Fr. Alex s Message: Down A Dark Path

Transcription

1 Fr. Alex s Message: Down A Dark Path It was a dark, windy October afternoon, and I was buried in a corner of the Newburyport Public Library with Nathaniel Hawthorne. My freshman composition professor had assigned Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown as the week s reading, and I wasn t looking forward to it. It looked dense and awfully long for a short story. But it wasn t long before Hawthorne s powerful narrative and unnerving imagery got the better of me. This college memory has stuck with me. If the story never came your way in high school or college, it s worth the 20 minutes or so it will take to read it. There s a lot within about the potential for good and evil inside each of us and, perhaps more importantly, our perceptions of others. The narrative unfolds in 17th century New England and swiftly introduces the main character, Young Goodman Brown. As his name suggests, he is young, a bit naive and a type of Puritan everyman. He is a faithful young man and deeply in love with his new wife aptly named Faith. While their love seems strong and their future hopeful, a secret within his heart starts to be revealed: he is convinced that, on this very night, he must take a sort of exploratory journey through a dark, mysterious wood. He feels guilty and does not want to leave Faith, but he must go. Once this journey is done, he promises himself, he ll never stray from her again: Well; she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven." Of course, it would have been much better for Goodman Brown to have stayed close to both his faith in God and his Faith. Traversing the twisted path through a spiritually twisted wood, he meets a foreboding man who leads him on a nightmare journey wrought with fear, mayhem, doubt and hopelessness. Along the way, he feels himself changing, being drained of his innocence; in fact, in his spiritual travail he becomes a horror and a demoniac. His only hope is the truthfulness and love of his new wife. But this hope is even dashed in the end, as he comes upon a witch s coven meeting at the end of his morbid journey, attended by all the most faithful villagers and, you guessed it, by Faith. The next morning, he wakes alone in the woods, quite unsure whether or not the entire episode was a dream or reality. In the end, though, it didn t really matter. The damage was done. True darkness had entered his heart. He could, from then on, only think evil ( Cont. Pg. 2) OCTOBER 2016 Table of Contents Liturgical Schedule 2 Stewardship 3 Youth 4, 5 Photos 6 Calendar 7 Community/ Outreach 8 Education/ News 9 Sponsors 10, 11 Saint Philip Church 500 West Hollis St. Nashua, NH P: facebook.com/ StPhilipNashua instagram.com/ stphilipnashuanh

2 LITURGICAL SCHEDULE October Schedule Sundays Orthros, 9 am Divine Liturgy, 10 am 2: 2nd Sunday of Luke* 9: 3rd Sunday of Luke 16: Sunday of the 7th Ec. Council 23: 6th Sunday of Luke 30: 5th Sunday of Luke Weekdays Orthros, 9 am Divine Liturgy, 10 am* 26: St. Demetrios the Myrrh-streamer *Because of the Nashua Fire Rescue Dept. Memorial, Orthros will be at 7:30 am & Divine Liturgy at 8 am. Down A Dark Path (continued) of his neighbors and Faith. He was forever after a stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man. In our Faith, we believe that loving God and neighbor is paramount; we trust God, and we strive to trust His children, searching for goodness in everyone we meet. This is our hope and our strength. If we do the opposite and take that midnight walk down the path of self-righteousness, despair and distrust, the result can be a kind of spiritual death, a missing of the mark with dire consequences, indeed a dark path. If we seek evil in others, we will find a way to perceive it; if we seek good, we will ultimately discover Christ in their eyes. It s up to us. As we journey down the path of our lives, may our companions always be His hope, His love, His trust and, of course, our own humility. Fr. Alex GOYA Pledge Sunday October 9 As last year, we have a sterling group of officers and chairs who will take their Leadership Pledge on the 9th. Before God, their families, and all of us, they will promise to do their utmost to nurture our GOYA Ministry in worship, witness, fellowship and service. We are proud of them all and wish them a good year. May God inspire our GOYAns and grant them a fruitful ! Voices of Faith Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. Isaiah 52:8 Our parishioners (adults and children) are always invited to read the Epistle during Sunday Liturgy. Like the holy people of scripture, we too can lift up our voices in praise of God. Contact Fr. Alex to arrange a November date. Oct. 2: GOYA Members Oct. 9: Denise Gioffre Oct. 16: Devany Pitsas Oct. 23: Dorothy Pitarys Oct. 30: Christina Juris To Autumn Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue. John Keats Holy Chrismation Is one of the 7 Sacraments of the Orthodox Christian Church. Is the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, offered following the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Is the most common way adult converts are welcomed into the Orthodox Christian Church. Is blessed and distributed to our churches by the Ecumenical Patriarch about once every decade. Join the Choir! Choir is an important ministry of our Church, through which members offer their gift of voice for the glory of God. Contact Director George Karakantas to learn about joining: karakantasgeorge@yahoo.com. Come and See 2

