INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net

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1 News & Events INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fr. Nick s Net Parish News & Events 2015 Holy Saints GOYA Basketball Tournament Around the World Pg. 2 Pg. 3 Pg. 5 Pg. 6 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEUBENVILLE, OHIO FEBRUARY 2015 VOLUME VII ISSUE 2 ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE: FEBRUARY Calendar Parish Assembly Date and Minutes Roof Project History THE MISSION OF THE HOLY TRINITY PARISH IS TO SEEK AND ACHIEVE ONENESS WITH GOD IN HIS REVEALED SON, JESUS CHRIST THROUGH DAILY SACRAMENTAL AND SACRIFICIAL LIVING. WE WILL STRIVE FOR THE PEACEFUL AND LOVING UNITY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS IN CHRIST WHICH MAKES US HIS DISCIPLES. / 1 The Net - February 2015

2 Fr. Nick s Net The Net is the Monthly Newsletter of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church PARISH INFORMATION PARISH PRIEST: FR. NICHOLAS M. HALKIAS PHONE: (740) HOME: (724) FRNICK@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: KIM PALUCH OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG PARISH ADDRESS: 300 SOUTH FOURTH STREET P.O. BOX 788 STEUBENVILLE, OH PHONE: (740) FAX: (740) OFFICE@HOLYTRINITYSTB.ORG WEB: Holy Trinity Church is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh (pittsburgh.goarch.org) and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ( under the Spiritual Jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( PARISH MINISTRIES John Scavdis Nick Riley Susan Vogagis Rikki Kamarados Don Kronstein Steve Pahides Marianne Balakos George Berris John Josai PARISH COUNCIL President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Connie Shea John Synodinos Tina Van Dijk Philoptochos... Rikki Kamarados Religious Education... Stewardship... GOYA... Rikki Kamarados JOY... Maria Matzorkis HOPE... Maria Matzorkis Choir... Pete Caleodis Library / Bookstore... Mary Romios Senior Citizens... Barbara Lee Maragos Chian Society... John Synodinos Pan-Icarian Brotherhood... Stacey Kotsanis AHEPA... Tommy Kotsanis 2 The Net - February 2015 February 2015 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Christ is in our midst! He is and always shall be! The flu is all around us. People are getting sick, left and right. I visit the hospitals and I ve never felt more of a need for a double hand cleansing before I enter and after I leave the hospitals. Sickness is all around us, and we are more conscious of safety and cleanliness than ever before. The one thing that I have noticed is that the viruses are getting stronger. It isn t that these viruses are indeed getting stronger; it is that we have become immune to the weaker ones. So the weaker ones can t affect our bodies anymore, giving way for the stronger ones to take hold of us. Our medicines to help cope and heal these diseases must also be stronger, or else the diseases remain inside of us. It is ironic that as we begin the Triodion and Great Lent, we are faced with this inner struggle in the same way. However it is not a bodily disease that we are facing, it is a spiritual sickness. This is exactly how the church and the church fathers define sin for us. So often we view sin as actions for which we are guilty and therefore the healing is a court date with the priest that requires punishment. This could not be further from the truth. More accurately the church sees sin as an infectious and contagious disease for which baptism and confession are the major components for healing. Then the other sacraments of the church are there to help build a good immune system in order to fight off those temptations. This is not only a more accurate way of viewing sin, according to the Scriptures, but it is also a more compassionate way as well. Who among us can look at a waiting room of a hospital in a judgmental way towards all the sickness that is within it? No one blames the person struggling to fight off leukemia, or working to rehab a knee. We encourage those people. We feel sorry for them and endeavor to help them as much as we are able. It should be the same thing with sin. If our brother or sister is struggling with a specific sin, we who are stronger should help lift them, through prayer and the sacraments, above that sin in their lives. On the day before Great Lent starts, we commemorate the fall of Adam and Eve and their dramatic exile from Paradise, escorted by the Cherubim and a flaming sword. Their exit was not a punitive punishment from God, because of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. It was more like a doctor, who was trying to administer a cure, but the patient refused the medication. What else could the doctor do, but ask the patient to leave until they would submit to the treatment process? This sickness of sin was so contagious that it affected all of creation! The only cure for sin is bearing the fruits of repentance, and that tree unfortunately is not one that God provides for us. Rather we must produce that fruit. God will give us the healing atmosphere (the Church) and will even provide the antibiotics for this infection (Confession, Communion, Unction, and the other sacraments). But we must submit to the process of healing. We must choose to be cleansed. We must accept our disease, wish for it to be gone, and take the steps for it never to return. Only in this way, can the Lord Almighty cure us for all eternity. God Bless You All!!!

