Parish Mission Statement: To proclaim and live the Orthodox Christian Faith in its fullness as faithful members of the Body of Christ.

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1 Parish Mission Statement: To proclaim and live the Orthodox Christian Faith in its fullness as faithful members of the Body of Christ. Bible Study Video Series Sure to Entertain and Inform Person of the Year: Maria Rovithis Family Retreat Looking for Participants Holy Week: A Truly Beautiful and Moving Experience MBC and VCC: Teaching Our Kids to be Active Coat Drive Serves Two Agencies Youth Participate in Oratorical Festival and Holy Week Events Trip to PA Set for May 2-4 Get Your MBC Code Today! The Pastor s Page Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, XPICTOC ANECTH! CHRIST IS RISEN! Life is funny and humbling and oftentimes ironic. Just when you think you know something so well or you ve figured out life, something to completely change our perspective. It recently happened to me. Someone came to the Church and asked to be married. Normally, you would think that I would be overjoyed at this announcement but this time, I wasn t. I m not ashamed to say now that I judged them. I perceived that they were on drugs, even high at the time of our conversation. Their clothes were filthy dirty even though they were attending a funeral service and I won t say what else I saw and thought. Then, I was speaking to one of my brother priests and he was telling me how he is so involved with that ministry to the addicted whether it is to alcohol or drugs. He reminded me that Christ would have embraced these people and ministered to them knowing that they are truly sick not only in a physical sense but, most certainly, in a spiritual sense. It s made me think a lot about who I m looking for to fill our pews and who we, as a community, accept into our midst. Not too long ago, we were concerned because a man came to church with a backpack. Parents were sheltering their children. As it turned out, this man was a gentle, softspoken, kind man who simply wanted to be with other kind people. The reason for his backpack is because he was afraid of leaving his valuables in his apartment. Yes, we need to be safe but we also need to reach out and remember the needy that Jesus welcomed. If Christianity should be about anything, it is about making sick people well. Those who are more sick have more need for healing. What does it say about us when we only seek those who are not truly sick in the first place? Jesus said it best, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. This year s Lenten journey taught me a lot. I hope it did for you also. We need to minister more, support programs that make a difference and not isolate ourselves so much. We know that it is what Jesus would do. This is Going to Change Everything! Do you struggle with not understanding the gospels, the Bible, why Jesus is so important, and why what He did means so much to humanity including you? Don t feel so alone. Most do. This program, however, will probably change all that. On April 24, at 6:30, we are going to start a new video series to complement our bible study. This series, made up of 25-minute television shows, consists of 18 entertaining episodes that take you place by place in all of the gospels. From Bethlehem to Jerusalem, from Jericho to Nazareth, you will see everything we saw on our recent trip PLUS learn the non-biblical history, the Scripture accounts, and understand completely how all of this fits together in one cohesive package. It is THE BEST series ever done on the gospels and the great thing is that you will see the great influence that the Greek Orthodox Church has had in all of those places. So, COME!