3 STEWARDSHIP Online Giving: Faithful Direct Stewardship, Every Member & More For some time now, our Faithful Direct online giving program has been up and running, making it easier to fulfill our giving intentions at Saint Philip, from Stewardship to Every Member and beyond. We pray that this tool continues to be helpful to our parishioners and helps our parish efforts bear fruit. The respective giving pages are as follows: Stewardship Every Member Capital Campaign General Donations (memorial, festival, etc.) St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church 500 West Hollis St. Nashua, NH Phone: P (603) ; ; F Web: (603) stphilipnh.org Rev. Fr. Alex Chetsas: fralex@stphilipnh.org Office Staff: Cheryl Petren Cheryl & Sophie Petren Theoharis: office@stphilipnh.org Office Hours: M - F, 10 am - 3 pm Sacraments Help Us at Reach Saint You Philip When Are you planning receiving Baptisms weekly and s Weddings, and other please electronic sure communications to check in with from Fr. St. Alex Philip? before If not, setting we make dates. may not The have liturgical an updated calendar of the for Church you and/or the your spiritual family. nature Please of help our us Sacraments stay close to make you this by very contacting important. the Thanks office with for your help . with Thanks! this! Commitment Cards: Changing It Up You may not realize this, but your Stewardship Committee has been meeting every month throughout 2016 with the ultimate goal of keeping our Stewards informed and inspired! We never stop trying to do better, and while we increased our Stewardship Commitment Cards and giving levels this year, we will not rest until we have 100% of the cards returned. We have a gift in Saint Philip; while many of us are not as active as we would like, it should be comforting to know we are always here for you. Our faith is such an important part of our lives one that is worth nurturing. Our spiritual connection through our church is what helps us in so many ways. Just because you have not sent in a Commitment Card in the past, things don t have to stay the same. Let s change it up this year holds much promise. Let s not live in the past. What is more important than your relationship with Christ? Remember: Online giving via Faithful Direct is now fully operational and available to all our Stewards. Explore it today ( and don t forget to complete your Commitment Card. Every Member Campaign Doug Philipon I wanted to provide you with an update and also announce a program that will hopefully help us achieve our goal of $75k for the dome project. Currently, we are at just over $50k. We are within reach of hitting our goal and would like to announce our Key Sponsors Program. The program calls for 4 Key Sponsors, people willing to provide a $3,000 gift to the Church. We will then look to our parishioners to provide matching funds. This can be made up of any size gift by as many people as it takes to total $3,000 per sponsor. Currently, we have 2 committed Key Sponsors. If we can get full parish participation, we will easily exceed our goal of $18k from Key Sponsors and backed with an additional $18k from collective matching. Please consider taking on one of these two positions so we will be ready to get this done in the spring. Contact me anytime: duglas1004@gmail.com; Come and See 3

