Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Transcription

1 Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral God s people, serving God s people 5th of January, 2014 Eve of Epiphany 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, Office: Fax: Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest Office Hours 8:30am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday 1

2 FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Officers George E. Preonas, President; Andrew Evangelatos, Executive Vice President; James A. Demetriou, PhD, Vice President & C.F.O.; Constantine M. Boukidis, Secretary; Tina Callas, Treasurer Members V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas; Nicholas Bissias; Timi Loomos Freshman; Alek Haidos; Steven C. Hanna; Michael Huffington; Gig Kyriacou; Brent A. Noyes; John T. Pappas; Jim Zaferis Presidential Appointments Anthony A. Demetriou, Presidential Assistant; John G. Marakas III, Sr. V.P. of Wells Fargo, Advisor to the Board; Andrew J. Demetriou, Foundation General Counsel PARISH COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Officers Brent A. Noyes, President; John Kopatsis, Vice- President; Irene Andreadis, Recording Secretary; Karen Sarames, Corresponding Secretary/Legal; Michael Kraios, Treasurer & C.F.O. Members Bertha Angels; Jeanine Hanna; Glenn Lianos; Eleni Constantine Manolelis; Loula Moschonas; Kouji Nakata; Alex Oxyzolou; Peter Pallas; Dean Peratsakis; Dorothy Spirus Board of Auditors: Jim Ananias; Tony Demetriou; Tom Moore 2

3 MINISTRY NEWS PHILOPTOHOS V.I.P. PRIZES AND SURPRISES - Thursday January 23, 2014 It's that time of the year when we play our favorite game. Please join us at 11:00am for a delicious lunch for a donation of $ Following lunch, you can enjoy an afternoon of "prizes and surprises" with your friends. Reservations are required. Please call chairperson Jayne Poullos (310) or co-chair Irene Mitropetros (323) LUNCHEON WITH A MATINEE - Thursday February 13, 2014 Let's get together for a fun day with movie and lunch at 11:00am for $10.00 Chairpersons Vivi Demopoulos and Mary Kezios. For reservations please call Mary Kezios at (562) KATHARA DEFTERA - Monday March 3, 2014 Let us together celebrate the first day of Lent with church services at 10:00am followed by a delicious Lenten Lunch which will be served in the Maniatakos Fellowship Hall prepared by our lovely VIP chefs. Chairperson Irene Mitropetros, co-chair Electra Koutsoukos. In His Service, Athina Lolonis VIP President 3

4 PHILOPTOHOS NEWS Please join us today in the Maniatakos Hall after liturgy for Vasilopita and coffee! OUR NEXT General Assembly Meeting for the New Year will be Sunday, January 26 after liturgy. Barbara Kappos will be speaking to us about Elder Abuse and the aging population. Please join us for a very informative program. If you are not a member of Philoptohos yet, consider becoming one. Make new friends and come listen to what we do. Even if you are not a member of Philoptohos you are welcome to attend the meeting and presentation. Lunch will be available. We hope to see you there. AN EVENING WITH FRIENDS DINNER honoring James (Jim) Demetriou, Anthony (Tony) Demetriou and Andrew (Andy) Evangelatos will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2014 in the Maniatakos Hall. Chairman Marianna Politis and her committee are already making plans for this spectacular evening. Invitations and solicitation packages are out in the mail. Send your greetings in for the program book as soon as possible. Save the date! MOTHER OF THE YEAR: Philoptohos is now accepting letters of recommendation for Mother of the Year. You may send your letter to us in care of the church office. Please get your letter in to us no later than February 1st. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me John 12:8 With love in Christ s service, Virginia Noyes and The Philoptohos Board of Directors 4

5 EVENTS AT THE HUFFINGTON CENTER Host events in the beautiful Huffington Center. Is your business looking for a venue to host a conference or seminar? Have you decided to tie the knot and need a perfect place for a catered reception? The Huffington Center serves as a fine setting for all your events and special occasions offering state-of-the-art media and IT capabilities, a commercial grade kitchen, and free parking for all your guests. Call or the Huffington Center to inquire about dates or to schedule a visit. Discounts available to Cathedral stewards and to those who have booked sacraments in the Cathedral. events@huffingtoncenter.org Phone: (323) ext. 108 Eleni Vlahos 5

6 MINISTRY NEWS THE HELLENIC SOCIETY OF CONSTANTINOPLE Celebrates their 47th ANNUAL VASILOPITA DINNER DANCE on Saturday JANUARY 11, 2014 at the Wilshire Country Club, 301 N. Rossmore Ave, Los Angeles. The evening will include music, dancing and the traditional cutting of the Vasilopita with the Gold Coin. We'll be honoring our Consul General of Greece Mrs. Elizabeth Fotiadou for her support of the Hellenic Society of Constantinople and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. For more information, please call Mary Morrison at (818) or Jeanette Owens Benedatos at (323) SAVE THE DATES: Feb. 1: The Philoptohos presents, "An Evening with Friends," honoring parishioners Jim Demetriou, Tony Demetriou, & Andy Evangelatos. Feb. 2: Super Bowl Party! In the Jim Gianopoulos family theater. Sponsored by the Parish Council. Feb. 8: Greek Dance Group's Annual Glendi, in the Maniatakos Hall. Feb. 22: Apokreas (Greek Mardi Gras), fun for all ages, in the Maniatakos Hall. Sponsored by the Parish Council. 6