3 News & Events WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Worship... February Orthros is at 9:00 am and Divine Liturgy is at 10:00 am. Sunday School begins at 11:00 am. We will also be having Hymnology the first Sunday of the month starting at 11:00 am. Wednesday Paraklesis Services... February Paraklesis Services will be offered every Wednesday at 6:00 pm unless otherwise stated. FEBRUARY These are the services for the month of February please check your schedules and plan to attend. Monday, February 2... Ypapanti 9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy East Pittsburgh, PA Friday, February 6... St. Photios the Great 9:00 am Orthros & Liturgy Oakmont, PA Tuesday, February 10 4:00 pm Confession Tuesday, February St. Theodore the Recruit 8:30 am Orthros 9:00 am Liturgy Thursday, February 19 11:00 am Confession Monday, February Great Lent Begins Wednesday, February 25 6:00 pm Presanctified Liturgy Thursday, February 26 6:00 pm Great Compline Friday, February 27 6:00 pm 1 st Salutations Service Saturday, February Saturday of the Souls 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy HAPPY BIRTHDAY The following people will be celebrating their birthday in the month of February: John Mastros 2-04 Don Richardson 2-04 Sena Benos 2-04 Nicholas Mastros 2-06 Louise Riley 2-06 Manuel Fardis 2-07 Anthony Zorne 2-08 Stella Panagis 2-10 Erma Rangos 2-11 John Scavdis 2-12 Maria Panagis 2-17 Adriana Petrides 2-17 Alexandra Tressler 2-18 Shanley Demitras 2-19 Zachary Moore 2-20 Maria Caras 2-25 Mary McElhaney 2-29 If your name was not listed and you had a birthday during this month, please contact the office and we will be happy to place it on our roster for next year. GODPARENT/GODCHILD SUNDAY Please come join us for Church at 10:00 am on Sunday, February 8th and retake your vows as Godparent(s)/Godchild and take communion together. After Divine Liturgy please join the GOYANS who will be sponsoring a fundraising luncheon. Please plan to attend this event and help support our GOYANS. PARISH ASSEMBLY The Parish Assembly meeting will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2015, following Divine Liturgy. Please review the enclosed meetings minutes from the fall Parish Assembly for approval at the February 8th meeting. Please make every effort to attend this meeting. GOYA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT From Friday, February 20th through Sunday, February 22nd, our GOYA will participate in a basketball tournament sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh Youth and Young Adult Ministries. The tournament will take place at Holy Cross in Pittsburgh, PA. For more 3 The Net - February 2015

