered) 6 Wednesday 6:00-7:30pm Adult I Monday 5:00-6:30pm Adult II Wednesday 7:30-9:00pm *To be held pending registration of students (4-5 year old children) Christine Bailey (ckokolisbailey@gmail.com or ). If you have not received the registration form by , please contact Christine Bailey or the church office to obtain a registration form. Sunday School/PTO The first day of Sunday School is scheduled for September 15th. Following liturgy, the PTO will sponsor a "Welcome Back" Ice Cream Social for the children of the parish. Sunday School registration forms will be available later in August in the church office and Pangari. For more information, please Sofia Sprayberry at: sprayberry4@verizon.net. Also, check the church website later in August for more information regarding events for the PTO, the Sunday School calendar, and parent volunteer opportunities.

5 Summer 2013 Page 5 Saint Sophia s GOYA All of our GOYA activities are driven by three specific guiding themes faith, fellowship and service. Each GOYA meeting includes a discussion of our faith, a service project and a fun fellowship activity. Most recently, our GOYA enjoyed the summer weather with a Splash Party on July 6th. Thanks to the Dowzicky family for opening their home to us. Everyone had a great time. Good times and fellowship are what keep our kids coming back year after year. Whether it is snow tubing, going on haunted hay rides or camping our kids enjoy a strong bond with each other that goes way beyond GOYA. But we are not just a fun social organization. We have a strong commitment to serving our parish and our community. On Saturday, June 22nd, we had the great honor of serving 50 dinners at Manna on Main Street in Lansdale. Special thanks to Lexie, Stephanie, Vanessa, Xena, George and the dads for helping out. While we were there, we observed three very painful things: 1) The need for soup kitchens and food pantries is at an all time high. 2) The food pantry at Manna was running very low with some shelves completely empty. 3) We should be doing more. (That means that more people should be showing up, too!) Of the 20+ GOYAns in our parish who are blessed with comfortable homes, full pantries and all of God's blessings, only a handful were able to commit to helping. We all have busy lives with sports, activities, etc. But we also need to remember what Christ expects of us: Acts 20:35 - In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. It is our duty to give back. And God willing, we will. Our next volunteer event with Manna is set for August 24 th. Please contact John Pogas if you can help or sign up for the event on our Facebook page. groups/stsophiagoya/ Summer Food Drive Our food drives during the holidays are certainly welcome, but like blood supplies, food pantries have the greatest need during the summer months. Therefore, we have agreed to start our first Summer Food Drive. All non-perishable food items will benefit Manna on Main Street in Lansdale, PA. Ask your friends, neighbors, relatives, etc. for their help. Go to your local supermarket and ask if they can donate non-perishables to this very worthy cause. Our GOYA is also going to help by taking some of the money we raised from luncheons and our dance to purchase non-perishable food items to help "seed" our food drive. Please make a more concerted effort to help us with our food drive as well as our other community outreach ministries. Moving forward, our GOYA Calendar will be available by the end of July. Copies of the calendar will be ed to all GOYAns, posted on our Facebook page and included in the Sunday bulletin. Saint Sophia s HOPE and JOY The children of the HOPE and JOY groups ended the year with an afternoon of fun at Jungle Wonder. They enjoyed a round of miniature golf in a cool glow in the dark miniature golf course, as well as climbing and sliding on the jungle gym, and some fun in the balladium. And what better way to end the day then with some yummy ice cream! Information on the 2013/14 HOPE and JOY schedule will be available in the fall. All children between the ages of 5 and 11 are welcome to participate. If you have any questions please contact Christine Bailey (ckokolisbailey@gmail.com). Our HOPE and JOY children at Jungle Wonder.

