Sunday Bulletin. Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. 25 March 2012 Annunciation. God s people, serving God s people

Transcription

1 Sunday Bulletin 25 March 2012 Annunciation God s people, serving God s people Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, Office: Fax: Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest

2 CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK Sunday, March 25 th Greek Independence Day Orthros :15am Studies in the Faith... 9:15am Divine Liturgy :00am Monday, March 26 th Bible Studies with Father John: Philoptohos/Women s Bible Study :30am Men s Bible Study :30pm Bible Study in the Faith (in the chapel) cancelled during Lent 4/23 Wednesday, March 28 th Hellenic Academy (Adults)..7:00pm Bible Study with Father Allan.cancelled during Lent until 4/25 Pre Sanctified Liturgy. 7:30pm Thursday, March 29 th Catechism with Father Allan.cancelled during Lent until 4/26 Friday, March 30 th Pre Sanctified Liturgy :30am Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos....7:30pm Saturday, March 31 st Hellenic Academy (PreK & K) :30am Hellenic Academy (K & 1-6) :30am Hellenic Academy (Adults). 12:30pm In lieu of coffee hour, please join us for the Greek Independence Day Celebration in the Huffington Center Maniatakos Fellowship Hall EPISTLE READER Helene Tsimahides 2

3 DAILY VITAMINS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 3

4 Υμνος ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΑ Ηχος δ Ηχος πλ δ Ηχος πλ δ 4

5 HYMNS OF THE DAY On the Annunciation Proclaim the salvation of the Lord from day to day. Save us, O Son of God, Who became flesh for us, as we sing to You, Alleluia. Apolytikion Fourth Tone Today marks the crowning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery before all ages. For the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the grace. Wherefore, we also cry out with him, Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with you. On the Annunciation Proclaim the salvation of the Lord from day to day. Save us, O Son of God, Who became flesh for us, as we sing to You, Alleluia. Eighth Tone O merciful One, You came from on high, and condescended to Your three-day burial to save us from passions. You are our life and our Resurrection, O Lord. Glory to You. Eighth Tone To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: Hail unwedded bride! 5

6 ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Πρὸς Ἑβραίους 2:11-18 Ἀδελφοί, ὁ ἁγιάζων καὶ οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι, ἐξ ἑνὸς πάντες δι ἣν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοὺς καλεῖν, λέγων, Ἀπαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι πεποιθὼς ἐπ αὐτῷ. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν σαρκός καὶ αἵματος, καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχεν τῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ θανάτου καταργήσῃ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, τοῦτ ἔστιν τὸν διάβολον, καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃ τούτους, ὅσοι φόβῳ θανάτου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῇν ἔνοχοι ἦσαν δουλείας. Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται. Ὅθεν ὤφειλεν κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι, ἵνα ἐλεήμων γένηται καὶ πιστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, εἰς τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ. Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ πέπονθεν αὐτὸς πειρασθείς, δύναται τοῖς πειραζομένοις βοηθῆσαι. 6

7 EPISTLE READING Let Us Be Attentive.. Verse: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has regarded the humility of His servant. Wisdom.. The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 2:11-18 Let us be Attentive.. BRETHREN, he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, "I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee." And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I, and the children God has given me. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted. 7

8 GOSPEL READING The Reading is from Luke 1:24-38 In those days, Elizabeth the wife of Zacharias conceived and for five months she hid herself, saying, "Thus the Lord had done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men." In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 8