2 2018 PARISH COUNCIL President: Elizabeth Pappas Frogameni Vice President: Anthony Lalikos Secretary: Christopher Ciejek Treasurer: Nicole Lipp Diane Arventos James Athens II Peter Coscore George Couchiaftis Calliope Hoffman Nicholas Kintgios Liza Pappas Ilias Roumeliotis Joseph Spano Steve Stathis Tarsis Theofanidis COMMITTEE AND ORGANIZATION HEADS Building Fund Committee Despina Varelakis Costa Choir Director Endowment Fund G.O.Y.A. Advisor Greek School J.O.Y. Over 60 Club Philoptochos Sexton Stewardship Sunday School Joan Marcil Andrew Psilakis Chrisoula Mahida Liza Pappas Stephanie Giannakopoulos Marika Hamilakis Dimitra Stathis Ciejek Susan Efremidis Peter Coscore Despina Varelakis Costa The Apostle is the monthly newsletter of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Western Massachusetts, Inc., 22 St. George Road, Springfield, MA 01104, Tel: An online version is also available anytime at our web site: Simply click on Welcome. Parish notifications can be automatically received by clicking on Subscribe to Mailings also under the Welcome heading. Family Day at St. Methodios May For a Family of 4 (in one room), just $100 covers everything! We can arrive around 3 pm, walk the trails, play some games, have a barbecue, a campfire, discussions, enjoy the beautiful rooms of the Retreat Center, go for a canoe ride on the lake, soak up the sun, and have a great time. Sign up in the stoa of the Center. Maria Rovithis Named Person of the Year It was an easy choice. At the March meeting of the Parish Council, Mrs. Maria Rovithis was unanimously elected to be the Person of the Year and to represent us at the annual Ministry Awards dinner on June 10 in Randolph, MA. Time and space do not allow us to speak of all that she has done and contributed to our community over 60+ years. She is the first person in the church on Sunday, the first person to help with anything, and the first in many of our hearts. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased by check made out to St. George Cathedral with Ministry Dinner in the memo section. A Very Special Relic On Holy Friday, Father Chris showed everyone the beautiful new relic that St. George will have forever: an olivewood cross from Jerusalem containing visible pieces of the tomb of Christ, holy oil from the Sepulcher and water from the Jordan River. The cross itself was given to us by Helen Psilakis. Those who attended the Holy Friday services had the opportunity to venerate the sacred relic. From time to time, on the two feasts of the Holy Cross (September and March) and on Holy Friday, we will continue to offer this since we have a long tradition of venerating sacred objects knowing that they come from the holiest of places. 2

3 Christos Anesti! The Parish Council unanimously voted Maria Rovithis the 2018 Laity Award recipient, and she has graciously accepted. Congratulations to Mrs. Rovithis. This year the General Assembly falls on the same day as St Constantine & Helen 100th Anniversary & Cretan Club's 100th anniversary as well. With the great possibility of no quorum, we have rescheduled it from Sunday May 19th to Tuesday May 21 at 6 pm with supper being served. The search continues for an office manager to replace Carol Gove who will be retiring soon. If there is anyone out there who may be interested, please approach any Parish Council member or contact the office. We have also voted to subsidize St Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Church in Springfield and St. Nicholas Church in Enfield, each with a donation to help with some much needed repairs. More recently, it was a great honor to carry the cross on Great and Holy Friday. Yes, I was nervous but when I started up the aisle, a calm came over me. When I picked up the cross, I felt a great weight, both spiritual and physical on me but, much like Jesus, I knew I was not going to be alone. After a short time, I needed help and help was there (my fellow councilor), staying right by my side all the way around. This is a beautiful reflection of the kind of people we are in this parish. Many thanks and God Bless, Elizabeth Pappas Frogameni, Parish Council President Two iconic photos of the beautiful week that was Holy Week this year at St. George. Below, we had a dozen young girls act as myrrh bearers for the Holy Friday afternoon service, the Descent from the Cross (Apokathelosis). Some of the girls joined us for the Friday evening service as well. For all of them, it is an event they ll remember forever. At right, our beautiful kouvouklion (canopy) that holds the Epitaphion (burial tapestry) was decorated differently yet elegantly this year. Many thanks to all of the ladies and children who spent hours cutting and preparing flowers for placement and distribution. All in all, it was a beautiful week, well-attended even on the earlier days of the week. The most interesting thing we heard this year was that some literally came for the first time this year and, being so moved by it, said that they would never miss Holy Week again. One thing is for sure, the services are filled with emotion and many were truly moved by them this year. Sts. Constantine and Helen Church of Chicopee Invites you to their More information will be forthcoming Please save the date for this historic Celebration of faith and ministry 3