6 Page 6 Stewardship Update July 2013 We hope that everyone is having a fantastic summer! Despite many folks taking vacations or time at the shore or mountains, attendance this summer continues to be very strong. We have had a lot of visitors and new faces so far this summer, which is truly wonderful to see! And with the Sunday Greek Dance classes, we are seeing lots of kids this summer as well. When in town, please be sure to join us for Divine Liturgy on Sundays. With the new summer hours (Liturgy at 9:00 am), you can worship with us and still have virtually the whole day left. Nobody wants God to take a vacation from us over the summer. As stewards of the Faith, we need to make sure we don t take a vacation away from Him either! Stewardship is our way of thanking God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. To be considered good stewards of our parish and the faith, we must give back in gratitude to Him by giving of our time, talent and treasure. Regarding our TIME commitment, please mark the dates of Sept. 5-8 for our Fall Festival. We will need EVERYONE s help to make this event successful! As a reminder, please continue to make payments on your Financial Commitment our bills do not take a vacation during the summer! Also, if you have not yet submitted your 2013 Pledge Card, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you for your support of God s work and our Ministries through your generous and sacrificial stewardship gift. God bless you and your family. We look forward to seeing you in church! (Year End) (7/15/13) Pledge Unit Goal Pledge $ Goal $200,000 $200,000 Number of Pledges Amount Pledged $185, $189,750 Average Pledge $ $1,026 New Stewards Did you know it costs us over $1,200 EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR to run our parish? That is over $2,000 for every stewardship unit (single or family). Please consider increasing your stewardship level to the Pacesetter level ($2,080 / $40 per week).

7 Icon Screen Progressing Page 7 Even as we enjoy our summer vacations, the craftsmen of the world-renowned Kavroulakis Ecclesiastical wood carving studios in Chania, Crete are busy completing the artifacts that will soon grace the front of our beloved St Sophia Church. The pictures illustrate the work in progress on our icon screen, altar, pulpit, bishop s throne, altar cross and chanter s stand as of mid-july. All items are carved from the finest White Oak available that will stand the test of time for many generations to come. Everything will be completed by the end of July and the finished artifacts will be shipped from the Greek port of Piraeus on August 6. It will take about a month between transportation and U.S. customs, so we hope to have delivery sometime in early to mid-september. Initially we will use temporary icons for the icon screen but we are looking forward to our iconographer, Dr. George Kordis arrival later this fall to paint the permanent original works of art that will grace the icon screen, pulpit and bishop s throne. Many of these artifacts and icons are still awaiting sponsorship as a lasting way of honoring or commemorating a loved one. As always, we are grateful to all who continue to make the progress at St Sophia possible.

8 Page 8 Photos of Holy Week/Pascha 2013

9 Schedule of Upcoming Services Page 9 Thurs. Aug. 1st Dormition Fast Begins Paraklesis to the Theotokos 7:00 pm Mon. Aug. 5th Great Vespers 7:00 pm Tues. Aug. 6th Holy Transfiguration Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Wed. Aug. 7th Paraklesis to the Theotokos 7:00 pm Fri. Aug. 9th Paraklesis to the Theotokos 10:00 am Mon. Aug. 12th Paraklesis to the Theotokos 10:00 am Wed. Aug. 14th Great Vespers 7:00 pm Thurs. Aug. 15th Dormition of the Theotokos Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Thurs. Aug. 29th Beheading of St. John the Baptist Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Hold the Date... St. Sophia s Dinner Dance Saturday September 28th

