Send down Thy All-Holy Spirit upon us!

Transcription

1 VOLUME 26 NUMBER 6/7 June/July 2017 Send down Thy All-Holy Spirit upon us! The Holy Spirit has always been, is now and ever shall be, having neither beginning nor end, but one with the Father and the Son: life and life-giving; goodness itself and source of goodness, through Whom the Father is made known and the Son is glorified, and is known by all: one power, one unity, one worship, of the Holy Trinity. ~Hymn from the Orthros Praises of Pentecost Dearest Spiritual Ohana, Christ is in our midst!- He was, is, and always shall be! Having completed the 40-day continuous Celebration of Pascha, we have partaken and have been fulfilled and engulfed in the exceeding joy and bliss of God s Love, Mercy and Glory! God is with us and continues to be with us, thanks be to the Holy Spirit: the Comforter and Spirit of Truth Who fills all things, including us, with God s Presence! Coming into the month of June, this year, in the completion of the Pentecostarion Period, we rightly acknowledge and place our focus on the Holy Spirit as we come to celebrate Pentecost as not merely an historic event, but as an ever-present reality in our lives as Christians today and always in the now! I would like to share with you quotes from the Holy Fathers and Saints of the Church on the Holy Spirit, whose wisdom is attributed to Holy Spirit Who has filled their lives in their thoughts, words and deeds. 1 I hope that these words of wisdom concerning the Holy Spirit inspire all of you! St. Macarius the Great in his Spiritual Homilies says this: Whatever the soul may think fit to do itself, whatever care and pains it may take, relying only upon its own power, and thinking to be able to effect a perfect success by itself, without the cooperation of the Spirit, it is greatly mistaken. It is of no use for the heavenly places; it is of no use for the kingdom that soul, which supposes that it can achieve perfect purity of itself, and by itself alone, without the Spirit. Unless the man who is under the influence of the passions will come to God, denying the world, and will believe with patience and hope to receive a good thing foreign to his own nature, namely the power of the Holy Spirit, and unless the Lord shall drop upon the soul from on high the life of the Godhead, such a man will never experience true life, will never recover from the drunkenness of materialism; the enlightenment of the Spirit will never shine in that benighted soul, or kindle in it a holy daytime; it will never awake out of that deepest sleep of ignorance, and so come to know God of a truth through God s power and the efficacy of grace. (Continued on page 2)

2 Holy Spirit, so that the Spirit works in each and every one of us, as we rely on Its Presence in our lives! (Continued from page 1) St. John of Kronstadt offers these two quotes: Everything that breathes, breathes by air and cannot live without air; similarly all reasonable free creatures live by the Holy Spirit, as though by air, and cannot live without Him. Every soul is quickened by the Holy Spirit. Recognize that the Holy Spirit stands in the same relation to your soul as air stands in relation to your body. I would like to acknowledge and thank all of you, especially those of you who are active in the various ministries of our Cathedral! The Holy Spirit needs each and every one of you to participate and be vessels to accomplish God s work. After all, we are each members of the Body of Christ, His Church (I m not speaking about the building, but you and all of us when I refer to Church ). The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who fills the whole universe, passes through all believing, meek, humble, good, and simple human souls, dwelling in them, vivifying and strengthening them. He becomes one spirit with them and everything to them light, strength, peace, joy, success in their undertakings, especially in a pious life, and everything good going through all understanding, pure and most subtle spirits (Wisdom of Solomon vii, 23). We have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Cor. xii.13). All pious people are filled with the Spirit of God similarly as a sponge is filled with water. Congratulations to our two High School Graduates: Sharon Higashi and Angeliki Scordilis! They have reached a major milestone in their lives. May they be successful in their pursuits and may they always grow in the Love our Lord throughout their lives. This publication of the Shorelines is condensed in combining the months of June and July. I wish you all a most blessed Summer! With Love in Christ, +Fr. Alexander With this beautifully delicious food for thought, let us always strive to acquire and be conduits of the Shorelines is published Monthly by: Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Pacific 930 Lunalilo Street Honolulu, Hawaii Phone : (808) Fax : (808) office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Parish Web Site: Regular Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday Rev. Father Alexander M. Leong fralexanderleong@yahoo.com Church Staff Cris Devine - Office Coordinator office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Erica Jansen - Bookkeeper 2017 Parish Council pc@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Maria Naval, President Trish Kiladis, Vice President Roni Katsikas, Treasurer Christina Dimitrion, Secretary John Kiladis, Cleopatra Kritikos, Nicholas Kyriakakis, Dimitri Nicholas & Andrew Tujios. Dimitri Nicholas, & Mindy Scordilis Philoptochos Board Alma Chu, President; Anita Akel, Vice President; Marina Saikevych,Treasurer; Alice Malick,Recording Secretary; Valentina Yarovaya, Corr. Secretary; Harriett Medes, Advisor Choir-Chanters Orest Saikevych, Music Director Gregory Malick, Protopsaltis Parish Ministries Stelio Scordilis, Aloha Youth Choir; Sunday School Director T.B.A., Bookstore; Dianna Graves, Presbytera Nicole Leong Greek Dance Groups; Stelio Scordilis, Sunday School Teachers Greek School; Julie Ličina Web Master; Alice Malick, Greg Malick, Maria Naval, Anita Higashi, Facebook George Kalantzis, 2