9 MINISTRY NEWS PHILOPTOHOS NEWS Philoptohos is starting a new project to raise money for the Metropolis Kids n Cancer Camps. These camps give children with cancer and their families a few days away from the world of illness and treatments, where they can have some fun. We will be selling various See s Easter Candy items in the Hall Foyer at Coffee Hour for the next 2 Sundays ending on April 8 th. All proceeds will go to our donation for the Kids n Cancer Camps. We have Easter bunnies, children s boxes, Easter eggs plus assorted 1 lb. boxes and nuts and chews available! Please stop by to see all the wonderful things we have. EASTER LILLIES: Helene Ballas will be ordering Easter Lilly plants for shutins in the next couple of weeks. If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving a plant, please call Helene with the name of the person and she will be sure to have a plant for them. All plants should be picked up outside the Chapel on Palm Sunday. MOTHER OF THE YEAR: It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Mother of the Year is BESS PAPPAS. Bess has given many years of service to the church, her family and to Philoptohos. She will be honored at our Mothers Day Luncheon and Fashion Show on Saturday, May 12 at the Universal Sheraton Hotel. Letters for the program book are already out in the mail. Please send your greeting into the album as soon as possible so you can be included. Invitations will be out soon. We hope you will join us in honoring Bess. Chairman Judie Christopoulos and her committee are working hard to put on a wonderful event! FEED THE HUNGRY Project: We are not collecting lunches this month, but are collecting other items. Please see below under Women s Shelter. We will start collecting lunches again in May. APRIL DONATION FOR WOMEN S SHELTER: During the month of April as we prepare to celebrate Easter and the Resurrection of our Lord, the earth changes from the dormant months of fall and winter, to a renewal of life with new grass and flowers and trees blooming. It is for this reason that instead of collecting lunches for the hungry in April, we are going to collect new packages of socks, underwear and undershirts for women and their children who are in safe house locations, away from abusive husbands and boyfriends. The agency that collects these items specifically asked me for these items! I always believe that where there is a need, you will respond with love and generosity. We must give these women some hope and faith that their lives can change and something new will happen for them. There can be nothing worse than to feel completely hopeless. 9

10 The items must be new and still in the store packages. You can buy any sizes you wish as the agency said various assorted sizes needed. Just about every store will be running a sale before Easter time. Items may be brought to church labeled for Virginia on Sundays. Collections will begin on Sunday, April 1 st and end on Sunday, April 29. I will make the deliveries to the agency shortly thereafter, before Mother s Day. Thank you for anything you can donate. May God bless you for your mercy & compassion for those who are suffering. CHANGE FROM THE HEART: PENNIES AND PRAYER PROGRAM is a Metropolis Program, close to the heart of Metropolitan Gerasimos. The Commission for Orthodox Missions and Evangelism spreads the word of our faith through Missions and new churches. Canisters will be in the Sunday School classrooms so for your children to donate in class. You may make a donation through Philoptohos at any time. Your donation will help support current mission parishes & begin new ones. BAKING GALATABOURIKO: If you can help with baking trays of galatobouriko for the Easter Picnic, please call Scarlett Billis Baking will be on Holy Saturday morning starting at 10:00 a.m. You must call and give Scarlett your name so she can give a list of the volunteers to the Event Director. Thank you! We heard some concerns in regards to why we bake on Holy Saturday morning. Here s an explanation: from Thursday night through all of Friday, the church is basically in mourning once the Crucifixion takes place. But on Saturday morning, the rose petals are thrown in the church and the Orthodox faithful know that Christ is defeating death. This is the day when Christ rests in the tomb but is also the mystery of his descent into Hades from which he will rise. It s the day of watchful expectation when mourning is transformed into joy. So we do not bake from Thursday afternoon through Friday but we can bake on Saturday. Galatobouriko is a milk based item that must be refrigerated immediately and should be baked as close to the serving date as possible. Since Easter is on Sunday we have to bake on Saturday. I hope this answers any questions people may have. For we are God s handiwork created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10. With love, Virginia Noyes and the Philoptohos Board of Directors 10

11 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) PHILOPTOHOS VIP NEWS MAY ACTIVITIES Thursday, May 24 - Senior Citizen Luncheon. We are very pleased to announce that we'll be honoring Gus and Kiki Pappas as VIP Philoptohos Senior Citizens of the year Plan to attend this special day honoring these beautiful people who have served our community in various activities for many years. A very special luncheon and program have been planned in the Maniatakos Fellowship Hall by our chairperson Mary Kezios and co-chair Mersy Loukaris. Cost of the event is $ Please make reservations to Mersy Loukaris at (323) or Helen Varenges at (818) JUNE ACTIVITIES Thursday, June 21 - PALA CASINO SPA RESORT, Temecula. Save the date. More information to follow. In His Service, Mary Morrison, Philoptohos VIP President ******************************************* MYRRH BEARERS If you're the parent of a 2 nd or 3 rd grade girl who would like to be a Myrrh Bearer on Holy Friday, please contact Eleni Yokas, Sunday School Director, eyokas@usc.edu 11