7 MINISTRY NEWS BOOKSTORE SALE The bookstore is offering 10-20% off on select books and icons before Christmas. These include books on the Jesus Prayer, various Church and Desert Fathers, books for those coming to Orthodoxy from various backgrounds, and cookbooks. And if the "reason for the season" is getting lost in all the Christmas planning, shopping, and partying, we have a couple great books that will help you "reorient"...to turn once again to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! The Winter Pascha: Readings for the Christmas- Epiphany Season by Thomas Hopko contains forty meditations for the season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, ending with the feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple on the fortieth day after Christ's birth (celebrated February 2). Prepare O Bethlehem: Reflections on the Scripture Readings for the Christmas-Epiphany Season by William C. Mills helps you keep your focus on the Word of God amidst the many distractions of the season. Stop by see what we have! 7

8 MINISTRY NEWS JOY OF PARENTING CLASSES Join your fellow parishioners in a lively discussion of parenting children of all ages: from toddlers to teens and beyond. Classes are held in the Work/Study Room in the Huffington Center, upstairs near the left-hand side staircase, immediately following Holy Communion and concluding at 12:15. Come with your concerns and questions or just listen; there is no pressure to speak to the class. It's a wonderful way to get acquainted with other parents. There is no fee to attend. The Joy of Parenting Ministry is facilitated by Barbara Kappos, LCSW and Nikolaos Stefanidis, Ph.D. Mark your calendars for upcoming classes: January 19th Setting Family Goals January 26th Listening vs Hearing LEGEND OF THE VASILOPITA Do you know the story of the origin of the custom of Vasilopita? (if the story your yiayia tells you is a little different just remember there are a few sides to every story!) Let s take a journey through time and space to the 4th Century AD city of Caesarea in Asia Minor. There lived a man, and elder, a bishop of the Church who would become one of the greatest Saints of the Church Basil the Great. He lived during the reign of a wicked Byzantine Emperor, Julian, who would go down in history as Julian the Transgressor. During one of his expeditions against the Persian Empire, Emperor Julian passed through Caesarea. Upon entering the city he received a warm welcome from the humble Bishop Basil who brought three loaves of barely bread to offer to the King. The city of Caesarea was quite poor but the Emperor came expecting offerings of gold, silver, and precious jewelry. 8

9 LEGEND OF THE VASILOPITA Enraged by such a simple gift of bread the emperor departed the city and sent three bails of hay as insulting repayment for the bread. Delighted by any response from the emperor, Basil replied with a letter of gratitude: As you asked of us, we offered the best we had and we see you have done for us. We thank you! Further enraged by the kindness of the Bishop, Julian vowed to destroy the City of Caesarea. Time passed and St. Basil heard of Julian s return. Thinking to save his people, St. Basil called the faithful together to bring any precious items or wealth they had to appease the wrath of the emperor. The people did as they were told and collected their precious item. Then St. Basil and his people held vigil in the Cathedral and prayed for their deliverance. During the prayer service St. Basil had a vision; he saw the Virgin Mary sending St. Mercurius with an army of angels against Julian s army. But the vision was no dream, it was a revelation of true events taking place just outside the city walls. Julian and his forces fled in fear at the sight of the mighty angels arrayed in defense of the city. The danger avoided, St. Basil still had the task of returning all the precious items to their rightful owners. In order to save the people from the temptation of stealing more than they had offered, Basil asked that each of the items be baked into loaves of bread. He prayed over the loaves and distributed the loaves to the people. By a miracle of the Lord each person received to loaf containing their own precious items. The Church. In memory of this event and of Saint Basil himself, keeps the custom of the Vasilopita (St. Basil s Bread) every new year. 9

10 MINISTRY NEWS ADULT GREEK DANCE Sign up now! Saint Sophia s Adult Greek Dance For Fun! The class is off to a great start and there s still room for growth! Come by next Saturday, January 11th at 10AM and join the fun!! WHERE: HUFFINGTON SOPHIA CATHEDRAL WHEN: SATURDAYS, JANUARY 4 MARCH 8, 2014 TIME: 10 AM 11:45 AM FEE: $140 (Returning Students $120) INSTRUCTOR: RAMSEY SEIKALY CONTACT: Saint Sophia Office THE FORUM RETURNS! Looking for spiritual oasis in the dry desert of the work week? The Forum is a weekly gathering of Orthodox Christian adults seeking to further their life in Christ through fellowship, discussion, prayer, and feasting! Join the Forum this Tuesday night (Jan. 7th) at 7:00pm. You won t regret it! Like Us on Facebook! Facebook.com/CWLA.forum 10

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12 12 St. Anthony 8:30am Orthros 9:30am Liturgy