4 YOUTH Don t let anyone look down on you because you are young Sunday School Heather Cloutier Happy Fall Everyone! We will be having the Open House on Sunday October 23; parents and grandparents are invited to go to their children s Sunday School classrooms to see what we are learning in class. We will also have the Round Table on the 23rd, when Fr. Alex will meet with the Sunday School children to answer their questions. Please remember we have our Stewardship Jars in our classrooms, and the High School Class students will do their Stewardship Practicum work on the last Sunday of each month. Stewardship is time, talent, and treasure! Contact me to learn more about our Sunday School Ministry: hacloutier@comcast.net. Dates to Remember: October 2: Church starts at 8 am October 9: Columbus Day weekend WE WILL have class October 23: Open House and Round Table with Fr. Alex October 30: High School Stewardship Practicum Family Day Oct. 30 JOY Prayerful Pumpkin Carving Event Following Sunday School and during the Home Base program, our JOY Ministry will host a Prayerful Pumpkin Carving Event, full of seasonal fun and with a spiritual message. Pumpkins will be provided; please bring carving tools if you can. GOYAns are invited to help out and should contact Elena Barker: elena.althea@gmail.com. GOYA Advisor Marisa Donati Hello Everyone! I hope you have all enjoyed your summer and are having a fantastic beginning of the school year! We have great things planned this year for GOYA. Here are the events we have planned for October: October 1-2: Lock-In at church. This will be a fun sleepover night with plenty of meaningful activities, led by Elena Barker and staff from MBC. Start time is 7 pm. October 9: GOYA Officer/Chairs Pledge and daytrip to Salem, MA. Our GOYA leaders will take their pledge before Communion, just before we leave for our trip. The Salem trip was a great outing last year don t miss it. October 23: GOYA Meeting. To help us stay better informed and connected this year, we will be having monthly Sunday meetings. Thanks to the Danas Family for bringing refreshments last month! October 30: JOY Family Day Pumpkin Carving and Nashua Crop Walk! We ll help JOY members with their carving, enjoy lunch and then head to the Crop Walk, a great outreach event. I look forward to seeing our GOYAns at these events! GOYA is open to all Orthodox Christian 7-12 graders of Saint Philip. Feel free to contact me for more information on GOYA and any of our events: marisapdonati@gmail.com. Greek School Update Greek School meets each Wednesday: Children, 4-6 pm; Adults, 6 pm. Registration fee is $100. It s not too late to join the learning and fun! Contact George Kitsis to learn more: bettyb214@aol.com. Reaching Our College Students We would like the contact information of all our college students, so they can receive mailings and care packages from Saint Philip, reminding them of how much they are loved! Parents, kindly help us by forwarding your child s information to Elena Barker: elena.althea@gmail.com. Come and See 4

5 YOUTH...but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in faith and in purity. Timothy 4:12 MBC GOYA Fall Camp! Nov. 7-9 The Metropolis exceptional camping program expanded last year, with the 1st Annual MBC GOYA Fall Camp. Our children were able to see friends from summer camp, make new friends and participate in fun, meaningful sessions. Time for round two on Nov. 7-9! Please consider blessing your children with this opportunity. To register, and for more information, connect with MBC: Altar Servers All boys of our parish (10-18) are invited to serve in the Altar. We are planning a late fall gettogether perhaps a BBQ and bonfire or movie night. Details to follow soon. Thanks to all our boys for their service! Putting Worship First What Matters Most to Us? For Orthodox Christians, what matters most is our relationship with God and how do we approach this relationship? It is through worship, with the belief that all other good things flow from this great priority of Worship First. With this in mind, we lovingly ask our parents to help us by doing the following. Please... Bring your children to Divine Liturgy often and worship with them (don t drop off). Impress on them that participating in any activity (JOY, Dance, etc.), means first attending Liturgy: No pray, no play! GOYA Salem Trip Sunday, Oct. 9 Many of our teenagers are curious about the occult, what we might call the dark side of the spiritual realm. Our coming guided field trip to Salem, MA will give us an opportunity to address their questions and help guide them toward Christ and our Orthodox Christian spirituality. Contact Marisa Donati to confirm by Oct. 5: marisapdonati@gmail.com. October 9 Itinerary: ***All participants will attend Divine Liturgy and Sunday School ***Brief lunch after Sunday School (GOYAns will be treated) ***Carpool to Salem (parent chaperones welcome and needed) ***Return to Saint Philip lot approximately 5:30-6:30 pm Saintly Lives: Saint Luke, Oct. 18 Saint Luke is one of the Twelve Apostles and also one of the Evangelists, meaning he is the author of one of the Gospels that we read from in the Orthodox Church. He came from Antioch and was a physician by trade. One especially interesting thing is that he did not know Christ during his time on earth; instead, he was a disciple and companion of Saint Paul after his conversion. So he came to know our Lord through the friendship and leadership of another. His Gospel is often referred to as the Gospel of Compassion, as several of its narratives (such as the Prodigal Son) reveal the kindness, love and compassion of the Lord for us all. In addition to the Gospel, he is traditionally known as the author of the Acts of the Apostles. Getting Practical: Is it possible to be a friend of Jesus without actually having known Him while He was here on earth? The answer absolutely. Look at Saint Luke. The Church considers him an Apostle of Christ, though he never met Him; he was able to write an inspired Gospel, though he never heard the Lord speak with his own ears. Saint Luke was a true friend of Jesus, and we can be too. We simply have to love Him and believe in His teaching and sacrificial mission. This month, read Saint Luke s Gospel to your children (maybe before bed or anytime you can make time), and remind them that, like Saint Luke, they can be great friends with Jesus by sharing their hearts with Him every day of their lives. Come and See 5