4 May 9 Isaiah the Prophet and St. Christopher the Martyr, in the chapel at 9 am May 17 The Ascension of the Lord, 9 am May Vespers and Divine Liturgy of Sts. Constantine and Helen at the Church of the Saints, Chicopee May 26 Saturday of the Souls at St. Luke Church 9 Μαΐου Ισαΐα του Προφήτου και του Αγίου Χριστοφόρου, στο παρεκκλήσι στις 9 πμ 17 Μαΐου Η Ανάλυψις του Κυρίου, 9 πμ Μαΐου Εσπερινός και Θεία Λειτουργία των Αγίων Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης, στην Εκκλησία των Αγίων, Chicopee 26 Μαΐου Ψυχοσάββατον στην Εκκλησία του Αγίου Λουκά Registering for Camp By now, you know the good news: St. George is covering the cost of camp for our own children provided they completely two of five requirements of the St. Basil or St. Sophia Award. There are a few things to know, however. We will have our own special coupon code to direct payment to St. George. So, unlike previous years, you will not need to be reimbursed. When you are ready to register, please see Fr. Chris for the code. Second, while we strongly encourage the religious portion of the program, our students are welcome to go to the Soccer Camp Week (Week 2). That week costs $850. Any additional costs beyond the $595 will be the responsibility of the individual families. 4

5 To all those who assisted us on Holy Tuesday and Holy Friday: It s hard to believe that May 12th is our last JOY meeting before summer. Please join us on Saturday, May 12th, from 12:30-2:30 at St. George. Remember, attending JOY is a requirement for free tuition for MBC this summer. Hope to see you all. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the families who have joined me in my first year as the JOY Director. It has been such a wonderful experience and I have enjoyed being with all of you. For those of you who are interested in JOY summer camp save the dates July from 9-2 at St. George. I am looking forward to a fun week! Thank You! Junior Choir Taking Over (for a day!) Anyone who has heard our Junior Choir recently knows that they are quite good, so good that they are being given more and more responsibility and hymns to sing on their own. Well, the time has come for them to completely take over and push the adults to the side just for a day. On the first Sunday in June, the Junior Choir will be singing the entire Divine Liturgy on their own. This is quite an ambitious goal but one that they will, no doubt, meet. If you have children in the Junior Choir, please be sure that they are attending services regularly so that they are getting in as much practice as possible. Kudos to all the adults for making this happen also, both parents and educators have done their children a great service. Sacraments and Funerals On March 23, Aphrodite Glassanos was laid to rest. On March 24, Christina Trikas was laid to rest. On March 26, Ed Nicholson was laid to rest. On March 29, Pauline Beeler was laid to rest. On March 30, Barbara Smith was laid to rest. On April 10, Angeline (Angie) Tougias was laid to rest. On April 12, Anthony Glassanos was laid to rest. Christ is Risen! 5

6 C JACK REALTY ASSOC. Real Estate Development P.O. Box 476 West Springfield, MA CHRISTOPHER CIEJEK, General Partner Rethinking Ministry for the Youth By Steven Christoforou Dorothy Day was a Catholic social activist. And a Cardinal once described her as trying "to live in such a way that one's life would not make sense if God did not exist." This is the sort of description that should apply to every Christian s life. Shouldn t it? After all, as Saint Paul wrote, the Gospel is something that doesn t quite make sense in light of the wisdom of our time: "We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." (1 Corinthians 1:23) Phrased even more simply: "the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18) If individual Christian lives shouldn t make sense without God, then the same should apply to Christian activities and ministries. So, do our ministries make sense without God? I grew up in the Church. I was an active participant in parish youth groups, athletic events, cultural activities, Sunday School, etc. These are the same programs that make up most youth ministry today. And these are the same programs that most of our young adults have participated in. Yet we all know that the Church has a problem: young people are increasingly disaffected and disengaged from the life of the Church. Young people are increasingly of the opinion that their lives "make sense" without God. Is it because the ministry that shaped them made sense without God? How can someone who was active in literally every program the Church offered feel so disconnected from the Church? When I was young, my grandmother kept a beautiful garden. It was of all kinds of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes. I noticed that, when the tomato plants were young, she would tie the plants to sticks she placed in the soil. The stick, she explained, was meant to help keep the plant from falling over while the stem was weak. When the plant was strong enough to stand on its own, she would remove the stick. It seems to me that, if our ministries are the "sticks" being used to support our young people, they re not helping our children learn to stand on their own. I know what you re thinking: "maybe this means we need more young adult programs." Yet a simply desire for more will not address the real problem. Young people climb the ladder from HOPE to JOY to GOYA, moving from one program to another. They spend years learning how to be good participants in these programs, and yet never develop the ability to function as Christians in the Church. Absent a program to prop them up, our young people find the Church to be uninteresting at best, or completely foreign at worst. Without the threat of being benched during the Basketball Tournament if they don t show up for Liturgy, they have very little buy-in. And, because kids may jump through this hoop and show up for Liturgy while they re in the program, we may feel that we ve facilitated good ministry. But have we? Maybe we ve been doing ministry incorrectly. Author Steven Christoforou is the Director of Y2AM. 6

7 Dear Beloved Philoptochos Ladies, Χριστός Ανέστη. Αληθώς Ανέστη. Christ is Risen. Truly He is Risen. We hope you all had a beautiful Anastasi and enjoyed the blessings of Easter with your families. The ladies of the Philoptochos Board wish everyone a beautiful journey to Pentecost. As we begin to wind down from the Easter season, Philoptochos continues to do the work of the Lord. Our commitment to help those in need never ends. We continue to support our local outreach ministries. We would like to thank everyone for the over whelming response to the coat, hat and glove drive for the Gray House. We received a beautiful note thanking us for our continued support of their facility. Many families, adults and children were helped this winter through your kind generosity. We will continue our collection of non-perishable food items for the Gray House, as well as undies, t-shirts and socks that we will distribute throughout the year to the Rescue Mission, Friends of the Homeless and the Veterans. We thank all our parishioners for donations for Epitaphio flowers and for all the help decorating the Epitaphio and the church. Your kindness is greatly appreciated. May is Philoxenia House month. Soon you will receive our Philoxenia letter explaining what Philoxenia House is and how it helps Orthodox families in need of housing and support when their child is in the hospital waiting for surgery. Philoxenia Hose is located in Boston and functions like our local Ronald McDonald House. We thank you in advance for kind and generous support of this ministry. Philoptochos is looking for new members to join our organization and this amazing group of women. If you have given it some thought and are unsure, please consider asking any board member what we are all about. Philoptochos is One Woman Asking Another Woman to Participate. It s as little as taking the time to help with a coffee hour, setting up the hall for a luncheon or simply joining us for a meet and greet. We look forward to meeting with you. We wish everyone a warm and happy Spring. With Love and Appreciation, Dimitra (Debbie) Stathis-Ciejek Metropolitan Methodios, who created the Philoxenia House in the early 1990s, meets with residents and benefactors at the Philoxenia House recently. It is one of our most successful ministries in New England, supported only by parishes and individuals of the GOA Riverdale Road Tel West Springfield, MA website: calswoodfiredgrill.com

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9 Dear Fellow Parishioners and Friends of St. George, I hope that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter with family and friends and we look forward to a warmer spring after having experienced a very persistent cold spell during the month of March and early April. Note of Thanks On behalf of the Committee, I deeply appreciate and thank Diane Arventos and her family for designating the Saint George Endowment Trust to receive any donations made in memory of her beloved mother, Barbara Smith, who recently passed away. Portfolio Update Financial markets bounced up and down during the month of March and early April as a result of the ongoing battle between the U.S. and China on the proposed tariffs that President Trump wants to place on imported steel and aluminum materials from China. China is taking the position that they will respond aggressively by placing tariffs on imported U.S. products such as small planes, agricultural items and others. The war of words and threats from both U.S. and China on this trade war continues however no action has been taken by either country to date. As a result of this threat by both, uncertainty has overtaken the capital markets creating daily roller coaster rides. Hopefully through negotiations between U.S. and China with acceptable outcomes, normalcy will return to the stock market very soon. To date the Trust s portfolio has been impacted by an approximate 2½% decline from the previous record set in January Club Update The following parishioners and friends of St. George have joined the 100 Club during the month of March: Charlie & Sue Alvanos, Peter Coscore, Sheila Joseph, Ray & Ann Judycki, George & Connie Manioudakis, Angelo Metzidakis, Bessie Metzidakis, Catherine Pappas, Crawford Smith and Nancy & Ray Suchak. A great big thank you with appreciation to all of the above for your continued support and generosity and commitment to join the 100 Club this early in The following is a list of the 35 members of the 100 Club as of April 1 st : Charlie & Sue Alvanos, Demos & Ralitsa Axas, Stefanos & Joanna Axas, Cesare & Virginia Ciantra, Peter Coscore, Peter & Zoe Demos, Florence Dunia, Jan Ghareeb, Sheila Joseph, Ray & Ann Judycki, Thea Katsounakis, Tony & Barbara Lalikos, Philip & Evangelia Loukellis, George & Connie Manioudakis, Steve & Anastasia Marangoudakis, Angelo Metzidakis, Bessie Metzidakis Kathie & Gus Mouneimneh, Catherine Pappas, Mary Anne Pappas, Andy & Doreen Psilakis, Alexandra Schoolcraft, Bob & Margaret Schwarz, Gary & Marie Setian, Crawford Smith, David & Betty Socha, Father Chris & Penny Stamas, Nancy & Ray Suchak, Pons & Angie Tougias, Kiki Trial, Steve & Eva Trikas, Georgia Williams, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous What a great start for 2018 and we re well on our way to establish a new record before the end of this year. THANK YOU TO EVE- RYONE! With deepest respect, Andrew Psilakis - Chair, Endowment Trust Committee Coat Drive A Big Success Once Again St. George parishioners contributed in a big way to our recent coat drive. The photo at right shows just a portion of the coats that were contributed to the Gray House and the Springfield Rescue Mission. Those from both organizations could not have been more grateful. They know that our parishioners are very generous and they depend on us to make their own ministry effective for those in need. 9

10 The Faithful Youth of St. George Make a Difference The Oratorical Festival this year had a good amount of participation. We hope that everyone is going to be pursuing the St. Basil and St. Sophia Awards. Be sure you re on track to win! Thanks to the support and encouragement of their parents, grandparents and other family members and their participation in our St. George ministries, including the Sunday School, GOYA and JOY, our students were present and many of them serving in this year's Holy Week Services. From making palm crosses to decorating the Lord s Bier, our students were there to lend a helping hand. Our Altar Boys, Myrrh-bearers, and the young voices in the Junior Choir did not miss a beat and, once again, the girls in grades 7 to 12 carried the cloth during the Good Friday afternoon services. By experiencing the events of Holy Week and following Jesus in the final week of His life and to the celebration of His Resurrection, our students strengthen their faith and build on their Sunday School classroom lessons and discussions. This is the best way to celebrate Easter and as Father Chris mentioned in his sermon on Good Friday evening, our St. George Parish is one of the best, if not the best in the Boston Diocese. The participation of our youth is key to our community, and its future. I wanted to also share a few events we are having for our parents in the coming month: On Sunday, April 29, the staff from the Metropolis Camp will be visiting St. George. We will plan to gather our students in Grades 2 through 12 in the small hall for this presentation during class time. The staff will also be meeting with the parents at the end of Sunday School in the small hall. Parents, please plan to join us for this brief presentation and the opportunity for you to raise any questions you may have about the camp. St. George week is the week beginning July 9 th, however if that does not work, the weeks that follow will all be just as much fun for your children. Also, please note that we have several St. George young adults who are camp counselors there this year the children will have many familiar faces... We are re-scheduling our Parent Guardian - Strategies that Work " workshop (previously scheduled for April 29th) to Sunday, June 3rd, which is also Junior Choir Sunday. This workshop will take place during our coffee hour. Please mark your calendars - truly a special day at St. George when our Junior Choir alone will be singing the hymns during the Divine Liturgy!! This will warm the hearts of all who join us. Please invite your extended families and friends for this performance. And then, all are invited to join us for the workshop that Elayne Gumlaw has offered to host, in conjunction with the Sunday School. Parenting can be a challenge these days. The focus will be: What can I do at home to help my child learn. Lastly, we wish to thank all of our families for filling their OCMC coin boxes; once again this year, we anticipate sponsoring one priest on a mission, as we have in the past. With gratitude and appreciation, Despina Costa and the Sunday School Volunteer Staff Theodore P. Carellas William G. Carellas Carellas Insurance Agency, Inc. HOMEOWNERS AUTO COMMERCIAL 207 Park Avenue West Springfield, MA