4 News & Events information contact Rikki Kamarados at (740) RELIGIOUS EDUCATION GREEK SCHOOL... February 5, 12, 19 & 26 Greek school is scheduled every Thursday from 4:00 pm until 5:00 pm here at the church unless otherwise stated. Check the Bulletin each week for changes. BIBLE STUDY... February 11 & 25 The Bible Study group normally holds it meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 10:00 am. There are going to be Bible Studies on the 11th and 25th of February. We are currently studying The Book of the Revelation of John. Please check the monthly calendar and weekly bulletins for times and changes. FAMILY FUN NIGHT... February 27 Each month Family Fun Night meets at a different location. Our next Family Fun Night will take place on Friday, February 27th at 5:00 pm at the church. PARISH GROUPS AHEPA... TBA The AHEPA Society will now have their meetings scheduled through our Notify-Now system. CHOIR... TBA Rehearsals are held weekly when possible and the times vary. Anyone who would be interested in joining the Choir is welcome to do so. Please contact Pete Caleodis if you are interested in joining. PHILOPTOCHOS... February 1 & 5 The next scheduled meeting of the Philoptochos is scheduled for the first Thursday in February. This meeting will be held at Theo Yianni s at 12:00 noon. Please remember that February is Heart Awareness Month and February 1st is RED SUNDAY. We will be observing this be asking everyone to wear something RED on that Sunday. PARISH COUNCIL... February 10 Parish Council meetings are held the 2 nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the church unless otherwise stated. OPA... February 19 OPA has its monthly meeting at a restaurant at 6:30 pm. All women are invited to attend these meetings. Our next OPA gathering will be at Tim Horton s, on January 19th at 6:30 pm. You don t need to be Orthodox to come. So come on in, invite your friends, and enjoy the fun! THEOLOGY ON TAP... February 17 Each month Theology on Tap meets at a different location. This month Theology on Tap will meet on February 17th at 6:30 pm. GYRO SALE The next scheduled Gyro sale will be held on Tuesday, February 10th from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm. Please help support these ladies in this endeavor. FOURTH STREET HEALTH CLINIC For the month of February we are asking for: Alcohol prep pads, Antibiotic ointment/cream, Band aids, Bottled water, Copy Paper, Cough drops and Tissues. Please be generous with your supplies as these go to a very worthy cause. LETTER FROM COUNCIL PRESIDENT Dear Fellow Parishioners, My wish to all is a healthy and glorious new year. I also thank everyone for their hard work and dedication to Holy Trinity and the Greek Food Festival. Congratulations to Holy Saints GOYA, a joint effort by the Ambridge, PA, Steubenville, OH, Weirton, WV, and Wheeling, WV Orthodox churches, for hosting a successful basketball tournament. Wonderful events happen when everyone works together. We will again plan a festival this year in June for four days on the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th. We always work hard during those days and the many days in preparation beginning in February. Since our workforce is decreasing in numbers and increasing in age, we must strive to become more efficient to maintain our level of success. I ask everyone to take a good hard look at the items we prepare for sale at the festival. Is the hot food menu too large? Is the assortment of pastries too many? Can some pastries be eliminated or subcontracted? How can we better utilize the street for sales? Anyone with ideas, bring them to the meeting or submit them to a councilperson. -John Scavdis- Parish Council President DECEMBER MONTHLY FINANCIALS December weekly income $4, December weekly expense $5, The Net - February

5 2015 Holy Saints GOYA Basketball Tournament WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR HOLY SAINTS GOYANS! On behalf of the communities of All Saints - Weirton, St. John the Divine - Wheeling, Holy Resurrection - Steubenville, Holy Trinity Ambridge, and of course our parish of Holy Trinity, we wish to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the 2015 Holy Saints Basketball Tournament the huge success that it was. It takes so many wonderful people to make such a great event for many. We are so pleased that so many dedicated people helped put on a tournament that was enjoyed by hundreds of people. Speaking of hundreds of people, anyone who saw our sanctuary that Sunday can t deny what a blessing it was to see our parish filled to capacity. And we had our Metropolitan with us again! We can t wait to host another one - but not for a little bit. We also want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Holy Saints GOYANS for the way they played during the tournament. Our Junior Boys and Senior Girls teams competed with great fervor and our Senior Boys triumphed - winning the championship during one of the most exciting GOYA basketball runs we ve seen in a while. Their championship run included: a win in double overtime, a win over a perennial tough team to beat, and comeback win with a last second foul shot and steal to secure the victory. We are so proud of the Senior Boys, the Senior Girls, and the Junior boys teams and all the teams that came to our tournament. It was a beautiful display of good Christian Sportsmanship for all to see! Here are some snap shots of the tournament and the games: 5 The Net - February 2015