3 LITURGICAL LIFE OF OUR PARISH WEEKDAY SERVICES IN JUNE SATURDAY OF SOULS Sat. 6/3 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am MAUI SERVICES Sat. 6/24 Liturgy 10:30 am APOSTLES PETER & PAUL Thu. 6/29 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am SYNAXIS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES Fri. 6/30 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) June Parish Council Teams 06/04 Cleo Kritikos 06/11 Dimitri Nicholas 06/18 To be announced 06/25 Maria Naval Please remember in your prayers Dina Giannakopoulos Suzanne Keyser Julie Licina Alice Malick George Missias John Mitsis & all those who need our prayers Announcements Adult Cathechism We have an excellent and complete Adult Catechism available online for those wanting to live, learn and study Orthodoxy. It is a 2-part study program of lectures offered by Fr. Josiah Trenham through Patrisic Nectar Publications. To download the study program, go to and click on the tab, Catechism. If you are unable to download or use this technology, you can meet with Fr. Alexander to listen to the series together. As you progress through the series, please make an appointment to meet with Fr. Alexander to discuss your progress. Learn Greek In addition to our classes after Sunday School, we offer the following classes in the conference room: Elementary: 5:30 PM Advanced Youth & Adults: 6:00 PM 3

4 Library Update The books in the library downstairs are catalogued into categories with the exception of the Greek books. There is a typed reference sheet of the 200+ books on the shelf. The books in each category are not alphabetized. However they are color coded with dots. There is a blue loan book. Please sign your information into the book. When you return the book sign back in and return to the correct color on the shelf. I am off island until after Labor Day. If you have suggestions for buying future books for the library write them down on the last page of blue loan book. Thank you. Trish Kiladis Vice President Parish Council Share your news! Announcements that you would like to see in the August issue of Shorelines should be submitted to the church office by July 15th. Weekly Bulletin announcements should be submitted by noon on Thursday for the upcoming Sunday. Our Vision: To be a beacon of Orthodoxy in the Pacific and proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox faith Our Mission: To proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the Orthodox Faith. To sanctify and minister to the spiritual growth and needs of the faithful through liturgical worship and spiritual programs. To safeguard and keep the traditions, values, and faith of the Orthodox Church pure and undefiled. office@greekorthodoxhawaii.org Call: Or drop by with a copy of your announcement. Maui Orthodox Christian Mission reminds those who attend services on Maui to visit or call to verify services. or look for other activities that may be posted. 4

5 Summer Break Great Time to Read! Most children have about two months off from school. It is time for them to explore different things freely and be together with their family more. While they enjoy trips, entertainment, parties, games, science experiences, etc., I believe, it is good to have some spare time for reading. So, I thought I advertise several books we have in our Sunday School Library. Please feel free to stop by the library and check out a couple of books! My Warrior Saints by Egle-Ekatarine Potamitis This is one of my son s favorite books. Any boy/girl who loves stories about super heroes must enjoy this book! The lives of women Saints in the Orthodox Church by Eleni Gounari This book speaks about the lives of 79 women saints accompanied with corresponding icons. You or your child may want to spare a little time to read a story or two a day. It s Easy Being Green by Emma Steeth Emma wrote this book when she was only fifteen. This is one student s guide to Serving God and Saving the Planet. As well as loving our neighbors, we should be caring for all living creatures and nature existing on earth. There may be a lot of things we can learn from this book. Enjoy Reading and Get Inspired! Pres. Nicole 5

6 The works of mercy are innumerable. Their very variety brings this advantage to those who are true Christians, that in the matter of almsgiving not only the rich and affluent but also those of average means and the poor are able to play their part. Those who are unequal in their capacity to give can be equal in the love within their hearts. St. Leo the Great Prayer Group Meeting We are planning to have a prayer group meeting once every other week at the Church from September. We will pray for the infirm, for children, for peace and for whatever people request. We probably pray inside of Church for 30 to 45 minutes and have a about an half-hour fellowship with refreshments and coffee. Please contact Fr. Alex or Pres. Nicole if you are interested. We will choose a day and time after reviewing each other s schedules. 6

7 Dance Group News As promised, here are the rest of the Dance Group comments on the question I asked them to write 1 to 3 sentences on: Why they liked going to FDF? (Folk Dance & Choral Festival) Sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Diocese. Nisiotes: Islanders (older group) Dimitrios Nicholas, 20 years old: FDF is an experience that I always look forward to, spending time with all the different Dance Groups and learning such a diverse variety of dances amongst fellowship is the true joy of the FDF experience. I am truly grateful for being blessed with the funds and assistance to attend such an amazing event! Angeliki Scordilis, 17 years old: I really enjoy going to FDF because it is great to be surrounded by other Greek Orthodox kids who love dancing as much as I do. Sharon Higashi, 18 years old: I love FDF because I can connect with people my age and share the love of dancing together. It is where I ve met some of my closest friends and is something I look forward to every year. Christiana Oshiro, 21 years old: I like to dance, because the music and instruments bring life and movement to my body. All kinds of dance bring me joy and Greek dance has especially unlocked a new-found love of mine. FDF is an amazing experience that gave so many lovely memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Nisiopeda: Young island children Katherine Kyriakakis, 13 years old: I liked FDF because it helped me see all of the people who had the same cultural background. I could see how we were different living in different places but being the same, being Greek. Niki Kyriakakis, 13 years old: I like FDF because it helps me embrace my Greek heritage. Helps me learn more about who I am as a Greek person. Sophia Kyriakakis, 10 years old: I like FDF because we get to meet all of the Greek people and it s an honor to meet all of the Greek people. Both Dance Groups, their parents and I as their Director thank the Parish for your support. What can I say again Recycle, recycle, recycle Please forward all HI 5 cans, plastic (do not crush either), glass to Dianna or Barry. We gladly transfer from your trunk to our trunk. We thank those who have contributed to our continual fundraiser. Recycle no matter how small or large. Dianna Graves (Dance Director) C O F F E E H O U R Each individual/ family is requested to sponsor a coffee hour one Sunday per year. Sign up on the calendar posted outside the Social Hall or contact Suzanne A. or Frances R. Instructions/tips for sponsoring a coffee hour are available in a 3-ring binder in a cupboard in the hall. The Ladies of Philoptochos appreciate any donations of coffee supplies, including paper supplies to help defray some of the coffee hour expenses. If you are hesitant to prepare and serve a coffee hour 7 yourself, consider making a monetary donation. Please do not bring non- Lenten food including cake & ice cream during fasting periods. Thank you to our May Sunday Coffee Hour sponsors! 2017 Coffee Hour Sign-up Calendar posted outside the Social Hall. Please sign up to host a Sunday. 5/7 Kritikos Family 5/14 Mann Family 5/21 P.C./Ministries Potluck 5/28 Suzanne Akiona

8 Philoptochos Report First of all, I would like to thank the parish for your support and generosity to give to Philoptochos charity drives, including Kids 'n Cancer's Camp Agape. The Mochas for Missions campaign for small mission churches is now a parish-led campaign and Philoptochos helped reach the parish goal of $700 to be turned into C.O.M.E. (Commission for Orthodox Missions and Evangelism). Thanks to Pres. Nicole for her leadership. So far, we've kept up with our monthly disbursements to the Metropolis of San Francisco, National and local charities but we still need to have major fundraisers this year. We had a 2017 membership drive in February through March, but were still taking membership dues until recently. We lost a few members and gained new ones. We had nominations for the new Philoptochos Aloha Chapter Board of Directors. We don't need an election since we have the right amount of nominated members. Their names will be sent to the National office to be ratified and Father Alex Leong will give the Oath of Office later. We recently had an election for Woman of the Year, who was announced as Marina Saikevych, on Mother's Day. I would like to acknowledge Lucy Tujios for preparing the excellent fish Luncheon on Palm Sunday. Thanks to Jim McCoy for his generous donation to fund the luncheon. We also received a generous donation from John Levas. Thanks to Philoptochos members Anita Higashi, Valentina Yarovaya, Azenetti Regents, and Dimitri Xisxis' daughter, Anna, for their role in purchasing, cooking and dyeing the Pascha red eggs. A big accolade goes to Harriet Medes. What would our parish do without her? As President, I saw her offer her talents and knowledge with willingness and joy in service, from ordering the egg dye from Greece, to ordering the flowers for the Bridegroom icon and Kouvouklion and more. With Harriet, there is no drama only love for our Lord and for all of us. With Harriet involved, everyone works together more harmoniously. Recently, we had a big order for a pre-wedding reception and thanks to Harriet, Tina Dimitrion, Suzanne Akiona, Lucy Tujios, Vicki Shiroma and chair Anita Akel-Soileau for filling it. This may be another opportunity for Philoptochos to raise monies for our charities and expenses. They made Greek chicken, Spanakopita and rice pilaf, which had rave reviews. Thanks to all for purchasing our baked goods, which is a source of major fundraising for us. Soon we will be disbursing funds for St. Nicholas Ranch Summer camps, our high school graduates and other scheduled charities. I want to give a big "Thank you" to Jeannie Ranglas, Philoptochos President of the Metropolis of San Francisco for making a generous donation to two of our teens, Sharon Higashi and Angeliki Scordillis going to Ionian Village this summer. As my two-year term as President ends, I would like to thank my dedicated Board of Directors for excellence in service and for their support. It was a pleasure working with such wonderful, honest, hard-working and humble women like Vice President Anita Akel-Soileau who inspired me with her enthusiasm and ideas, Treasurer Marina Saikevych whose professionalism and trustworthiness I can't say enough of, Corresponding Secretary Valentina Yarovaya who sent beautiful handwritten thank you and congratulatory cards on behalf of Philoptochos and relayed all messages and reports to members, Recording Secretary Alice Malick, Acting Recording Secretaries Rhoda Banasihan and Alexandra Helene, and Compassionate Care person, Sophia Turchman who also wrote touching sympathy and get well cards. Mahalo! Alma Chu 8