6 FALL 2015 RETROSPECTIVE Family Night Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter Ministry Fair Come and See 6

7 October 2016 Overview Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednes- Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sponsoring Fellowship Hour Sponsoring Fellowship Hour on any given Sunday is a wonderful way to remember a loved one or mark a special occasion. Contact Nick Kallan for details: loonboy@comcast.net; Thanks to Dorina Iviniciu for sponsoring on Sep. 25, in memory of Elena Ctoica, Nicolae Iviniciu & Christina Ctoica. Agape Yard Sale, 8:30 am - 3 pm GOYA Lock-In, 7 pm 1 2nd Sunday of Luke Orthros, 7:30 am Liturgy, 8 am - Sunday School - Nashua Fire Rescue Dept. Memorial, 10 am Parish Council, 6:30 pm Health/Wellness, 9:30 am Greek School: Children, 4 pm Adults, 6 pm 5 6 Orthodox Life w/ Jim Skedros: A Gift of Inspiration, 7 pm 7 8 3rd Sunday of 9 Luke Orthros, 9 am Liturgy, 10 am - Sunday School - GOYA Pledge & Salem Trip - Choir Appreciation Columbus Day/ Church Office Closed 10 Stewardship, 6:30 pm 11 Health/Wellness, 10 am Greek School: Children, 4 pm Adults, 6 pm Women s Prayer Group & Bible Study, 6:30 pm 14 Nov. Come & See submissions due 15 Sunday of the 7th Ec. Council Orthros, 9 am Liturgy, 10 am - Sunday School - Parish General Assembly/Agape Fundraiser Lunch Agape Nashua Soup Kitchen Service, 4 pm Compassionate Friends, 6:30 pm 18 Health/Wellness, 10 am Greek School: Children, 4 pm Adults, 6 pm Agape Nashua Soup Kitchen Service, 4 pm Orthodox Life, 7 pm th Sunday of 23 Luke Orthros, 9 am Liturgy, 10 am - S. School/O. House - Home Base/Youth Roundtable - GOYA Mtg Health/Wellness, 10 am Greek School: Children, 4 pm Adults, 6 pm 26 Women s Prayer Group & Bible Study, 6:30 pm th Sunday of 30 Luke Orthros, 9 am Liturgy, 10 am - Sunday School - Pan-M. Artoklasia - Home Base/JOY Event/Crop Walk - Health/Wellness 31 Thanksgiving Basket Drive, Oct Nov. 20 Please support this beautiful effort of our Outreach Ministry. Needs list: 25 frozen turkeys; 25 frozen pies; stuffing, mashed potato and gravy mixes; and canned cranberry sauce, corn and peas. Financial gifts are also welcome. Turkeys and pies can be dropped off in the kitchen and all other goods at the Giving Box. The effort will support local families and veterans in need. Don t forget to Fall Back on Sunday, Nov. 6, setting our clocks back an hour before bedtime. Come and See 7