10 Page 10 Spring 2013 Grecian Festival From May 29th to June 2nd we welcomed our friends and neighbors to our 18th annual Spring Festival, featuring our ethnic Cultural foods, music and dances. This event embarks on the true nature of our community, involving the young and old, with all types of talents. Preparation starts as early as March and it involves our young at heart, the ladies of the Philoptochos, and our general parish community. These individuals endure many hours in the kitchen creating those decadent pastries Koulourakia, Baklava, Galaktoboureko, and many more. All of these items are made from scratch, with recipes handed down from years past. Maria Hatzipavlides, heads this effort and she truly endures many pains, but finds comfort that we love her and trust her abilities to manage this. This year was especially tough and grueling, by having less hands helping in the kitchen with the prep work, we had to seek other means our savior was our own Albert Garcia. He tirelessly provided help and was Maria s second hand. Without this huge effort of both Time and Talent, our products, quality and profit would we worth nothing. I hope everyone in our community realizes that baking our goods is a Herculean effort, placed on a small group of individuals. In the future I hope to see others with equal talent be able to help further our culture and pride in making these wonderful pastries. So as we can see, creating the pastries is just one area that comprises the Festival. Other time consuming efforts include the Big Tent, Kitchen, Vendors, Mykonos, and the general logistics of the event. I am proud to say that we are blessed to have so many people step up to help with these areas. I cannot thank everyone in this group because there are many with various talents. Some of the people include: Kathy and Maria Tsipras logistics of sign development, paperwork and ad books Elaine Piligian paperwork and religious store Tom Novitski and Frieda Bell welcome booth Tom Cox ad book John Pogas tent, marketing Alex Nikas parking, monies, propane Angelo Bellos provisioning, tent, Mykonos, many more items Dean Laskaris MC, and any help that is needed Nick Tsouros everything that is requested John Solomon our resident MASH unit cook Socratis Tsipras cooking in kitchen, second hand of John George Evangelopoulos our newest PC member and huge help in the kitchen Christine Bailey logistics and coordination of personnel Carnation Karros dance coordinator (with short notice) All of our kids pitching in wherever needed You can see that this list can go on for a while. I promise you I have missed people because I was late in creating this article, so this is not a complete list, but I can tell you that we are a community that involves themselves. If anyone has any better ideas on how to conduct this event, please do not hesitate to participate in the Festival meetings throughout the year. The success of this event was because of us, not anyone else, but us. We have made over $90,000 dollars and should be proud of what we have accomplished. All this hard work and effort provides the profits to allow us to ultimately pay the bills for the parish. This amount is ¼ of what is needed to support our budget for the parish, so your support of stewardship is needed to fill this gap. We should not rely on our events to provide the stop gap for running our Parish. Please involve yourself, with your time, treasure and talent throughout the year. Our next Festival is in the Fall - Sept 5th to Sept 8th. Hope to see you there. Thanks, John Papadimitriou

11 Please volunteer for our Fall Festival September 5th - 8th Page 11

12 Page 12 St. Sophia s Greek Dance Groups St. Sophia s new Greek Dance instructor, Carnation Karros, began teaching dance to the children of our parish this past spring. There are about 30 participants in the junior and senior Asteria dance groups and they proudly represented the church during our Spring Festival. It was wonderful to watch the dance groups perform and also nice to have so many people join in and dance the Kalamatiano with them. They did an amazing job and all their hard work paid off. Although learning the Greek dances requires a commitment to attend the practices regularly, the children and teenagers also have fun learning and dancing together. Throughout the summer, practices are held after liturgy each Sunday and last between 1 and 2 hours. Carnation has been teaching new dances to the groups to get them ready for our Fall Festival. They are learning dances from the regions of Epirus, Macedonia, Pontos, and various Islands of Greece. Communications have been sent through to encourage others to join the groups and learn the Greek Dances. All JOY and GOYA age children of the parish are welcome! Please Contact Carnation at falia@karrosfamily.com or

13 St. Sophia s Community Registry (January through July 2013) Page 13 Baptized into Christ February 17 April 14 April 14 April 14 April 21 April 21 April 21 Kristina, daughter of Elias Proios and Megan Pavlanszky. Godparent: Veronia Macricostas. Aidan Henry, son of Sean and Scarlett McDermott. Godparent: Sofia Sprayberry. Daphne Elizabeth, daughter of Sean and Scarlett McDermott. Godparent: Flora Poloway. Chelsea Marie, daughter of Sean and Scarlett McDermott. Godparent: Maria Tsipras. Kristen Elaine Shuler, husband of James Shuler. Godparent: Alice Laskaris Kotala. Rebecca Elaine, daughter of James and Kristen Shuler. Godparent: Alice Laskaris Kotala. Kevin Zachary, son of James and Kristen Shuler. Godparent: Alice Laskaris Kotala. Adult Chrismations April 14 Scarlett Marie McDermott (Zoe). Godparent: Elaine Piligian. Marriages June 15 July 13 Mark Toth and Aristea Evagelou. Koumbaros: Spiridon Evagelou. Ryan Nowlan and Lia Sandilos. Koumbaros: Catherine Sandilos. Coffee Hour Sponsors Needed! We are in need of coffee hour sponsors for the upcoming weeks. If you are interested in hosting a coffee hour, please put your name on the list at the back of the hall or contact Elaine in the Parish office.