12 PHILANTHROPIA NEWS MINISTRY NEWS (continued) SCHEDULE FOR CONFESSIONS: During Great Lent (which began on Monday, February 27 th ) Father Peter will be available for confessions every Wednesday afternoon from 2:00-6:00 p.m. OR by appointment on Sunday mornings. On Wednesdays, call the church office and ask for Father Peter. (If these times are not convenient for you, please call Father at (818) GET ON THE BUS: This project is coming soon and will be observed on Mothers Day and Fathers Day respectively. We will keep you posted as the day approaches. USED CLOTHING and CANNED GOODS: Please identify all clothing donations on the outside of the bags by indicating whether they are for men, women or children. The two new receptacles for "used clothing" and "canned goods" are working great. As in the past, they are located by Saint Constantine Chapel. Thank you! ANNUAL APPEAL: We thank you for your continued wonderful support to our annual appeal. CELEBRATION OF LIFE: Constantine Marcou, Esq. was Philanthropia s legal counsel for many years. The Celebration of Life gathering for Constantine of blessed memory, will be held on April 28, 2012, in Lancaster, CA. For details, please call Father Peter at (818) Thank you. PHILANTHROPIA WEBSITE: The Winter issue of the PHILANTHROPIA Newsletter has been mailed and will be available on the website shortly at: We thank Perry Lambert who is coordinating our website. KALI ANASTASI & KALO PASCHA: The members of PHILANTHROPIA wish all of you a blessed Pascha. Take care and God Bless. With love, Father Peter 12

13 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) SAINT SOPHIA BOOKSTORE AND GIFT SHOP NEWS Book Club - Our next book for discussion is Crazy John, by Dionysios A. Makris. This true story is about a modern day fool for Christ who's crazy love transcends and eventually transforms one neighborhood of Athens, from a place where people s doors were firmly closed to their neighbor, and everyday life was spent in a spirit of apathy, vanity, and thoughtlessness towards others to a place joyfully participating in God's love for one-another. There are about 10 copies of this book on their way to St Sophia's Huffington Center Bookstore at about $14 each. Discussion date for this book will be forthcoming. ******************************************* 5 TONS OF LOVE CLOTHING DRIVE Spring is in the air and as we embark on another beautiful Lenten season, let us once again show our Love of neighbor. As we do every year at this time, the AMNOS Ministry will try to fill a 5 ton truck with your donation of quality clothing to be distributed to those less fortunate. Simply clean out your closets or better yet, conduct your own clothing drive at school, work or in your neighborhood. This is St. Sophia's 10th annual, 5 TONS OF LOVE clothing drive! It will run through the end of April and as in previous years, your efforts will support downtown LA's, Union Rescue Mission Please contact Fr. Alan Boyd or Dean & Christina Peratsakis for the drop off location and for more information. Volunteers are needed. Thank you. Dean and Christina: or dotos@msn.com 13

14 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) SAINT SOPHIA HELLENIC ACADEMY NEWS: TODAY 14

15 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) ST. SOPHIA CATHEDRAL DOCENTS Each year our St. Sophia Cathedral welcomes thousands of visitors who come from all over the world to see this designated historical site of Los Angeles. With the addition of the Huffington Center, we anticipate that we will have even more visitors, so we are seeking volunteers to become Docents to welcome these guests to enjoy the magnificence of our Cathedral. Becoming a Docent is a wonderful way to serve our church, learn about its history and iconography, and also meet interesting people. It only takes 4 hours, one day per month. No public speaking experience is necessary. All materials are given to you. For further information please call Faye Demetriou (818) or Jimmy Karatsikis (213) ******************************************* The Joy of Parenting Founder - Jeannie Lyons Co-Leaders - Barbara Kappos, LCSW and Nikolaos Stefanidis, Ph.D Parenting classes are held at the conclusion of Holy Communion in the 2nd floor Meeting Room at the top of the west staircase in the Huffington Center. The classes are offered free of charge and all are welcome to attend. There will be NO class on Palm Sunday, April 8 th, and Easter Sunday, April 15 th. March 25 April 1 Dealing with Oppositional Behaviors Materialism and the Holidays ******************************************* SAINT SOPHIA MOMS N TOTS: St. Sophia Moms N' Tots Program is a Faith, Music and Movement program designed for Moms and/or Dad's with infants/toddlers between the ages of 6 months - 4 years old. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle with a little one, please join us! DATE: Thursday, March 1st through Thursday, June 7th TIME: Thursdays, 10:30am -11:30am WHERE: Huffington Center at Saint Sophia - Nursery Room 1 st floor COST: $20 registration fee per child Our weekly gathering will consist of singing (both religious and secular), dance and movement activities, followed by story time and finally an activity based on our church calendar, be it a Feast Day or a Saints day, etc. We will learn how to do our cross, say our prayers, and much more! If you have any questions please contact the St. Sophia Moms N Tots coordinator, Katia Boudouvas - kbakas@gmail.com 15