6 Around the World ELDER PAISIOS CANONIZED BY PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW OF CONSTANTINOPLE by: Philip Chrysopoulos - January 13, 2015 Elder Paisios has been canonized on Tuesday by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as he was unanimously accepted by the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church. As reported by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he is now Saint Paisios and is added in the Greek Orthodox Church Hagiology. Saint Paisios the Athonite was born Arsenios Eznepidis in July 1924, in Farasa Cappadocia and passed away in July He was a Greek monk who became widely known for his life and prophecies. His father was called Prodromos and his mother Evlampia. He had eight siblings. On August 7, 1924, a week before the Greeks of Farasa returned to the homeland, he was baptized by the parish priest, Arsenios, whom the Orthodox Church recognized as a saint. Arsenios insisted and gave him his name to leave a monk in his place, as he said. Five weeks after the boy s christening, on September 14, 1924, the Eznepidis family, along with other refugees, arrived in Piraeus and then went to Corfu, where they stayed for eighteen months. The family then moved to Igoumenitsa and then to Konitsa where Arsenios finished elementary school and got his diploma with excellent conduct. Ever since he was a child, he was writing down the miracles of Saint Arsenios. He had an inclination towards monasticism and wanted to become a monk. Arsenios went to Mount Athos to become a monk in 1949, right after his discharge from the army. He stayed for one night at the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Karyes and then slept in the hermitage of Saint Panteleimon, in the cell of the Virgin Mary, where he met father Cyril, abbot of the monastery, and followed him faithfully. After spending time in various retreats of Mount Athos and Sinai, he moved to Koutloumousio monastery until he became seriously ill and passed away in the summer of The Net - February 2015 He was buried in the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Souroti, Thessaloniki. Since then, every year on July 11 to July 12, the anniversary of his death, there is a vigil in the Sanctuary Retreat, with thousands of believers attending. Elder Paisios wrote four books, published by the Holy Monastery Saint John the Theologian: Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian (1991), Elder Hadji-Georgis the Athonite, (1986), Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters (1993) and Letters (1994). Elder Paisios became known for a number of controversial political statements and prophecies. These include the prediction that a war with Turkey will lead to a restoration of a Greater Greece that includes Albania, Macedonia and Byzantium (Istanbul), and the mass conversion of Turks from Islam to Orthodox Christianity. Many Greeks have compared Paisios to Nostradamus. Hundreds of worshipers traveled to Thessaloniki, Greece, in order to pay their respects to the recently canonized St. Paisios, whose tomb is located at the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian. It is estimated that a total of 1,500 people visit the Greek monastery each week, a figure that will surely increase significantly, now that Elder Paisios was canonized. Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu Damianos was among the tomb s visitors. -Taken from: and

7 The NET-Minders The Parish of Holy Trinity would like to thank the following benefactors for making this Monthly Newsletter possible: Place your ADVERTISMENT HERE Place your ADVERTISMENT HERE In Loving Memory Of Nicholas Mougianis 7 The Net - JanFebruary 2015

8 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church P.O. Box South Fourth Street Steubenville, OH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE P A I D STEUBENVILLE, OH PERMIT NO. 83 Submissions for THE NET are to be submitted by the 20 th of each month About the Icon on the Cover FORGIVENESS SUNDAY The Holy Fathers have appointed the commemoration of Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight here, on the eve of the holy Forty-day Fast, demonstrating to us not by simple words, but by actual deeds, how beneficial fasting is for man, and how harmful and destructive are insatiety and the transgressing of the divine commandments. For the first commandment that God gave to man was that of fasting, which the first-fashioned received but did not keep; and not only did they not become gods, as they had imagined, but they lost even that blessed life which they had, and they fell into corruption and death, and transmitted these and innumerable other evils to all of mankind. The God-bearing Fathers set these things before us today, that by bringing to mind what we have fallen from, and what we have suffered because of the insatiety and disobedience of the first-fashioned, we might be diligent to return again to that ancient bliss and glory by means of fasting and obedience to all the divine commands. Taking occasion from today's Gospel (Matt. 6:14-21) to begin the Fast unencumbered by enmity, we also ask forgiveness this day, first from God, then from one another and all creation. -Taken from: