The Cathedral Connection

Transcription

1 zz THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 1 The Cathedral Connection January 2014 SAINT SOPHIA GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL th Street & Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC (202) ARE YOU CONNECTED? Dear Saint Sophia Family, Last month, the members of our youth and young adult ministry groups participated in many activities to celebrate the Christmas season. Our campus ministry students worshipped together at Vespers and had fun baking and decorating Christmas cookies (a welcome distraction from final exam preparation!). Our JOY/Little Angels enjoyed their annual Christmas Pajama Party and a visit from Santa Claus after their theatrical production of the story of the Nativity. The young adults had a successful Christmas get-together which included a spirited swap of mystery gifts during the white elephant gift exchange. Finally, our GOYANs were joined by GOYANs from our sister parish, Saints Constantine and Helen, for a Christmas overnight retreat led by Father Dimitri and students from the Ambassador program at Hellenic College/Holy Cross (thank you, Anthony and Danielle!). We look forward to seeing all of you as we continue our youth and young adult programs and activities, and we wish you all a blessed, healthy, and happy New Year! With love in Christ, Fotini Tina Serbanos Saint Sophia Youth Ministry Outreach Coordinator (SSYMOC)

2 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 2 Message from Tina Serbanos... Page 1 Table of Contents... Page 2 Staff & Volunteer Contact List... Page 3 January Activities At a Glance... Page 4 January 2014 Calendar... Page 5 On the Holy Water of Theophany... Page 6 GOYA Bowling... Page 7 Online Safety Webinar... Page 8 December in Photos... Page 9 January Saintly Stories... Page Spiritual New Year s Resolutions... Page 11 The Bravo Box... Page 13 Oratorical Club... Page 14 YAL Upcoming Events... Page 15 Young Adult Choir Registration Form & Questionnaire... Page 16 New GOA Young Adult Initiative... Page 16 Be the Bee... Page 17 AHEPA Scholarships for Graduating Seniors... Page 18 CrossRoad Page 19 Ionian Village Page 20

3 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 3 Staff & Volunteer Contact List MINISTRY GROUP NAME TITLE ADDRESS All Fr. Steve Zorzos Spiritual Advisor All Fr. Dimitri Lee Spiritual Advisor All Despina Tsamoudakis Office Manager All Pete Panagiotopoulos Director of Internet Ministry & Communications All Eleni Planzos Sunday School Youth Director All Tina Serbanos Youth Ministry Outreach Coordinator Altar Servers Peter Sbily Instructor Angeloudi & Me Presvytera Andrea Lee Coordinator Campus Ministry Ted Koutsoubas Advisor Campus Ministry Ryan Hunter President of AU OCF GOYA Christina Sardelis Advisor GOYA Jill Tsiamis Committee Member GOYA Dina Kaldis Committee Member GOYA Basketball George Wallace Coach GOYA Basketball Michael Polchert Coach GOYA Basketball Evan Ganginis Coach Greek School Dr. Andriana Coordinator Kalapothakos JOY Debbie Charles Advisor JOY Despina Manos Committee Member Little Angels Dina Margas Advisor Little Angels Kathy Harrison Committee Member Little Angels Maria Spanos Committee Member Little Angels Mary Karounos Communication/Sign-Up Oratorical Club Amanda Lockhart Advisor Sunday School Diane Cerniglia Academic Dean (Upper School) Sunday School Stracie Maniatis Academic Dean (Lower School) Sunday School Vivian Kambanis Administrator YAL Chris Dallas President

4 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 4 January Activities At a Glance Angeloudi & Me Saturday, January 4 10:00am, Saint Sophia Youth Room Basketball Mondays, January 6 th, 13 th, & 27 7:30pm, Walt Whitman High School, Bethesda, MD o Basketball practice. o NO PRACTICE on Monday, January 20 th. Campus Ministry Wednesday, January 15 7:00pm, American University s Kay Spiritual Center o Vespers/Fellowship Meal. GOYA Saturday, January 18 7:00pm, Bethesda Naval Bowling Center o Bowling. RSVP by January 12 th. Greek School Saturdays, January 4 th, 11 th, 18 th, & 25 10:00am, Frosene Center (Saint Sophia Cathedral) o Classes. Mondays, January 6 th, 13 th, & 27 4:15pm, Bethesda School o Classes. o NO CLASSES on Monday, January 20 th. Saturday, January 4 10:00am o Cutting of the Vasilopita. Monday, January 6 4:15pm, Bethesda School o Cutting of the Vasilopita. Sunday School Sunday, January 5 th o Agiasmos (Blessing of the Waters) all Grades. Sunday, January 12 th o Students in Grades 3 6 receive Holy Communion. o Sunday School staff meeting. Sunday, January 19 th o Faith Time Grades 2 6. Sunday, January 26 th o Students in Grades 7 12 receive Holy Communion. YAL Sunday, January 12 12:30pm, Georgetown Waterfront o Ice Skating. Monday, January 13 7:30pm, Saint Katherine s Meletis-Charuhas Center o Sandwich making for the homeless.

5 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 5 JANUARY 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Angeloudi & Me Greek School Frosene Vasilopita 5 Agiasmos, All Grades 6 Bball Practice Greek School Bethesda Vasilopita Epiphany 7 Prophet & Forerunner John the Baptist Greek School Frosene 12 Gr. 3-6 Communion Sunday School Staff Meeting YAL Ice Skating 19 Faith Time Gr Bball Practice Greek School Bethesda YAL Sandwich Making 20 NO Bball Practice Campus Ministry Vespers/Meal Saint Anthony 18 Greek School Frosene GOYA Bowling Saint Athanasius Greek School Frosene NO Greek School Bethesda 26 Gr Communion 27 Bball Practice Greek School Bethesda The Three Hierarchs

6 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 6 On the Holy Water Of Theophany By: Saint John Maximovitch (taken from On Theophany, the Day of the Lord s Baptism, every year a great miracle is performed. The Holy Spirit, coming down upon the water, changes its natural properties. It becomes incorrupt, not spoiling, remaining transparent and fresh for many years. This Holy Water receives the grace to heal illnesses, to drive away demons and every evil power, to preserve people and their dwellings from every danger, to sanctify various objects whether for church or home use. Therefore, Orthodox Christians with reverence drink Holy Water a great Agiasma (holy thing), as the Greeks call it. One should always have at home enough Theophany water to last the whole year, and make use of it at every need: in cases of illness, leaving on a journey, whenever one is upset, students prior to examinations, etc. People who drink a little Holy Water daily, before eating any kind of food, do well. It strengthens the powers of our soul if it is done with prayer and reverence, and one does not merely expect a mechanical result from it. Every priest should take care to bless a sufficient quantity of water for his church, so that it will be on hand for the course of the whole year for every need and to be given out to those who ask for it; and parishioners should provide themselves at Theophany with Holy Water for the whole year and even so that it can be kept for future years.

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9 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 9 D E C E M B E R I N P H O T O S Campus Ministry Christmas Party JOY/Little Angels Christmas Pajama Party Nativity Play JOY/Little Angels Christmas Pajama Party YAL Christmas Party GOYA Overnight Christmas Retreat Christmas Carols

10 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 10 January Saintly Stories Saint Anthony On January 17 th, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Anthony the Great. Saint Anthony was born in Egypt in the year 251 to wealthy parents. He immediately distributed all his wealth to the poor upon hearing the words of the Gospel, if you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor. (Matthew 19:21). Thereafter, he fled into the desert, and learned and practiced the ways of an ascetic: prayer, fasting, and self-denial. At times, he returned to the world to fight heresies and urge others to keep their faith in Christ and remain true to Him. Saint Anthony is considered the Father of monasticism. Many believers followed him into the desert to abide by the basic rules of monastic life that he authored. Saint Anthony died in the year 356 at the age of 105. Saint Athanasius On January 18 th, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Athanasius the Great. He was born in the year 295 in Alexandria, Egypt. He was very well educated in the Greek schools of Alexandria. As a deacon to Archbishop Alexander, he participated in the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325. There, he used his gift of speech to convince others to condemn the Arian heresy. He succeeded Archbishop Alexander as Archbishop of Alexandria upon his death. He spent the rest of his life battling the many political and theological struggles of the day. He was persecuted and oftentimes hid from his opponents since they repeatedly tried to kill him. The writings of Saint Athanasius were highly regarded by other Fathers of the Church. He is considered the Pillar of Orthodoxy.

11 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN Spiritual New Year's Resolutions for Orthodox Christians (Adapted from an article by Reverend Fr. Brent Kuzyk, Priest of the Ukranian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC), Society has implemented a tradition for those who wish to make resolutions which they will follow for the upcoming year and accomplish something; be it weight losing weight, eating healthy, saving money, etc. As Orthodox Christians, it is incumbent upon each of us to revisit our personal lives to ensure that we are learning, growing and becoming true to our call of becoming God-like. In keeping with the "trend" for New Year's Resolutions, I have devised 10 Spiritual Resolutions for Orthodox Christians to which they can aspire. The expectation is not that all ten will be fulfilled in their entirety by the end of the year, but that an honest effort to accomplish some and to be aware of all is made. Life itself is a journey to theosis* and the whole journey of life is needed to work out our salvation. 1). Arrive for Church Services on time! We take for granted the Divine Liturgy at the best of times. Often we believe that as long as we are there for the Gospel, Sermon and Communion we have had "a good enough dose of God for the week." Partaking of the Matins or Orthros service and the full Divine Liturgy will prepare you fully for stepping up to the precious and Life-giving Chalice of Christ. This will in turn fortify your spiritual journey into the world for the coming week. Our responsibility to Our Lord is to respect the schedule laid out for us, at least once a week. 2). Ask for forgiveness from our family, friends and Christian brothers and sisters in our parish. Forgiveness is a difficult virtue to put into practice and even more difficult to use regularly. Let us therefore use the virtue of forgiveness as a basis for our continued commitment to theosis and by regarding our earthly relationships with one another as truly important. Let us practice forgiveness, as it is the first step in preparing for Holy Confession and Holy Communion each and every Sunday. 3). Learn about praying and prayers. We tend to use the prayers we were taught as children. There are many prayers available for parishioners to use: check the prayer book and ask your Priest, he can assist by providing prayers that pertain to your specific situation(s). Pray often, more than once a day. If you do not have a prayer corner set up in your home, set one up. 4). Become a steward in your parish and community. Become an active, involved, caring Orthodox Christian. Donate to your Parish, become, if not already, involved in keeping our environment clean (God placed us on this earth to care for His creations!!!), donate to food banks, school lunch programs, etc. Create an organized community outreach for the less fortunate residents of your area. As stewards of humanity, it is incumbent upon us, as Orthodox Christians to lead by example.

12 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 12 5). Attend more than one (1) Church Service per Month. Don't be a "C " &"E (Christmas & Easter) Parishioner. Place prayer, worship and Church services on your list of priorities, above all other recreational activities. The benefit of a fulfilling spiritual life will lead you to many rewards in the future. 6). Put your God-given Talents to use. We all have hidden talents, or talents not used to their full potential. Recognize them, ask for guidance from Our Lord and put them to use for the benefit of God's Holy Church. 7). Invite your children, grandchildren, siblings and friends to Church services. Become a host to your own family. Guide them and explain to them that the One Holy Universal and Apostolic Church is the One True Church. Explain that Orthodoxy offers all to its faithful. Bring one guest to Church per year at least and allow God to do His work. 8). Contact your family members that have stepped away from your family; or if you have stepped away, call your family. Practice patience, understanding and forgiveness. We are on this earth but once. We have one opportunity to practice forgiveness and ask for it as well. It is never wrong to come back home, even after a lengthy absence. We should never be embarrassed to admit our faults to our families and our desire to renew our relationships. We must remember, we are not perfect, we all have faults and we never know when we may be called by God to return home. 9). Experience the life of the Church and her many gifts to heal you. Attend Church services; come to Confession and Communion on a regular basis. We were born unto this earth dependent upon our Lord. Use Confession to unburden your sins and Communion to heal you. Rely on your Parish Priest to be your Father Confessor and Spiritual Guide. 10). Recognize that we are tested by Our Lord and tempted by the devil himself, daily. We are put to the test daily, as in school, so in life. Pray frequently, ask for guidance, see beyond the test, look for the good only in all situations. Avoid temptations that are "too good to be true." Recognize that we are accountable for all of our thoughts, actions and deeds. *Note - Theosis (deification) is the Orthodox Christian doctrine of sanctification. According to this teaching, humans are to become holy, godly, and in that sense adopt the nature of God. This opportunity has been made possible through Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate. St Athanasius of Alexandria stated that "The Son of God became man, that we might become God."

13 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 13 THE BRAVO BOX to our youth for preparing emergency supply kits for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines last November.

14 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 14 Saint So phia O rato rical Club The Cathedral's teenagers are warmly invited to join the Saint Sophia Oratorical Club to learn about speech writing and to prepare speeches for the 2014 Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. NEW THIS YEAR! -- This year, the contest has added competitions for essays and poetry -- no speaking required! Open to all teenagers from Grades 7 12, the group will meet at the Cathedral to develop speeches/essays/poems on timely topics that reflect their own opinions and an Orthodox perspective. To join or learn more, please contact Amanda Lockhart at. Speech Topics List 2014 Poetry & Essay Flyer

15 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 15 Saint Sophia YAL Ice the Georgetown Waterfront Ice Rink Sunday, January 12 12:30pm YAL Sandwich Making for the Homeless Monday, January 13 7:30pm Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church Meletis-Charuhas Center 3149 Glen Carlyn Road Falls Church, VA Bring your own loaves of sandwich bread, slices of meat, and slices of cheese. The ratio is 2 slices of meat per sandwich OR 1 slice of meat and 1 slice of cheese per sandwich.

16 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 16 & NEW!!! Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Young Adult Initiative Representing Emerging Adult Leaders To learn more about REAL, click here or visit the GOA Young Adult Facebook page.

17 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 17 What does it mean to Be the Bee? Last fall, the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries began a weekly series of short, informative, entertaining, and spiritually beneficial videos. Be the Bee is named after a metaphor associated with Elder Paisios of Mount Athos, and explores ways that we can all focus on what is good and beautiful in our everyday lives. New episodes are released every Thursday afternoon. They can be found on YouTube or the Ancient Faith Radio website:

18 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 18 ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS! Student applications are now available for the Washington Metropolitan Area 44 th AHEPA Scholarship program. Students eligible for an award will be honored at the Awards Program on May 18, 2014 that will be held at the Hilton Washington, DC/Rockville Hotel in Rockville, MD. This program has honored 1,508 students and awarded $804,975 in scholarships. To be considered for a scholarship award, you must: 1) be affiliated with either the AHEPA family or the Greek Orthodox Church; 2) be a graduating high school senior; 3) have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B average or better); and 4) have participated in extracurricular activities and/or lettered or received awards in varsity interscholastic sports. Applications are available in the church office and on the website. For more information, please contact Janis Anderson at: or

19 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 19 Hellenic College/Holy Cross Summer Program for Juniors and Seniors in High School Applications for Summer 2014 are now available! Please click here. CrossRoad is a 10-day summer program for high school juniors and seniors. It combines the greatest gifts of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HCHC) through faculty instruction and participation, an enthusiastic staff of graduate students, the beautiful campus overlooking Boston and of course the exciting city of Boston itself. Students will participate in daily classes with Orthodox faculty from HC/HC and other institutions, and attend Vespers each evening at neighboring parishes in the Boston area.

20 THE CATHEDRAL CONNECTION YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT BULLETIN 20 Summer 2014 Camping Programs For young people who will have completed Grades 8 12 Session One: June 23 July 12, 2014 Session Two: July 20 August 8, 2014 Spiritual Odyssey Pilgrimage For young adults between the ages of Spiritual Odyssey Cyprus & Greece: June 1 June 11, 2014 For more information visit: Ionian Village Facebook Page Registration opens February 1, 2014! Catch a glimpse of what campers will experience at Ionian Village! Click here to view the Ionian Village video.