8 COMMUNITY/Outreach Nashua Symphony Orchestra Holiday Senior Outing Dec. 10! Eye for Outreach Holiday Outreach The Holiday Outreach Project begins Sunday, Oct. 30 see the Calendar Page for details, and please support the effort. Crop Hunger Walk IOCC, OCMC & Prison Ministry Maryanne Squeglia, OCMC Ambassador We invite our beloved senior citizens to a truly lovely night with the Nashua Symphony Orchestra and New World Chorale, at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua, NH). The event begins at 8 pm, with the holiday pops program to feature holiday favorites for the whole family. This will be an excellent way to gear up for Christmas and get us all in the holiday spirit! Our parish has purchased 40 tickets for the event; they will be offered to our faithful on a first come, first served basis, at a discounted rate of only $20 per person (regular price of these excellent seats is $29). Please contact the Church office to purchase your ticket or with any questions. We hope this joyous event will build even more friendship among our seniors! IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities), OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center) and OCPM (Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry) are Pan-Orthodox agencies of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops. Have you ever wondered what they re all about? IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency. Their mission is to minister to those in need. IOCC most recently provided aide to the victims of the Louisiana floods and Hurricane Hermine. The mission of the OCMC is to make disciples of all nations. The most recent mission trips provided healthcare, youth work and education. The OCPM s mission is to bring the love of Christ to those in prison. There are currently over 300 Orthodox catechumens in prisons throughout the United States. We are seeking people to be ambassadors for IOCC and OCPM. Contact me to learn more about these opportunities: mvsquel@verizon.net The Nashua CROP Hunger Walk will take place Sunday, Oct. 30. This outreach event strives to raise awareness of hunger and also functions as a fundraiser for relief efforts in Nashua. Our GOYAns will be participating, and we are all welcome to join them. The event will begin at Temple Beth Abraham (4 Raymond Street, Nashua), at 1 pm. To learn about sponsoring our GOYA team and how to join us, see the flyer in the Narthex/classrooms area. Or contact Marisa Donati: marisapdonati@gmail.com. Stay Connected MINISTRIES/PROGRAMS MINISTRIES/PROGRAMS ADULT/GENERAL Chanting Theodore Persakis Choir George Karakantas Every Member Doug Philipon Food Festival Jamie Pappas Health/Wellness Katherine Richo Orthodox OCMC Life Frank Maryanne Edelblut Squeglia Parish Orthodox Council Life Jorge Frank Panteli Edelblut Outreach Committee Stephanie Norris Stewardship Parish Council Ministry Joe Malcolm Pappo Paradise Welcome Stewardship Committee Greg Joe Pappo Danas Women s Welcome Committee Prayer/Bible Paula Greg Danas Kouletsis Women s Prayer Group Maryanne Squeglia YOUTH Altar YOUTH Service Daniel Gioffre Family Youth Director Night Brandy Elena Barker Chetsas GOYA Altar Service Marisa Daniel Gioffre Donati Greek GOYA School George Marisa Donati Kitsis Hellenic Greek School Dance Troupe Maria George Donati Kitsis JOY Hellenic Dance Troupe Brandy Maria Donati Chetsas PC JOY/Family Mentoring Night Program Fr. Brandy Alex Chetsas Sunday School Heather Cloutier RELATED GROUPS/ORGANIZATIONS ORGANIZATIONS Agape Ladies Society Dorothy Panagiota Pitarys Mikedis AHEPA Nick Kallan Elpis Ladies Society Maria Donati Pan-Macedonians Society Charles Paskaley Come and See 8