11 CONTRIBUTION RANGE REPORT January 1, 2018 to April 16, 2018 Dollar Amts. # Givers Total Gift Average , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Total 270 $76, $ Range Report Analysis While the report shows income of $76K so far this year about $2K short of where we were at the same time last year the more troubling number is in the number of contributing stewards. That number is also down. It s no secret that the next generation does not feel the need as the previous one did to contribute to or participate in the Church s ministry. That is obvious here and on Sunday morning but we cannot give up on Christ s Church. Parents, address this with your children. Give them a call and ask them if they ve contributed anything so far this year. Grandparents, we are looking for you also to pick up your grandchildren and take them to liturgy and JOY if they are not attending regularly with their parents. Let s not give up on another generation for the sake of convenience or busyness. Look below, JOY is a wonderful ministry! I hope that I ll see you with them on April 29th and again at the May meeting. One of the things that we truly try to do is instill in our young families and children the need to support the church s ministry, both locally and beyond. The OCMC program that sends missionary priests and laypeople around the world is one of those incredible programs that allows faithful members of the Church to build up and minister to the Church in those regions that really need it most. We hope that you will return your box this week with a generous donation to OCMC. There s no one else to support this but us. Let s be generous and thankful for them. Stewardship When does something really take off in your heart and mind? When do you really begin making a difference? Think of your good employee at work. Think of a good parent. Think of what it truly means to be a Christian. In each case, it is when the person the employee, parent or Christian begins to think less of themselves and more for the other. It s when the person invests themselves in the welfare of the other. The analogy is not perfect for the employee but it does show that the company is receiving more than it is giving, thus, the salary. The good parent and the good Christian are willing to sacrifice completely though, for the sake of the child and for Christ and His Church. Both receive rewards/benefits of sorts but both require selflessness as well. Now ask yourself: How selfless are you? Do you benefit more or give more? Are you a spectator of the work being done for Christ and His Church? This is how we measure ourselves: we invest our time, talent, and treasure. Anything short of that is not meeting the mark. So, let s invest and watch what happens. At left, our JOY got together in the gym for an Easter egg hunt at the March meeting. Our next meeting is on Sunday, April 29, after church. We hope that meeting after church will be easy for some families. We would like to hear your suggestions for May please. 11 Human Life is Sacred from the Womb to the Tomb

12 St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Western Massachusetts 22 St. George Road Springfield, MA PRE-SORT STANDARD NON-PROFIT U.S.POSTAGE PAID SPRINGFIELD, MA PERMIT #708 TIME DATED MATERIAL RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED The Flower Stop 540 Main Street, West Springfield, MA For over 10 years, the service provider to St. George Cathedral Visit our website at: ees-security.com We are complete service provider for homes and businesses 1146 Memorial Ave West Springfield, MA Ruby Perakis, Owner St. Pierre Phaneuf Funeral Chapels A Lasting Memory of the Journey Home St. Pierre-Phaneuf Springfield Chapels (413) St. Pierre-Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels (413) St. Pierre-Phaneuf Fairview Chapels (413) Paul A. Phaneuf, Matthew D. Sabat, and Anthony J. Hanke, Directors Riverdale Imports 1497 Riverdale Street West Springfield MA JOSEPH S. SPANO CELL: (413)