14 Page 14 Orthodox Church Etiquette Much of church etiquette is based on common sense, showing respect for God and others. Always remember that we are in church to worship God, the Holy Trinity. The priest says, With the fear of God and faith and love, draw near. Let this be the way we approach all of worship. If we do, we will probably be observing appropriate church etiquette. Church Attire Women: Dresses should be modest. No tank tops or dresses with only straps at the shoulders, no short skirts (mini-skirts), and no skin-tight dresses. Dresses should have backs and not be cut low in the front. If women wear pants to church, they should be dress pants. Shorts of any type are not appropriate for church. Men: Men should also dress modestly. While coat and tie are not mandatory, shirts should have collars and be buttoned two or three buttons undone is inappropriate. Slacks should be cleaned and pressed. Shorts are not appropriate church wear. Entering the Church The time to arrive at church is before the service starts. If you arrive after the Divine Liturgy begins, try to enter the church quietly and observe what is happening. If the Epistle or Gospel is being read, then stop, stand still, and wait quietly until it is finished. Then quickly find a seat. If the Small or Great Entrance is taking place, do the same. If the priest is giving the sermon, stay in the back until he has concluded. Try not to interrupt the Liturgy with your entrance. Lighting Candles Lighting candles is an important part of Orthodox worship. We light them as we pray, making an offering to accompany our prayers. Orthodox Christians typically light candles when coming into the church. Venerating Icons When we enter the church, it is traditional to venerate (kiss) the icons at the Narthex and the Solea. When approaching an icon to venerate it, make the sign of the cross. Lipstick If you choose to wear lipstick to church, please blot your lips well before venerating an icon, before taking Communion, and before kissing the cross or the priest s or bishop s hand. Even better, wait until after church to apply lipstick. When to Make the Sign of the Cross: 1) Whenever one feel the need 2) Before and after any prayers 3) When one enters and leaves the Narthex and Nave 4) Before one kisses an Icon, Cross, or the Gospel Book 5) When one goes past the Altar 6) When one hears any of the following phrases or words:: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Have Mercy on Us The words Christ, Theotokos, Panayia or Virgin Mary The Name of the Saint of the church 7) After the reading of the Epistle or Gospel 8) Near the end of the Creed at the phrase In One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church 9) Before and after the Consecration during the Divine Liturgy (when the Priest says Your Own of Your Own we offer You, In every way and for every Thing. This is the point when the Priest prays with the people for God to make the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. 10) At the end of the Lord s Prayer while the Priest says For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 11) Before and after receiving Holy Communion 12) Before receiving Antidoron (The blessed bread at the end of the service).

15 Page 15 Standing When should we stand during the liturgy? Always stand during the Gospel reading, the Small and Great Entrances, the Anaphora (prayer of the Eucharist), the distribution of Holy Communion, whenever the priest gives a blessing, and during the Dismissal. If, for health reasons, you are unable to stand, then you may sit. Crossing the Legs In the Orthodox culture, crossing one s legs is considered to be very disrespectful. Should we cross our legs in church? No. When sitting in church, keep your feet on the floor. Young Children If a young child is disruptive, take him or her quickly and quietly out of church, just long enough to calm and sooth him/her. Then return to Liturgy. Bring young children to church frequently! Handling the Holy Bread (Antidoron) After receiving Holy Communion and at the end of the Divine Liturgy, it is customary to receive a piece of holy bread or antidoron the bread that was left over after Holy Communion was prepared. While antidoron is not Holy Communion, it is blessed bread, and as such should be eaten carefully so that crumbs do not fall. Both adults and children should always remember to treat and consume the antidoron with respect. Leaving before Dismissal Leaving church before dismissal deprives us of a blessing. Worship has a beginning Blessed is the Kingdom and an end Let us depart in peace To leave before church is over is disrespectful.

16 ST. SOPHIA GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Grecian Festival September 5-8, 2013 St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church 900 South Trooper Road Jeffersonville, PA Phone: Fax: REV. ECONOMOS PETER J. THORNBERG, PROISTAMENOS