16 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) GREEK DANCE: CONGRATULATIONS FDF DANCE & CHORAL GROUPS! Congratulations to all of our FDF dancers on another successful year! We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our directors, parents, and volunteers who donated their time and services. Their dedication ensured our success and contributed to the enrichment of our ministry. A special appreciation goes to Father John and Father Allan and the Christian organizations of St. Thomas and Bishop Conaty School whose dedication and fellowship to our program exemplified the true spirit of Christianity. 4 Saint Sophia s FDF 2012 Dance & Choral Groups: Kyklonakia - Directed by: Konstantina Mallios, Gabriela Koutanos & Dimitri Georgopoulos Sinefakia - Directed by: Joanna Travlos & Nicholas Manolelis Mentee: Kosta Koutsos; 4th Place, Advanced Primary Keravnos - Directed by: Dina Tsambunieris, Kristin Begakis & Yianni Vlahos Sweepstakes Winner, Division II Kymata - Directed by: Lawrence Olliffe, Eleni Constantine Manolelis & Kristin Thomas Lee; Mentee: Joey Skarzenski Fourtouna - Directed by: Alexandra Guirguis Additionally, congratulations to Maro Tsigarida & Danielle Doumak, who participated on the FDF Management Team this year. Thank you for your hard work throughout the weekend to make it a success. Again, we would like to acknowledge our Asteri Award Winners from this year s Glendi: Panos and Bertha Angels, Jimmy & Joanna Zaferis, Nick Manolelis, Joanna Travlos Special congratulations to our 2012 Keith Strong Scholarship Award Recipients: Oslynn Garcia - Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto High School Demitri Leo Camperos - Cresenta Valley High School 16

17 MINISTRY NEWS (continued) ST. SOPHIA ANNUAL EASTER BAKE SALE PALM SUNDAY APRIL 8th Tsourekia Koulourakia Kourambiedes Diples and much much more PRE ORDERS AND SPECIAL REQUESTS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED Please call Demitra Koutsos All proceeds will go towards the St. Sophia Dance Ministry Please come out and support us! 17

18 COMMUNITY NEWS KEEP THE HUFFINGTON CENTER IN SHIP SHAPE Please keep our new Huffington Center clean and well cared for. Do not allow our children to put their feet on the walls or drop food and drinks on the beautiful carpets. For safety and liability concerns, please stay out of the kitchen and unauthorized areas and please keep children from running up and down the marble foyer staircases or playing with the elevator. We have worked very hard for the last ten years to make this wonderful building a reality. Let s have a center that future generations can also use and enjoy. Take pride in what we have. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS? The grounds and buildings at Saint Sophia Cathedral and Huffington Center are now smokeless! We kindly request that you refrain from smoking while on the grounds or in the buildings.. We thank you for your understanding.. HOLY WEEK FLOWERS ******************************************* Donations are being accepted for floral arrangements, Icons and all related flowers for Holy Week & Easter. Altar plant donations may be made in any amount in memory of loved ones. Please call Cathedral office for specific floral arrangements and candles throughout the week or contact Ann Pappas or Jimmy Karatsikis for any additional information: Ext 207 (Ann) or Ext. 302 (Jimmy) ******************************************* HOLY WEEK & EASTER SERVICE BOOKS Holy Week & Easter Service Books are now available in the Narthex & Bookstore for Holy Week and Easter services. The supply is limited, so don t wait until the last minute.. Thank you.. 18

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21 For those who are sick or suffering St. James advises us, If anyone among you is sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:13-14) Ensuring that St Sophia s parishioners continue to be cared-for and prayed-for, please list names below of those in our midst that need prayer. Feel free to request the personal prayer of one of our priests after services, or to schedule this with one our priests during St Sophia Cathedral s office hours. As you request prayer, you may also wish to make an offering to Saint Sophia s Altar Fund. Label: For the health of PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY: Please submit this form to: Saint Sophia Cathedral Office 1324 S Normandie Ave. Los Angeles CA

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