9 EDUCATION/NEWS Agape Yard Sale & More Our October chair is Ellie Nisotakis: Some coming events The Yard Sale fundraiser is Oct. 1, 8:30 am - 3 pm. We hope for a very successful day! Please spread the word to family and friends. Our Fundraiser Lunch is Oct. 16. All proceeds to benefit the Every Member Campaign. Adults, $12; Children, $6. Our menu will include pastichio, salad, green beans, dessert & coffee. For tickets, contact Stella Bloom ( ), or buy them at Fellowship Hour. The Art & Craft Fair is Nov. 19, 10 am - 4 pm. 39 local artists and artisans will be present. Free parking. Contact Monique Sakellarios: moniquesakellarios@yahoo.com. Orthodox Life Continues: Oct. 6, 7 pm Dr. Jim Skedros Our ministry s theme for is Affirming Our Faith: the Encyclical of the Great & Holy Council. Dr. Skedros is helping us get off to a great start with his introductory series, A Gift of Inspiration. After one more session with Jim on the 6th, Fr. Alex will begin the next series on the 20th: What Can We Offer the World? All are welcome to join us for learning and friendship. Women s Prayer Group & Bible Study October 13 & 27, 6:30 pm Thanks to all for joining us for our September sessions we had strong attendance and excellent discussion. Join us this month for a relaxing time of prayer, study, friendship and more. All women of our parish and interested friends are welcome to join us. Oct. 13: Drawing Near to God Oct. 27: Caring for Our Planet, Refreshing Our Soul For further details, contact Paula K ( ; boston1020@jetmail7.com) or Maryanne Squeglia ( ; mvsquel@verizon.net). Coming Home to the Faith Want to learn about entering the Orthodox Church through Chrismation? Fr. Alex will gladly explain this approachable process. Contact him anytime. Health & Wellness Ministry: To Your Health! We are reminded in Matthew 6:22 that our personal health and well-being encompass our spiritual, physical, and mental health. A recent encounter brought this into sharper focus when an individual shared a meaningful incident that occurred during an earlier visit to Saint Philip Church. Anxious and uncertain about an upcoming presentation, the person had, out of necessity, removed a contact lens and placed it in its container. Upon closer inspection, the individual noticed the image of the Pantocrator, a clear reflection from within the dome, inside the lens. A photo froze the moment. Was it serendipity or divine design? However one chooses to interpret or explain such phenomena, we are reminded that God speaks to us if we are ready to listen. May we all be poised and ready to listen! Thank you for your ongoing support of our Health & Wellness Ministry. See you at our October events. Scholarship Appreciation Once again this past summer, the MBC First- Timer Campership was made possible through the combined efforts of AHEPA, Agape, Elpis and the Pan-Macedonian Association. The recipient was Denise Gioffre. In addition, and significantly, AHEPA offered a new MBC Campership; Christina Juris was the recipient. Both girls had a great time! AHEPA also quietly helped still other camper families with tuition this summer. To all of these organizations, our camper families and all of us offer our thanks. Your generosity has made a difference! This resource offers Orthodox Christian programming, featuring stories of faith, interviews, and more: Come and See 9

10 We thank our sponsors for their support! Stellos Family Investment Properties of Nashua, New Hampshire Proud Stewards of St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church Come and See 10

11 Come and See 11

12 Save the Date Oct. 30: Outreach Committee s 2016 Holiday Outreach Project Begins Nov. 13: GOYA Thanksgiving Shopping, St. Modestos Pet Blessing & Parish Feast Day Great Vespers/Reception Nov. 19: Agape Art & Craft Fair Dec. 4: Stewardship Sunday & Parish Elections General Assembly Oct. 16 Join us for our fall assembly, and enjoy the Agape Fundraiser Lunch. Our assemblies take place only twice a year; please make every effort to attend. Thank you for your support of this important parish event. Icon of the Holy Protection, Oct. 1 Memorials Elena Ctoica (38 yrs.), Nicolae Iviniciu 23 yrs.) & Christina Ctoica (9 yrs.) Sep. 25 Altar Flowers To sponsor contact the Church Office. Recent sponsors: Mikedis Family (In memory of Diamando Stathakis, Sofoklis Stathakis, George Sakellaris and Theoxari Kamarinoy) Sep. 11 Stella Bloom Sep. 14 Vrouhas Family Sep. 18